Sleep is important. If you don’t get a full, restful seven to eight hours of sleep, you wake up groggy and cranky, an undesirable feeling that only three cups of coffee can keep at bay. So when your hearing loss began causing insomnia, you were aghast.
And that’s justifiable. But there’s something that can be of assistance, fortunately: a hearing aid. According to the most recent surveys and research, these little devices can probably help you sleep sounder.
How Does Loss of Hearing Impact Sleep?
Even though you feel tired all day and are completely drained by bedtime, you still toss and turn and have a difficult time falling asleep. All of these problems began around the same time you also started to notice that your mobile phone, radio, and television were becoming hard to hear.
It’s not your imagination come to find. It’s well documented that individuals who have hearing loss often have a difficult time falling asleep, but exactly why is not well understood. Some theories have been put forward:
- You can lose sleep because of tinnitus which can cause ringing, thumping, or humming sounds in your ears. (Lack of sleep can also make your tinnitus worse, which then can cause stronger insomnia, it’s a vicious cycle).
- Your brain, when you have hearing loss, strains to get input where there isn’t any. If your brain is in high gear trying to hear while you’re trying to sleep, your entire cycle could be disrupted (it’s that “my brain won’t shut off” issue).
- Hearing loss is linked to depression, and your sleep cycle can be disrupted by chemical imbalances as a result of depression. As a result of this, falling asleep and staying asleep becomes harder.
Can Your Sleep be Helped by Wearing Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 59% of individuals who were hearing aid wearers reported feeling content with their sleep, in comparison to a 44% satisfaction rate in people who don’t use hearing aids. So are hearing aids a sleep aid or what?
Not really. If you don’t suffer from loss of hearing, a hearing aid can’t cure insomnia.
But if you are suffering from loss of hearing, your hearing aids can target a number of problems that may be contributing to your insomnia:
- Strain: Your hearing aids will effectively diminish the demand on your brain. And when your brain isn’t constantly straining to hear everything around you, it won’t be as likely to keep straining while you’re attempting to sleep.
- Tinnitus: Hearing aids could be a practical treatment for that buzzing or ringing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can assist you to get to sleep by stopping that vicious cycle.
- Isolation: If you’re out and about, hooking up with the people in your social group, you’re not as likely to feel depressed and isolated. Relationships are easier when you use hearing aids (sleep cycle issues that result in “cabin fever” can also be lessened).
Wearing Hearing Aids to Get a Better Quality Sleep
It isn’t just how many hours you sleep that’s significant here. To be sure that your sleep can be really refreshing, it’s important that you achieve a targeted depth to your z’s. Loss of hearing can work against that deep sleep, and hearing aids, therefore, can enhance your ability to enjoy restful sleep.
Using your hearing aids on the suggested daytime schedule will benefit your sleep but it’s significant to mention that hearing aids are not generally intended to be used while you sleep. They don’t help you hear better when you’re sleeping (for instance, you won’t hear your alarm clock better). And, as time passes, wearing your hearing aids at night can diminish their efficiency. It’s wearing them during the day that helps you achieve deeper sleep.
Go to Bed!
Sleep is precious. Adequate sleep can keep your immune system in fighting shape, lessen stress levels, and help you think more clearly. A decreased risk of diabetes and heart disease have also been connected to balanced sleep habits.
When your sleep schedule is disrupted by your hearing loss, it’s not just a small irritation, insomnia can often become a real health problem. Thankfully, most surveys report that people who use hearing aids have better quality of sleep.