Can Sleeping On Your Ear Cause Hearing Loss

Follow A Nighttime Routine

Formulating good sleep habits such as winding down at least 30 minutes before bed, dimming the lights and going to bed at the same time every night helps condition your body to feel sleepy at the right time. When youre ready to fall asleep it will be easier.

Tinnitus has also been associated with stress. Developing habits to lessen your stress level before bed can also be helpful, such as:

• Making your bedroom slightly cooler
• Doing deep breathing or a quick meditation
• Concentrating on thoughts that make you relaxed and happy
• Listening to soft music or gentle sounds
• Doing yoga and stretching
• At least an hour before going to bed, dim the lights
• Sitting in a quiet room and reading a book
• Avoiding alcohol
• Bathing
• Avoiding eating a few hours before you go to bed

Getting into a predictable routine before going to bed helps you shift away from the stresses of the day into night and trains your body to transition into sleep.

Tinnitus And Sleep Issues

Tinnitus can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety. Taken together, tinnitus and anxiety can lead to a host of sleep issues, and getting enough sleep may seem impossible. The experience of tinnitus during the night can make it very hard to fall asleep, and make you feel more stressed. Tinnitus often seems louder when the room is quiet, so the silence of your bedroom may make tinnitus even more intrusive.

As your anxiety levels rise, it becomes more and more difficult to fall asleep and get the rest you need. When you arent sleeping enough, youll feel even more anxious, and your tinnitus will be even more noticeable.

When Should I Wear Earplugs

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , certain decibel levels can be dangerous with prolonged exposure. Sounds over 97 dB should be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes, but even low levels of noise can cause hearing damage if it is done for hours without interruption.

If you are going to be exposed to damaging noise levels, there are ways to protect your hearing safely both with and without earplugs. You may use over-the-ear protection while operating machinery, and take a break from the noisy activity and retreat to a quiet environment every 15 minutes to give your ears a rest. If you wear earplugs, you can protect your hearing health by:

• Making sure the earplugs are clean and dry before each use
• Choosing the right size earplugs for your ears and activity
• Inserting and remove earplugs gently with each use
• Storing earplugs in a ventilated case to discourage moisture and bacteria buildup

Of course, you should always make regular appointments with your hearing care specialist to ensure that your hearing is the best it can be. Call us today to schedule a hearing testing appointment at one of our convenient Florida hearing aid centers!

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Signs And Symptoms Of Hearing Loss

It’s not always easy to tell if you’re losing your hearing.

Common signs include:

• difficulty hearing other people clearly, and misunderstanding what they say, especially in noisy places
• asking people to repeat themselves
• listening to music or watching television loudly
• having to concentrate hard to hear what other people are saying, which can be tiring or stressful

The signs can be slightly different if you only have hearing loss in 1 ear or if a young child has hearing loss.

Severe Hearing Loss Causes

When your hearing is normal, sound waves enter your outer ear and cause your eardrum and middle ear bones to vibrate. The sound waves then travel through your inner ear, which is a shell-shaped, fluid-filled tube called the cochlea. As the fluid moves, it sets in motion thousands of tiny hairs that convert the sound vibrations into nerve signals. Those signals go to your brain where they are turned into sounds you can recognize.

Hearing loss happens when there’s a problem with the parts of the ear that you use to hear. Any of these conditions can lead to severe hearing loss:

Age. As people get older, some parts in the ear become less elastic. The tiny hairs get damaged and canât respond to sound waves as well. Hearing loss can get worse over several years.

Loud noise. The blare of power tools, airplanes, or loud music on headphones, for example, can damage the hair cells in the cochlea. How much hearing you lose depends on the volume of the sound and how long you were around it. Learn more about noise-induced hearing loss.

Ear infections. They can make fluid build up in the middle ear. Usually, the hearing loss from an ear infection is mild and goes away shortly. But if you donât treat the infections, they can lead to serious long-term problems.

Illnesses or infections. Measles, mumps, syphilis, and meningitis are just a few of the conditions that can cause hearing loss.

Meniereâs disease. Symptoms of this inner ear disorder include:

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Can Treatment Help Reduce The Risk For Hearing Loss

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy is currently the gold standard for sleep apnea treatment as its non-invasive and effective for most S.A. sufferers. There currently havent been many studies about CPAPs effects on hearing loss. However, theres a lot of anecdotal evidence out there from people with both sleep apnea and hearing loss or tinnitus. Some people have noticed their tinnitus symptoms improved after starting CPAP therapy.

Why might a CPAP help with S.A. related hearing loss? CPAP therapy can help increase blood oxygen levels and blood flow, which may help prevent damage to your ears. Also, using your CPAP device as you sleep can also help prevent apnea events that may raise your blood pressure and lead to tinnitus problems from hypertension. Therefore, CPAP therapy may help not only with symptoms of sleep apnea, it may also help reduce your risk for hearing impairment.

