Not getting enough sleep can have a detrimental effect on your health and vitality. If you don’t get a full, relaxing seven to eight hours of sleep, you get up cranky and groggy, an uncomfortable feeling that takes several cups of coffee to stave off. So when your hearing loss began causing you to have insomnia, you were aghast.
Justifiably so. But there’s something that can be of assistance, luckily: a hearing aid. It’s feasible that these small devices can help you get a sounder night sleep, according to the latest surveys.
How is Sleep Impacted by Hearing Loss?
Despite the fact that you feel fatigued all day and are exhausted by bedtime, you still toss and turn and have a hard time falling asleep. All of these issues began around the same time you also began to notice that your mobile phone, radio, and television were becoming hard to hear.
It’s not your imagination as it turns out. There is a well-documented relationship between hearing loss and insomnia, even if the precise sources aren’t completely clear. There are, of course, a couple of theories:
- Your brain, when you have loss of hearing, strains to get input where there isn’t any. If your brain is in overdrive trying to hear while you’re drifting off to sleep, your overall cycle could be thrown off (It’s the typical issue of not being able to get the brain to shut off).
- Hearing loss is connected to depression, and depression can result in chemical imbalances in the brain that disrupt your sleep cycle. This makes it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Tinnitus can make you hear thumping, humming, and ringing and that noise can keep you awake at night. (It can become a vicious cycle because lack of sleep can make your tinnitus symptoms worse).
Can Hearing Aids Improve Your Sleep?
According to one study, 59% of individuals who were hearing aid users noted feeling fulfilled with their sleep, compared to a 44% satisfaction rate in people who don’t use hearing aids. So does that guarantee it’s safe to assume hearing aids are also a type of sleep aid?
Not really. If you don’t suffer from hearing loss, a hearing aid can’t cure insomnia.
But if you have hearing loss related insomnia, hearing aids could help in numerous critical ways:
- Tinnitus: Hearing aids may be an effective treatment for that ringing or buzzing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can help you get to sleep by short circuiting that vicious cycle.
- Isolation: Your not so likely to feel depressed and isolated if you can hook up with people in your social group when you’re out and about. Hearing aids make retaining relationships easier (sleep cycle problems that lead to “cabin fever” can also be lessened).
- Strain: Your hearing aids will essentially reduce the burden on your brain. And your brain won’t be as likely to strain while sleeping if it isn’t straining all of the rest of the time.
Using Hearing Aids to Get a Better Night Sleep
It’s not just the number of hours that’s important here. In order for your sleep to be really rejuvenating, you need to obtain a certain depth to your z’s. Hearing aids can increase your ability to achieve a restful nights sleep because loss of hearing without hearing aids can prevent deep sleep.
Wearing your hearing aids on the recommended daytime schedule will enhance your sleep but it’s significant to note that hearing aids are not typically meant to be used while you sleep. They aren’t going to help you hear better when you’re in bed (you won’t be able to hear your alarm clock better, for example). And, after a while, wearing your hearing aids at night can decrease their effectiveness. You get deeper sleep if you wear them during the day.
Go to Bed!
Sleep is valuable. Your stress level, your immune system, and your ability to think clearly will all be benefited by ample sleep. Balanced sleep habits have even been linked to reduced risks for heart disease and diabetes.
When your sleep schedule is disturbed by your loss of hearing, it’s not just a small irritation, insomnia can often result in serious health concerns. Luckily, people document having better quality sleep when they use hearing aids.