Tinnitus and Sleep: Understanding the Impact on Rest and Quality of Life

If you’re someone who has struggled with sleep for a while now, there are often reasons for this. A lack of sleep could be due to stress or anxiety, but it could also be a medical issue, like tinnitus. Tinnitus is a symptom of hearing loss that can be annoying to deal with. It can vary in severity and when it comes to sleeping, it can be impactful. That also has a wider impact on your quality of life.

What is tinnitus? How does it impact the amount of quality rest you have and what further problems could it impede on your life?

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus affects your hearing in the sense that you start hearing sounds that other people won’t be able to hear. It’s coming from the inside of your ears, rather than from an outside source. It’s not clear as to how tinnitus is caused but typically it’s linked with hearing loss, as well as other hearing conditions and your mental health.

Symptoms of Tinnitus

The main symptom of tinnitus is hearing a noise. Tinnitus shouldn’t cause any discomfort or pain. Typically, the sound people hear when they experience tinnitus is different from one person to another. These include:

• Ringing
• Buzzing
• Whistling
• Roaring
• Humming
• Hissing
• Squealing
• Clicking

How Does Tinnitus Affect Your Sleep?

As tinnitus is an audible symptom that’s experienced, it can make the average person find difficulty in getting to sleep. When you have a constant buzzing sound or something similar to that, it can be hard to fall asleep naturally. For some, the sound they hear might not be constant but happen every so often, which can disrupt a person’s sleep. As a result, they may feel they’re experiencing poor quality of sleep and that might make them groggier in the morning.

The Wider Impact of Sleep Deprivation

Without a person getting enough sleep, the body begins to struggle. Sleep is a form of repair work for your body and without that valuable sleep time, it can result in damage to the body. This can be both mental and physical health. Long-term sleep deprivation may reduce the quality of life while risking the appearance of other health issues including diabetes, obesity and even cardiovascular problems.

Why it’s Worth Seeing an Audiologist for Tinnitus

An audiologist is a specialist in hearing, which includes tinnitus. If you’re experiencing tinnitus and you’re not getting enough sleep, it’s important to book yourself an appointment. An audiologist will conduct a hearing test to see what’s causing the tinnitus and how to treat it. While tinnitus can’t currently be cured, there are options that will benefit your quality of life.

Treatments that might be suggested include sound machines, tinnitus retraining therapy and hearing aids that mask the sound. There are general lifestyle modifications that might be suggested too like quitting smoking and alcohol, medication alterations and even earwax removal.

If you’re experiencing tinnitus, get yourself booked in to see an audiologist. They will find the perfect treatment plan for you.