Causes Of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can have many different causes. For example:

• sudden hearing loss in 1 ear may be due to earwax, an ear infection, a perforated eardrum or Ménière’s disease
• sudden hearing loss in both ears may be due to damage from a very loud noise, or taking certain medicines that can affect hearing
• gradual hearing loss in 1 ear may be due to something inside the ear, such as fluid , a bony growth or a build-up of skin cells
• gradual hearing loss in both ears is usually caused by ageing or exposure to loud noises over many years

This may give you an idea of the reason for hearing loss but make sure you see a GP to get a proper diagnosis. It might not always be possible to identify an obvious cause.

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The Research On Tinnitus And Sleep Deprivation

Researchers divided 60 participants into 3 groups. The first group slept with a sound machine set by the scientists to a single sound. The second group received a sound machine that allowed them to adjust the sounds and settings. The third group received the in-ear device that is set to mimic precisely the tinnitus sound that the participant is hearing.

Researchers believe that by inundating brain with the same sound from an external source, the brain learned to ignore the noise.

Those who used the device report that their tinnitus is much quieter and less annoying. Tinnitus-associated stress was also reduced.

Its Understandable If A Cpap User Is Concerned About The Machines Noise Or Pressure Causing Hearing Loss

The incidence of hearing loss cases among CPAP users is inversely out of proportion to the number of CPAP users who worry about hearing loss from the noise or pressure.

What that means is this: CPAP therapy can cause hearing loss, but it is so rare that it does not justify worrying over it, and certainly does not validate avoiding use of this therapy for sleep apnea treatment.

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Can A Blocked Nose Cause Hearing Loss

A blocked nose can make life miserable. Added to a plugged nose, hearing loss can make the problem worse. But why does it happen that whenever there is an episode of a stuffy nose, your hearing also gets affected? Have you given thought about that? Read this blog to know the relation between the blocked nose and hearing loss.

The Link Between Sleep And Mental Illness

Less Sleep Means Poor Circulation

Sleep is also essential for our circulatory system. Thats why, when clients say they must be on their smart tablets late at night for work, I urge them to wear blue light blocking glasses to protect against their sleep cycles being disrupted. Its that important.

In a 2019 study published in Nature, researchers discovered that chronic sleep disorders or insomnia can lead to lower levels of a hormone called hypocretin, which is responsible for regulating sleep cycles. But they also found that sleep-deprived mice developed significantly more plaques in the arteries.

More plaque in the arteries and reduced circulation, meanwhile, has been tied to hearing loss. Your inner ear has a section called the cochlea, which plays a major role in hearing and processing sounds. In order for this to work, your arteries pump blood to this part of the ear. Reduced blood circulation from lack of sleep, we are learning, can account for cases of unexplained hearing loss.

How Do I Reduce My Risk for Sleep-Induced Hearing Loss?

I dont mean to be all gloom and doom in fact, by becoming aware of how sleep and hearing loss are related, you can take measures to stop a hearing loss condition from getting worse or possibly even prevent it. Here are my sleep hacks for making sure youre staying rested and supporting healthy blood circulation.

Use Sound to Sleepthe Right Way

Keep a Regular Exercise Routine

Fuel Your Body to Stay Alert

Until then, sweet dreams.

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Why Use Earplugs In The First Place

The case for earplugs is pretty simple: Properly used, earplugs can help protect your hearing by minimizing your exposure to excessive decibel levels. After you leave a loud placesay you walk past a construction siteyouve probably noticed that your hearing seems different, and you may experience symptoms of tinnitus. This happens because those super-loud noises actually bend the tiny hair cells inside your inner ear. It often goes away within a day or two, because the hair cells have recovered.

But if youre exposed to excessive decibels constantlysay you work on a construction crew or at an airfieldthe aural assault on those tiny hair cells is relentless. Instead of bending and then recovering, the cells are damaged permanently. Youve got about 16,000 of those tiny cells inside each cochlea, but up to 50% of them can be damaged or destroyed before your hearing has changed enough for the deficiency to show up in a hearing test.

Benefits Of Sleeping With A Fan

You do not have to have tinnitus to enjoy sleeping with a fan on! I personally have a ceiling fan and a oscillating circulating fan, that not only moves the air around in my bedroom, but also drowns out other noises in the house that helps me sleep. Noises like the dogs heading for a late night drink at the water bowl, or the cat with a bad case of the zoomies, neighbors getting in and out of cars and sirens goes pretty much unnoticed and rarely wakes me from sleep.

Harvard University has also weighed in on this issue for tinnitus sufferers: One of the simplest approaches is masking the noise. You can do this by listening to music or having a radio, fan, or white-noise machine going in the background. If money is no issue, you can buy devices worn like hearing aids that generate low-level white noise. Although there isnt enough evidence from randomized trials to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of masking, hearing experts often recommend it before turning to more expensive options such as cognitive behavioral therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, biofeedback and stress management, and transcutaneous electrical stimulation of parts of the inner ear.

