Can I Sleep With My Hearing Aids In
Time To Read: 5 minutes
Usually those asking this question have tinnitus and are looking at ways to deal with the persistent noise.
So, lets take a look at this topic in more detail.
- What Is Tinnitus?
- Why Is Tinnitus Seem Louder At Bedtime?
- What Can I Do To Get A Good Nights Sleep?
At Value Hearing we encourage our clients to wear their hearing aids as much as possible in a wide range of day-to-day situations. In fact, our clients have a better than a 95% wear rate.
But there are two places where we strongly recommend you dont where your hearing aids one is in the shower, the other is in bed.
As much as you need to wear hearing aids during the day, you also need to give your ears and your brain a break. Removing your hearing aids before bed reduces the amount of audio stimulation you receive while youre sleeping.
Your ear canals need to air out and your hearing aids need time to dry out after being in your ears all day.
If youre enjoying the benefits of rechargeable hearing aids, youll know that they require charging overnight. For hearing aids with disposable batteries, opening the battery case at the end of the day will prevent a drain on your batteries.
Wearing hearing aids to bed is not common and the reason why some people might entertain the thought is to help mask tinnitus.
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Get The Help You Need
Chances are youve been living with hearing loss. Nearly 27 million Americans age 50 and older have hearing loss, but only one in seven uses a hearing aid. On average, people with hearing aids waited a decade before getting help.
What you may not realize is that even a slight loss carries serious risks: Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has found that mild hearing loss doubles dementia risk over 12 years. It also raises your risk of falls. Our ears pick up cues as we walk that help us balance. If you have hearing loss, your brain needs to work harder to hear conversation and other ambient sounds and this could interfere with your balance as well. Thats why hearing aids are so important for quality of life.
What If My Hearing Aids Keep Falling Out When I Fall Asleep
If your hearing aids are falling out when you fall asleep, then the fit may not be good. To recognize whether or not you have a good, secure hearing aid fitting is by how frequently you feel the need to push your hearing aids back in your ears.
Whether it is Receiver-in- the-Ear or In-the- Ear hearing aids, you should never feel the need to constantly push or reposition them back where they should be when you first put them on. If this happens, make an appointment with your Hearing Care Practitioner to get this corrected immediately.
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Consider Hearing Aid Rehabilitation
Hearing aids have been shown to make a dramatic difference in the lives of people with hearing loss. Not only do they help restore some amount of hearing, but they can also improve sleep problems and related issues.
However, only 20% of adults who would be helped by hearing aids use them. If you have hearing loss and struggle with insomnia or another sleep disorder, hearing aid rehabilitation could be the right treatment choice.
Hearing aid rehabilitation starts with a hearing test. Until the hearing aid or hearing aid dispenser has understood your form of hearing loss, they will suggest potential hearing aids.
Modern hearing aids come in a wide range of styles and at many price points. When choosing one, it might be helpful to consider these questions suggested by the FDA:
- Are the benefits and features of higher-priced styles worth the cost to me?
- Does the manufacturer offer a trial and adjustment period?
- What are the terms of the warranty?
- How are repairs covered, and will loaner aids be provided during repairs?
Adjusting to hearing aids can take time. Not only will you have to get used to the physical sensation of the aids, but you will also have to retrain your brain to adjust to sounds you otherwise could not hear.
Still, the process is well worth the effort. Most hearing aid users are satisfied or very satisfied with their aids, regardless of the technology or version they use.
Can Hearing Aids Improve Your Sleep
According to one study, 59% of individuals who were hearing aid wearers noted feeling fulfilled 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?
Not exactly. If your hearing is completely healthy, wearing hearing aids isnt going to cure your insomnia.
But if you are suffering from loss of hearing, your hearing aids can address numerous issues that might be worsening your insomnia:
- Strain: The strain on your brain will essentially reduced by using hearing aids. And when your brain isnt continuously straining to hear everything around you, it wont be as likely to keep straining while youre attempting to sleep.
- Isolation: If youre out on the town, connecting with the people in your social group, youre not so likely to feel isolated and depressed. Relationships are less difficult with hearing aids .
- Tinnitus: Hearing aids may be an effective treatment for that ringing or buzzing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can help stop that vicious cycle and help you get to sleep.
