Not getting enough sleep can have a harmful effect on your health and well being. There’s an unpleasant feeling to getting up groggy because you got less than seven to eight hours sleep that even several cups of coffee can’t change. So when your loss of hearing began causing you to have insomnia, you were aghast.
Understandably so. But there’s a little something that can help, fortunately: a hearing aid. Based on recent surveys and research, these little devices can most likely help you sleep sounder.
How Does Hearing Loss Affect Sleep?
Despite the fact that you feel tired all day and are completely drained by bedtime, you still toss and turn and have a hard time falling asleep. All of these problems started about 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 come to find. There is a well-documented connection between hearing loss and insomnia, even if the precise sources aren’t completely clear. There are, of course, some theories:
- You can be kept awake by tinnitus which can cause humming, ringing, or thumping noises in your ears. (Lack of sleep can also cause your tinnitus to get worse, which then can cause stronger insomnia, it’s a vicious cycle).
- Hearing loss is linked to depression, and your sleep cycle can be interrupted by chemical imbalances as a result of depression. As a result of this, falling asleep and staying asleep becomes more difficult.
- Your brain, when you have hearing loss, strains to get input that isn’t there. If your brain is in high gear trying to hear while you’re drifting off to sleep, your entire cycle could be thrown off (it’s that “my brain won’t shut off” issue).
Can Your Sleep be Improved by Using Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 59% of individuals who were hearing aid wearers noted feeling satisfied with their sleep, compared to a 44% satisfaction rate in people who don’t wear hearing aids. So does that imply it’s safe to assume hearing aids are also a type of sleep aid?
well, not really. If your hearing is completely normal, using hearing aids won’t cure your insomnia.
But if you suffer from hearing loss related insomnia, hearing aids could help in several critical ways:
- Tinnitus: Hearing aids might be a practical treatment for that ringing or buzzing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can assist you to get some sleep by short circuiting that vicious cycle.
- Isolation: Your less likely to feel depressed and isolated if you can connect with people in your social network when you’re out on the town. Hearing aids make building relationships easier (sleep cycle issues that result in “cabin fever” can also be lessened).
- Strain: The damage on your brain will essentially lessened by wearing hearing aids. And when your brain isn’t continuously straining to hear everything around you, it’ll be less likely to continue that practice when you’re attempting to sleep.
Getting Better Quality Sleep With Hearing Aids
It’s not just how many hours you sleep that’s significant here. How deep you sleep is as important as the number of hours. Hearing loss can reduce that deep sleep, and hearing aids, as a result, can increase your ability to achieve restful sleep.
Using your hearing aids on the recommended daytime schedule will benefit your sleep but it’s important to note that hearing aids are not typically meant to be used at night. When you’re sleeping they aren’t going to help you hear better (for instance, you won’t hear your alarm clock more clearly). And, over time, wearing your hearing aids at night can decrease their efficiency. You get deeper sleep if you wear them during the day.
Go to Bed!
Getting a restful night’s sleep is a valuable thing. Adequate sleep can keep your immune system in good condition, reduce stress levels, and help you think more clearly. A decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes have also been connected to healthy sleep habits.
When your sleep schedule is disrupted by your loss of hearing, the problem becomes more than aggravating, insomnia can frequently lead to serious health problems. Fortunately, most surveys document that people who use hearing aids have better quality of sleep.