Tinnitus often gets worse at night for most of the millions of people in the US that experience it. But what’s the reason for this? The buzzing or ringing in one or both ears is not a real noise but a side-effect of a medical issue like hearing loss, either permanent or temporary. But none of that information can give an explanation as to why this ringing gets louder during the night.
The real reason is fairly simple. To know why your tinnitus increases as you try to sleep, you need to understand the hows and whys of this really common medical issue.
Tinnitus, what is it?
To say tinnitus is not an actual sound just compounds the confusion, but, for most people, that is true. It’s a sound no one else can hear. It sounds like air-raid sirens are ringing in your ears but the person sleeping right near you can’t hear it at all.
Tinnitus by itself is not a disease or condition, but a sign that something else is wrong. Substantial hearing loss is generally at the base of this disorder. For a lot of people, tinnitus is the first sign they get that their hearing is in jeopardy. People with hearing loss often don’t notice their condition until the tinnitus symptoms start because it develops so gradually. Your hearing is changing if you start to hear these noises, and they’re alerting you of those changes.
What causes tinnitus?
Right now medical scientists and doctors are still not sure of exactly what triggers tinnitus. It might be a symptom of a number of medical problems including damage to the inner ear. The inner ear has lots of tiny hair cells made to move in response to sound waves. Tinnitus can indicate there is damage to those hair cells, enough to keep them from sending electrical messages to the brain. Your brain translates these electrical signals into identifiable sounds.
The absence of sound is the base of the current theory. Your brain will start to fill in for signals that it’s waiting for because of hearing loss. It gets confused by the lack of input from the ear and tries to compensate for it.
When it comes to tinnitus, that would explain a few things. Why it can be caused by so many medical conditions, like age-related hearing loss, high blood pressure, and concussions, for starters. That may also be why the symptoms get worse at night sometimes.
Why does tinnitus get louder at night?
Unless you are significantly deaf, your ear receives some sounds during the day whether you know it or not. It hears really faintly the music or the TV playing in the other room. At the very least, you hear your own voice, but that all stops at night when you try to go to sleep.
Abruptly, all the sound vanishes and the level of confusion in the brain increases in response. It only knows one thing to do when faced with total silence – generate noise even if it’s not real. Sensory deprivation has been shown to trigger hallucinations as the brain tries to insert information, such as auditory input, into a place where there isn’t any.
In other words, it’s too quiet at night so your tinnitus seems louder. Producing sound may be the remedy for those who can’t sleep because of that irritating ringing in the ear.
Producing noise at night
For some people suffering from tinnitus, all they need is a fan running in the background. The loudness of the ringing is lowered just by the sound of the motor of the fan.
But you can also buy devices that are specifically made to reduce tinnitus sounds. White noise machines simulate environmental sounds like rain or ocean waves. If you were to keep a TV on, it might be disruptive, but white noise machines create soothing sounds that you can sleep through. Your smartphone also has the capability to download apps that will play calming sounds.
Can anything else make tinnitus symptoms worse?
Lack of sound isn’t the only thing that can bring about an upsurge in your tinnitus. Too much alcohol before bed can contribute to more extreme tinnitus symptoms. Other things, like high blood pressure and stress can also be a contributing factor. If introducing sound into your nighttime regimen doesn’t help or you feel dizzy when the ringing is present, it’s time to learn about treatment solutions by making an appointment with us today.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/