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Will My Sleep Be Helped By Wearing Hearing Aids
by Hearing HealthCare Centers | Dec 25, 2019 | Hearing Aids News
Sleep is precious. If you dont get a complete, restful seven to eight hours of sleep, you wake up groggy and cranky, an undesirable feeling that takes several cups of coffee to stave off. So you were aghast when your hearing loss started making you lose sleep.
Justifiably so. But theres a little something that can help, thankfully: a hearing aid. Its possible that these little devices can help you get a better night sleep, according to the latest surveys.
When You Are Sleeping
There is no need to wear your hearing aids when you are sleeping because you will not be conscious. Wearing your hearing aids when you are sleeping is not only unnecessary, but it can lead to unnecessary wax accumulation. Further, if your hearing aids accidentally fall out when you roll over, you could accidentally knock them off of your bed and onto the floor. This could damage them. Instead of wearing your hearing aids while you sleep, you should store them in a cool, dry place and open the battery door to let out any excess moisture.
Talk to your audiologist if youre unsure about what activities are safe to participate in while wearing your hearing aids. The audiologist can provide you with hearing aid care tips, in addition to accessories that may keep them safe while completing your activities.
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What Are The Different Degrees Of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is assessed in both ears, represented by the different colors on the audiogram. Globally, we speak of hearing loss if a majority of points in at least one ear are below 25dB. The extent of hearing loss can be categorized in steps using the audiogram for each frequency band:
- zero to 20dB: Normal hearing
- 21-40dB: Slight loss
Hearing Loss And Sleep
Do you sleep better if you have hearing loss – or does it make sleeping more difficult? Does lack of sleep affect your hearing the answers are complicated. There have been studies involving sleep and hearing loss as well as sleep and tinnitus. How one affects the other is the subject research right now. At Orange County Physicians Hearing Services, the only thing we can tell you for sure is getting regular hearing evaluations and getting your hearing loss treated if thats an issue, will improve your life and that includes your sleeping patterns.
How Is Your Sleep Affected by Hearing Loss?
As we said, sleep is a complicated issue. Sleeping well and getting enough sleep is an important part of overall health. Your sleep can be impacted by a lot of factors from your health to stress. Studies do show insomnia is common among individuals who are hard of hearing or are deaf. In one study, 2/3 of the respondents who were deaf said they had insomnia and the prevalence of insomnia is higher if people are suffering from occupational hearing loss, tinnitus or sudden hearing loss.
Stress due to deafness or hearing loss could be one of the reasons for the high numbers, researchers said. Poor sleep patterns and depression are linked and one can cause the other. People who are congenitally deaf and those that have hearing loss later in life have higher rates of mood disorders including depression.
Can Hearing Loss Help You Sleep?
Does Tinnitus Affect Sleep?
Hearing Aids and Sleep
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Why Is Tinnitus Seem Louder At Bedtime
A useful analogy about tinnitus is to think of it like a candle in a room.
During the day when there are other sources of light around, the candles brightness is diminished. As it becomes darker, the candle light becomes more noticeable as there is less light to detract attention from it. In fact, when its dark, the candle is difficult to miss.
Tinnitus is objectively the same a dimmer sound during the day when there are more ambient noises around us to detract attention from it, but more noticeable when its quiet, especially at night time, when there are lower levels of ambient noises around.
Achieving A Better Quality Sleep Using Hearing Aids
With regards to sleep, the number of hours is not the only thing to consider. To be sure that your sleep can be really rejuvenating, its important that you reach a certain degree to your zs. Hearing loss can work against that deep sleep, and hearing aids, therefore, can increase your ability to achieve restful sleep.
Using your hearing aids on the suggested daytime schedule will improve your sleep but its worthwhile to note that hearing aids are not normally designed to be used while you sleep. They arent going to help you hear better when youre in bed . And, over time, using your hearing aids at night can reduce their performance. You get better sleep if you use them during the day.
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Dont Sleep In With Your Hearing Aids
It is best to pull your hearing aids off at night or anytime when you are going to take a nap. This is for a few reasons, first laying on your hearing aid may cause a pressure sore in your ear and secondly your hearing aid may fall off and get lost in the sheets.
If you are concerned with not hearing your alarm clock I would recommend a super-powered alarm clock for you, see my article on the best alarm clock for hearing aid users.
How Does Hearing Loss Impact Sleep
Recently, youve noticed yourself tossing and turning more than normal, battling fatigue all day regardless of how much sleep you get, and then having a difficult time falling asleep at night . All of these problems started about the same time you also started to notice that your mobile phone, radio, and television were becoming difficult to hear.
