If you are one of the millions of individuals in the U.S. dealing with a medical condition called tinnitus then you probably know that it tends to get worse when you are attempting to go to sleep. But what’s the reason for this? The ringing or buzzing in one or both ears is not a real noise but a side-effect of a medical issue like hearing loss, either lasting or temporary. But none of that information can give an explanation as to why this ringing becomes louder at night.
The real reason is fairly simple. To know why your tinnitus increases as you attempt to sleep, you need to know the hows and whys of this extremely common medical issue.
Tinnitus, what is it?
For the majority of people, tinnitus isn’t an actual sound, but this fact just adds to the confusion. It’s a noise no one else can hear. It sounds like air-raid sirens are going off in your ears but the person sleeping right beside you can’t hear it at all.
Tinnitus is an indication that something is wrong, not a disorder by itself. Substantial hearing loss is normally at the base of this disorder. Tinnitus is frequently the first indication that hearing loss is setting in. Hearing loss is often gradual, so they don’t detect it until that ringing or buzzing begins. This phantom noise is a warning flag to notify you of a change in how you hear.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is one of medical science’s biggest mysteries and doctors don’t have a clear comprehension of why it occurs. It could be a symptom of numerous medical problems including inner ear damage. The inner ear has many tiny hair cells made to vibrate in response to sound waves. Tinnitus can indicate there is damage to those hair cells, enough to keep them from delivering electrical messages to the brain. These electrical messages are how the brain translates sound into something it can clearly comprehend like a car horn or a person speaking.
The present hypothesis regarding tinnitus has to do with the absence of sound. The brain remains on the alert to get these messages, so when they don’t arrive, it fills that space with the phantom sound of tinnitus. It tries to compensate for sound that it’s not getting.
That would explain some things regarding tinnitus. For one, why it’s a symptom of so many different conditions that affect the ear: mild infections, concussions, and age-related hearing loss. It also tells you something about why the ringing gets worse at night for some people.
Why are tinnitus sounds worse at night?
Unless you are profoundly deaf, your ear picks up some sounds during the day whether you realize it or not. It hears really faintly the music or the TV playing somewhere close by. At the very least, you hear your own voice, but that all stops at night when you try to fall asleep.
All of a sudden, the brain becomes confused as it searches for sound to process. It only knows one response when faced with complete silence – generate noise even if it’s not real. Sensory deprivation has been shown to induce hallucinations as the brain attempts to insert information, including auditory input, into a place where there isn’t any.
In other words, it’s too quiet at night so your tinnitus seems worse. Creating sound may be the solution for individuals who can’t sleep due to that annoying ringing in the ear.
How to create noise at night
For some individuals dealing with tinnitus, all they require is a fan running in the background. Just the noise of the motor is enough to decrease the ringing.
But you can also get devices that are exclusively made to reduce tinnitus sounds. White noise machines simulate nature sounds like rain or ocean waves. If you were to keep a TV on, it may be disruptive, but white noise machines generate 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 louder?
Your tinnitus symptoms can be exacerbated by other things besides lack of sound. For example, if you’re indulging in too much alcohol before you go to bed, that could be a contributing factor. 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 active, it’s time to find out about treatment solutions by scheduling an appointment with us today.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/