Sunday, March 24, 2024

Does Lack Of Sleep Cause Ringing In The Ears

Don't Miss

How Ringing Ears Is Caused By Anxiety

Does Anxiety Cause Ringing in Your Ears? Tinnitus and Anxiety

It is very common for there to be no identified underlying cause is found for tinnitus, which can be confusing for those suffering from the tinnitus. Doctors and researchers are aware that anxiety and stress have a relationship to ringing ears, but the nature/cause of that relationship is complicated by the fact that many people can develop tinnitus for no known reason at all.

Generally, most ringing in the ears caused by anxiety is temporary. It tends to occur at the height of a panic attack and then slowly dissipates as the panic attack fades. This leads many to believe that the tinnitus must be caused by some type of blood flow issue or head pressure. Some people experience a sense of ear fullness during anxiety attacks, which further contributes to the belief that there is a connection between anxiety and ear health.

There are several other related theories as well, and it is likely all of these play a role in the link between anxiety and ear ringing:

Insomnia And Causes Of Tinnitus

No one knows why we need to sleep, but its obviously a very essential part of staying healthy, both in mind and body. Everyone can tell the difference between a good nights rest and a sleepless night, but there are many issues that can develop from sleep deprivation, or worse, insomnia. These include depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and risk of stroke. These health concerns can also lead to hearing loss and tinnitus.

A study by the Henry Ford Health System found that insomnia has a clear impact on the perceived severity of tinnitus amongst sufferers of both conditions, who reported more sensitivity to the condition and struggles with functional and emotional health related to the ringing in their ears.

However, researchers think they may have discovered a new way to relieve this burdensome ailment, while at the same time help people get more of the sleep they desperately need.

While their findings are still in the experimental stage, they do offer some promising results that could help tinnitus and insomnia sufferers in the future.

Lets explore what theyve found.

Make Your Bedroom Pitch Black

A pitch-black bedroom can often make it much easier to fall asleep and also stay asleep longer in the morning. The challenge is that many bedrooms have a lot of ambient light coming in from a variety of sources, such as night lights, cable boxes, alarm clocks, streetlights outside, and poor curtain coverage, all of which can disrupt the quality of your sleep.

You want to make your bedroom as close to pitch-black as you possibly can. The easiest and least expensive option is to simply purchase a sleep mask. But you can also replace your curtains with blackout curtains, which are available at most department stores, instead.

Pro Tip: Make sure to cover all sources of light, including lights on the TV or cable box. One very simple way to do this is to use black electrical tape, which generally doesnt leave any kind of adhesive residue when removed. This works really well in hotel rooms, too. I always keep a roll of electrical tape in my backpack when I travel for this purpose.

Recommended Reading: How To Pair Compilot With Hearing Aids

Sleep Apnea Comorbidities: Diabetes And Hypertension

If youre reading this article, then youre hopefully familiar with obstructive sleep apnea and why its so dangerous to your health. This includes how OSA contributes to health conditions that are closely tied to tinnitus.

If sleep apnea is a contributing factor to the conditions mentioned below, treating it may have an additional benefit of reducing your tinnitus symptoms.

Heres a brief description of OSA and its connection to other diseases also linked to tinnitus:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your airway is partially or completely blocked, making it difficult for you to breathe at night. Its most common symptoms are loud snoring, gasping or choking during the night, or daytime fatigue.
  • Sleep apnea sufferers may stop breathing anywhere between 5 or even more than 30 times in a single hour. When you stop breathing during sleep, your body and your brain become oxygen-deprived.
  • Sleep apnea is connected to many health issues including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and anxiety. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, youre more likely to have these conditions because OSA contributes to or worsens them. Its also difficult to adequately treat them unless the apnea is addressed first.

Several of the conditions that sleep apnea contributes to or worsens also happen to be conditions that according to research worsens tinnitus too. For example, if you have diabetes or hypertension , these two conditions are linked to tinnitus as well.