Come to find out, youre not imagining things. There is a well-documented relationship between hearing loss and insomnia, even if the precise sources arent exactly clear. There are, of course, a couple of theories:
- Tinnitus can cause you to hear ringing, thumping, and humming and that noise can keep you awake at night. .
- Hearing loss is related to depression, and your sleep cycle can be disrupted by chemical imbalances caused by depression. This makes it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Your brain, when you have hearing loss, strains to get stimulus where there isnt any. If your brain is in high gear attempting to hear while youre trying to sleep, your entire cycle could be thrown off .
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Wear Hearing Aids As Much As Possible
The people who wear their hearing aids all day long everyday become much more successful with their hearing aids when compared to people who only wear their hearing aids part-time. The reason is that their brain knows what to expect and so it can process the incoming sound better.
Sometimes patients object and say well I live alone and do not need to wear them at home because there is nothing to hear. However, I would say by hearing the environment sounds allows your brain to recalibrate itself on how much sound it should expect.
If a person only chooses to wear hearing aids while going out of the house you will generally feel that the hearing aids are too loud. Because noises outside of your house are already louder than at home and then with the hearing aids we just make them even louder still.
I realized that wearing hearing aids all day may take some getting used to so further down in the article I will speak more about this.
Ear Protection While You Sleep
For years sleep specialists have warned that its a bad idea to fall asleep with the TV on. So people started to fall asleep listening to their favorite podcast or music. Some even stream TV onto their phone or tablet. Audiologists want you to know this is a bad idea. Earbuds can deliver noise at damaging levels while you sleep.
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Find Something Relaxing To Do At Night
One of the most helpful things you can do to fall asleep faster is to establish a relaxing routine before going to sleep.
The key here is to avoid playing with your phone or getting on your computer, which can often make it very difficult to get to sleep. It is essential to create a routine that promotes relaxation and calm to help deal with the stress and anxiety of tinnitus.
Some good examples of this are taking a hot bath, stretching, or meditation. Mentally, you can read a book, employ breathing techniques, or spend some time with your favorite pet.
Whatever relaxation techniques you choose, just be consistent and follow the same routine each night. Pretty soon, your brain will start to associate the practice with falling asleep, and youll find yourself feeling tired before you even get in bed.
Can Hearing Aids Help Improve Sleep
Loss of hearing gradually develops as you age. According to statistics, hearing loss occurs in about 33.3% of people aged 65 to 75 in America. Hearing loss also occurs in half the population of people above 75 years of age. Hearing loss is hard to notice the symptoms progress in severity the more you fail to seek medical assistance. It can be severe such that it causes social withdrawal and the development of depression. Insomnia is also a common severe symptom of hearing loss.
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Book An Appointment With Bravo Hearing
Hearing aids are indispensable to many people with moderate to profound hearing loss. They help us to communicate and interact with one another. Worn daily, they become a part of us, enhancing us in ways that bring us closer to one another. For these reasons, it is important to take good care of them and take extra caution when engaging in the above activities. When your hearing aids stop working, it is often an emergency. You need it back as soon as possible. Here at Bravo Hearing Centre, we service all the makes and models of hearing aids, including Phonak, Starkey, Oticon, Bernafon, Unitron, Widex and Signia. We offer immediate same day on-site service for quick, as you wait, wax guard and mic guard replacements, receiver changes on most RIC style hearing aids, and BTE tube changes. We also provide standard 3-5 day manufacturer repair turn around and, upon request, two-day manufacturer rush repairs. Please contact us to schedule an appointment or call us at now.
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How Does Loss Of Hearing Impact Sleep
Despite the fact that you feel fatigued all day and are exhausted by bedtime, you still toss and turn and have a difficult time falling asleep. All of these issues began around the same time you also started to notice that your mobile phone, radio, and television were becoming hard to hear.
Its not your imagination as it turns out. Its well documented that people who have loss of hearing frequently have a difficult time falling asleep, but precisely why is not really recognized. Some theories have been put forward:
- Loss of hearing is related to depression, and your sleep cycle can be interrupted by chemical imbalances caused by depression. As a result of this, falling asleep and staying asleep becomes more difficult.
- You can lose sleep because of tinnitus which can cause humming, ringing, or thumping noises in your ears. .
- Your brain, when you have loss of hearing, strains to get input that isnt there. If your brain is in overdrive attempting to hear while youre trying to sleep, your whole cycle could be thrown off .
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