Sleep is valuable. If you don’t get a full, relaxing seven to eight hours of sleep, you wake up cranky and groggy, an uncomfortable feeling that takes several cups of coffee to stave off. So you were aghast when your loss of hearing started making you lose sleep.
Understandably so. Luckily, there’s a little something that can help: a hearing aid. Based upon the most recent surveys and research, these small devices can probably help you sleep better.
How Does Loss of Hearing Affect Sleep?
Despite the fact that you feel fatigued all day and are completely drained by bedtime, you still toss and turn and have a hard time falling asleep. All of these issues started around the same time you also started to notice that your radio, television, and mobile phone were becoming difficult to hear.
It’s not your imagination come to find. There is a well-documented connection between loss of hearing and insomnia, even if the exact sources aren’t completely clear. Some theories have been put forward:
- Hearing loss is related to depression, and your sleep cycle can be disturbed by chemical imbalances as a result of depression. This makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- As you develop loss of hearing, your brain begins straining, it’s looking for stimulus from your ears where none exists. Your whole cycle could be thrown off if your brain is working overtime attempting to hear (It’s the common problem of not being able to get the brain to turn off).
- You can lose sleep because of tinnitus which can cause humming, ringing, or thumping noises in your ears. (Lack of sleep can also make your tinnitus worse, which can then cause stronger insomnia, it’s a vicious cycle).
Can Your Sleep be Helped by Using Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 59% of people who were hearing aid users reported feeling content with their sleep, in comparison to a 44% satisfaction rate in people who don’t use hearing aids. So does that mean it’s safe to presume hearing aids are also a type of sleep aid?
well, not quite. If you don’t have loss of hearing, a hearing aid can’t cure insomnia.
But if you are suffering from loss of hearing, your hearing aids can target numerous concerns that could be worsening your insomnia:
- Tinnitus: Hearing aids may be a practical treatment for that buzzing or ringing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can assist you to get some sleep by stopping that vicious cycle.
- Isolation: If you’re out on the town, connecting with the people in your social sphere, you’re less likely to feel isolated and depressed. Hearing aids make maintaining relationships smoother (this can also diminish “cabin fever”-related sleep cycle problems).
- Strain: The burden on your brain will essentially diminished by using hearing aids. And your brain won’t be as likely to strain while sleeping if it isn’t straining all of the rest of the time.
Wearing Hearing Aids to Get a Better Night Sleep
In terms of sleep, how many hours isn’t the only factor to consider. To be sure that your sleep can be actually refreshing, you need to obtain a targeted 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 reduce deep sleep.
Wearing your hearing aids on the suggested daytime schedule will benefit your sleep but it’s significant to note that hearing aids aren’t typically designed to be used at night. They aren’t going to help you hear better when you’re in bed (you won’t be capable of hearing your alarm clock better, for instance). And your hearing aids can definitely wear out faster if you wear them during the night. It’s using them during the day that helps you get better sleep.
Go to Bed!
Sleep is valuable. Your immune system, your stress levels, and your ability to think clearly will all be benefited by sufficient sleep. Healthy sleep habits have even been connected to lower risks for diabetes and heart disease.
When your sleep schedule is disrupted by your loss of hearing, it’s not only a small irritation, insomnia can frequently cause serious health concerns. Fortunately, most surveys report that people who use hearing aids have better quality of sleep.