Avoiding Insomnia And Fatigue

Ringing or buzzing in the ears? We can help!

Many people who struggle with tinnitus also suffer from insomnia or other sleeping problems. It can be hard to count sheep when your ears are ringing, so here are some other tips to help you get to sleep.

Tinnitus

For people with tinnitus, silence is less than relaxing – it’s an opportunity for the ringing in their head to take over. This can cause insomnia, exhaustion, and mental distress. Over a long period of time, these issues can even lead to depression and chronic fatigue. However, most people need some form of “silence” in order to fall asleep. While fans, music, and ambient noise can fade into the background, tinnitus does not.

Instead of lying awake, it’s recommended that people with tinnitus take measures to fall asleep faster. However, over-the-counter drugs and sleeping medications shouldn’t be used over long periods of time. Luckily, there are other ways to encourage sleep.

Read Also: What Is Poop In Sign Language

Can Sleep Apnea Lead To Tinnitus & Hearing Loss

Sleep apnea increases your risk for many other serious conditions, such as heart problems, and diabetes. However, several recent studies show there may be a link between hearing loss and tinnitus. If you have sleep apnea, you may also have hearing impairment.

New research suggests sleep apnea may also be associated with hearing loss and tinnitus.

Hearing loss and tinnitus, like sleep apnea, can affect your quality of life. Some of the side effects of hearing loss and tinnitus include:

  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

Tinnitus can also make it difficult to get a good nights sleep, which can compound the sleep problems associated with S.A. Researchers estimate that tinnitus impacts the quality of sleep for 50-60% of people with sleep disorders.

While research is ongoing, there is also the potential thatsleep apnea treatmentwith CPAP therapy may help reduce the risk of hearing loss and tinnitus.

Ringing In The Ears Related To Sleep Deprivation

New study is even more proof of just how important it is for everyone to get the right amount of sleep.

New research shows adults who struggle with tinnitus, or ringing in their ears, have a harder time with the issue when they dont sleep well.

Doctors at Henry Ford hospital in Detroit studied the issue.

They found not getting enough sleep, insomnia or poor sleep, makes the ringing in the ears even worse.

When patients were treated for their sleep issues, they say the tinnitus got better.

Don’t Miss: Mullein Garlic Ear Oil Walgreens

The Truth Behind That Constant Ringing In Your Ears And What You Can Do About It

Do you suffer from constant ringing in your ears? If so, then you know how annoying and sometimes painful it can truly be. It may affect your day-to-day activities or prevent you from getting proper sleep at night. Whatever the case may be, it’s certainly no fun and all you probably want is to get rid of it.But first, you need to understand exactly what it is to understand how you can rid yourself of the burden. So, let’s start there, shall we? That ringing or buzzing in your ears at any given time is a symptom commonly known as tinnitus. According to the National Institutes of Health, “1 out of 10 US adults has experienced tinnitus in the past year.” So, the bright side is that you’re not alone.SEE ALSO: This bright orange ‘miracle’ powder does wonders for your bodyOne thing to remember is that while chronic tinnitus can certainly impact your life, it’s usually not as serious as it is distracting. But what the heck is causing it? Apparently, there are a several things that can create this ringing. The American Tinnitus Association estimates there are roughly 200 health disorders that can generate tinnitus symptoms. Not exactly a small number.

More health news from AOL.com:

Tips To Improve Tinnitus And Improve Sleep

Ear Problems & Infections : Causes for Continuous Ringing in the Ears

Avoid a too-quiet room: Ringing in the ears is much more noticeable when a room is quiet. Using an app or device to create sleep-friendly sounds may help drown out the ringing.

Meditation and mindfulness: Meditation and mindfulness are important to help reduce stress. Studies have shown meditation to be a beneficial tool in better managing tinnitus, as it makes you focus on your breathing rather than the noise in your ears.