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Tinnitus And Sleep Apnea

The definition of tinnitus is hearing noise without any external source. Most people experience this as a constant ringing in the ears. If youve ever heard ringing after listening to loud music, it may be similar to this. However, tinnitus can also present as other sounds like clicking, roaring, or buzzing.

The link between sleep apnea and tinnitus is somewhat less studied. However, one recent study found that tinnitus was more common in patients who were middle aged and had a sleep disorder, especially sleep apnea.

Like hearing loss, damaged cells inside your ear may be to blame for tinnitus. Several researchers have theorized that sleep apnea may cause this damage, which may explain why many people with S.A. also experience tinnitus.

Treatments For Hearing Loss

Hearing loss sometimes gets better on its own, or may be treated with medicine or a simple procedure. For example, earwax can be sucked out, or softened with eardrops.

But other types such as gradual hearing loss, which often happens as you get older may be permanent. In these cases, treatment can help make the most of the remaining hearing. This may involve using:

• hearing aids several different types are available on the NHS or privately
• implants devices that are attached to your skull or placed deep inside your ear, if hearing aids are not suitable
• different ways of communicating such as sign language or lip reading

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Whats The Best Type For Sleeping

Earplugs are generally divided into vented and non-vented types. Vented earplugs have a small hole, which helps to equalize the pressure in your ear. These are useful for flying and scuba diving, but dont work any better than non-vented earplugs when it comes to sleeping.

In addition, vented earplugs are usually categorized by their material:

• Wax. Wax earplugs are easy to mold to the size of your ear. Theyre a good choice for both sleeping and swimming since theyre waterproof.
• Silicone. Hard silicone earplugs have the added benefit of being reusable, but theyre usually uncomfortable for sleeping, especially if youre a side-sleeper. Soft silicone earplugs work similarly to wax ones and provide a more comfortable fit. However, some people find they arent as effective at blocking sounds as other types.
• Foam. Foam earplugs are the most inexpensive option. Theyre also soft, which makes them a good choice for sleeping. However, their porous material makes them a good environment for bacteria, so youll need to replace them often.

You can also talk to your doctor about custom-made earplugs. This involves making a mold of your ears and creating a pair of reusable earplugs that matches their shape. Custom earplugs tend to be more expensive, and they still need to be cleaned regularly. Theyre also very good at blocking out all noises including an alarm clock or emergency alert, so use them with caution.

Follow these steps to safely use earplugs:

Hearing Damage And Loss Due To Earphone Use

There may be a slight delay in the audio

Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch are the five basic senses that we rely on. If even one is compromised or damaged, it can affect our quality of life. With increasing age, these senses tend to dullthis is, of course, natural. But there are a number of environmental, occupational and lifestyle factors that can damage these senses, too. This is especially true in the case of our auditory senses, thanks to increasing noise pollution.

Noise exposure and hearing damage have been the subject of study for decades. Previously, experts worried mostly about industrial or occupational noises among those working in or living close to factories. With the increase in traffic and the development of listening devices, the focus gradually shifted to include these factors into the idea of noise exposure as well.

Over the decades, listening devices developed to promote personal use and convenience. In the 1980s and 1990s, ENT specialists worried about walkman and headphone usage and the effect they had on the hearing capacity of adolescents. Nowadays, accessing personal listening devices has become even easier with the development of earphones and headphones of many varieties. The latest versions are not only easy to use, but also come with higher decibels which are delivered directly into the ears. This can lead to hearing damage and loss.

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Can Your Sleep Be Improved By Using Hearing Aids

According to one study, 59% of individuals who were hearing aid users noted feeling content with their sleep, compared to a 44% satisfaction rate in people who dont use hearing aids. So are hearing aids a sleep aid or what?

well, not really. If you dont suffer from hearing loss, a hearing aid cant cure insomnia.

But if you suffer from hearing loss related insomnia, hearing aids might help in multiple crucial ways:

• Isolation: Your not so likely to feel isolated and depressed if you can connect with people in your social network when youre out on the town. Hearing aids make building relationships smoother .
• Tinnitus: Depending on the nature and cause of your tinnitus, hearing aids may provide a practical means of managing that buzzing and ringing. This can help stop that vicious cycle and help you get to sleep.
• Strain: The damage on your brain will effectively decreased by using hearing aids. And your brain will be less likely to strain while sleeping if it isnt straining all of the rest of the time.

Is Sleeping With Headphone Safe

Sleeping with headphone and earbuds is essential for a good sleep as we saw above. They save us from many diseases resulting from sleep deprivation. But, sleeping with headphones in the ear can be damaging for you. Here is how they can negatively affect your health. Further, some tips about sleeping with headphones are also discussed later on.

The potential side effects which wearing headphones can cause as you sleep are

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