Other relaxation techniques: Tinnitus can provoke anxiety, so its important that you utilize techniques to help promote relaxation. Some other techniques include deep breathing exercises, progressive relaxation, guided imagery, aromatherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Limit use of earplugs: Earplugs, although they can protect your ears, can reduce the ability to hear external sounds and make tinnitus appear worse. Furthermore, frequent earplug use can lead to wax buildup and impaction, which can further worsen tinnitus.

Dont ignore ear pain: Ear pain in combination with tinnitus could be a sign of another cause for tinnitus that, if left untreated, could worsen your symptoms. Always speak to your doctor about these types of symptoms.

Seek treatment for hearing problems: If you begin experiencing difficulties hearing, then speak to your doctor, as there could be an underlying medical condition that is triggering this. Underlying medical issues could also be contributing to your poor sleep.

Also read:

Don’t Miss: Dr Lano Ent New Braunfels

Use A Better Sound Masking Strategy

If you still have some of your hearing, sound masking is the easiest-to-implement sleep improvement strategy for tinnitus sufferers. The idea here is very simple: play background noise to lower the perceived volume of the sound and help you ignore it so you can get to sleep.

Not everyone is able to mask the volume of their tinnitus, but even when you cant drown it out, it can still be helpful because masking creates a wall of sound that blocks out quiet noises that might have otherwise awoken you. It also prevents you from having to wake up in complete silence, which is a challenging environment for many tinnitus sufferers.

Any sound you find relaxing can work well heremasking doesnt have to mean white noise. Ambient music, nature sounds, desk fans, and other environmental sounds are all excellent options, just to name a few.

Any sound you find relaxing can work well heremasking doesnt have to mean white noise. Ambient music, nature sounds, desk fans, and other environmental sounds are all excellent options, just to name a few. In fact, its a good idea to find at least several sounds that work well for you, should any of them stop helping at any point.

You also have several options to play the sounds from dedicated white noise and sound machines to headphones designed to be worn to sleep, pillow speakers, and more!

Tinnitus Linked To Insomnia

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit have found a significant association between the severity of perceived tinnitus symptoms and insomnia.

According to the researchers, over 36 million people experience tinnitus chronic ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking in the head and ears. The study, presented at the Combined Otolaryngological Spring Meetings in San Diego, found that insomnia can worsen the functional and emotional toll of tinnitus symptoms and that patients suffering from insomnia reported greater emotional distress.

Study co-author Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, M.D., Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford, explained:

Tinnitus involves cognitive, emotional, and psycho-physiological processes, which can result in an increase in a patients distress. Sleep complaints, including insomnia, in these patients may result in a decrease in their tolerance to tinnitus.

Although researchers do not know the exact physiological cause of tinnitus, there are several conditions which trigger or worsen it:

  • Ear or sinus infections
  • Wax build-up in the ear
  • Head and neck trauma
  • Fibromyalgia

In addition, earlier studies have found a strong link between various psychological disturbances and tinnitus.

In this retrospective study, Dr. Yaremchuk, Dr. George Miguel, and colleagues examined 117 patients who received treatment at Henry Ford between 2009 and 2011.

Dr. Yaremchuk explains:

The study received funding from Henry Ford Hospital.

Read Also: What Is Poop In Sign Language

Be Smarter With Your Screens

Don’t let tinnitus get in the way of a goodnight’s rest.

The human body maintains an internal day/night cycle known as the circadian rhythm. When we are awake during the day, sunlight causes our bodies to secrete daytime hormones. And then at night, in the absence of sunlight, the brain secretes a hormone called melatonin, which signals that its night, and time to go to sleep.

Unfortunately, the bright blue light spectrum emitted from our phones, televisions, computers and many other screens mimics sunlight and causes the brain to stop secreting melatonin. As a result, watching TV, playing on your phone, reading on your iPad, or working on your computer can all worsen sleep problems.

Ideally, you want to turn off all backlit screens for at least 90 minutes before you go to bed. This is your best way to ensure you get a good night sleep.

But you can also employ blue light blocking technology if you dont want to give up your screen time, and you have a few options here. The simplest option is to get a pair of glasses that block the blue light spectrum. You can find many inexpensive blue light blocking glasses on Amazon, or you can opt for more expensive options like the famous Blublocker brand.

How To Reduce Ear Ringing From Anxiety

From cognitive behavioral therapy to sound therapy ...

Some people have found there are tips and tricks to use in an effort to reduce ear ringing. Some use their thumbs and index fingers, gently massage the ears. It has been reported to be helpful to pull and rub the entire surface, which increases the blood flow to the inner ears. For many, this partially or sometimes, fully relieves the ringing sound.

But because ear ringing can be caused by any number of different factors, the best thing a person can do is see a doctor. Seeking medical attention and asking for recommendations for treatment for the tinnitus is always involved.

If it is deemed the tinnitus is caused by anxiety, then it is most important to learn to control or manage the anxiety. The more a person can control his or her anxiety, the less likely that anxiety will excite the ear ringing.

Was this article helpful?

Also Check: Phonak Tv Link Pairing

How Can A Lack Of Sleep Affect Your Hearing

According to The National Sleep Foundation, adults should receive between eight and ten hours of sleep each night. According to the foundations findings, any less than this can negatively impact your concentration, your mood and the brain functions involved in hearing, known as central auditory processing. Your central auditory processing relies on alertness and concentration, both of which can be hindered by sleep deprivation and subsequently your listening capabilities.

A lack of sleep is also known to negatively affect your bodys blood circulation, including the blood supply to your ears. There are around 20,000 tiny hairs in our hearing organs that help to detect sound waves and translate them into speech and environmental sounds this process relies on normal blood flow and the supply of vital nutrients to the ear to ensure its proper function. This means that any restrictions with your blood flow can irreparably damage these delicate sensory cells, resulting in a permanent reduction in hearing sensitivity.

Tinnitus Triggers You Should Know

Many veterans experience tinnitus due to excessive noise or chemical exposure while serving in the military. If you have tinnitus, youve probably noticed certain tinnitus triggers that can set off your symptoms or make them worse. Use this guide to help identify your tinnitus triggers and keep your symptoms at bay.

Read Also: How To Say What Are You Doing In Sign Language

What Is Sleep Apnea

There are several types, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea . This type of sleep apnea arises when the muscles and tissues around a person’s airway relax and block breathing. This causes a person to snore and frequently wake up, out of breath. Symptoms include snoring, gasping or choking while sleeping, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, irritability, learning or memory problems, mood swings, and dry throat upon waking in the morning. Sleep apnea should be treated, since it not only leads to exhaustion, it strains the heart and increases the risk of heart disease.

Both Can Negatively Impact Relationships

Sleep Buds: Could Wireless Radiation Cause Ringing in The Ears or Tinnitus?

In addition to increasing your risk of many different types of health disorders, both hearing loss and sleep apnea can have a profoundly negative impact on your personal relationships. Bed partners are often the first to realize a person has sleep apnea, and the snoring and restlessness causes them to lose plenty of sleep, too. Add hearing loss to the mix, and you have a recipe for lots of frustration and poor communication.

Don’t Miss: American Sign Language Hungry

Have Sleep Apnea You Might Have Hearing Loss Too

Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy HearingLast updated March 18, 20192019-03-18T00:00:00-05:00

If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may want to schedule a appointment to see a hearing care professional, too.

Both hearing loss and sleep apnea canhave a negative impact on your personalrelationships.

While researchers are still studying the relationship between the two, hearing loss and sleep apnea appear strongly linked, according to several studies published in the past few years.

One, a study of nearly 14,000 people found that hearing impairment was more common among those who had a higher body mass index, snored and had severe sleep apnea. Study participants received in-home sleep apnea studies and on-site audiometric testing.

Another, much smaller study found that among people with severe obstructive sleep apnea, those with the lowest oxygen levels were much more likely to have hearing impairment.

More articles

Popular Articles