Tinnitus tends to get worse at night for the majority of the millions of people in the US that suffer with it. But why should this be? The ringing is a phantom sound caused by some medical disorder like hearing loss, it’s not an external sound. But none of that information can give a reason why this ringing becomes louder during the night.
The truth is more common sense than you may think. To know why your tinnitus gets louder as you try to sleep, you need to understand the hows and whys of this really common medical issue.
Tinnitus, what is it?
For the majority of individuals, tinnitus isn’t a real sound, but this fact just adds to the confusion. It’s a sound no one else is able to hear. Your partner lying next to you in bed can’t hear it even though it sounds like a maelstrom to you.
Tinnitus alone is not a disease or disorder, but a sign that something else is wrong. It is usually associated with substantial hearing loss. For many, tinnitus is the first indication they get that their hearing is in jeopardy. People with hearing loss frequently don’t recognize their condition until the tinnitus symptoms begin because it progresses so slowly. This phantom noise is a warning flag to notify you of a change in how you hear.
What causes tinnitus?
At this time medical scientists and doctors are still not sure of exactly what triggers tinnitus. It may be a symptom of inner ear damage or a number of other possible medical conditions. There are tiny hair cells inside of your ears that move in response to sound. Tinnitus often means there is damage to those hair cells, enough to keep them from delivering electrical signals to the brain. Your brain translates these electrical signals into recognizable sounds.
The present hypothesis regarding tinnitus is about the absence of sound. The brain remains on the alert to get these messages, so when they don’t come, it fills in that space with the phantom sound of tinnitus. It gets perplexed by the lack of feedback from the ear and tries to compensate for it.
That would clarify a few things about tinnitus. Why it can be a result of so many medical conditions, like age-related hearing loss, high blood pressure, and concussions, to begin with. That could also be the reason why the symptoms get worse at night sometimes.
Why are tinnitus sounds louder at night?
Unless you are profoundly deaf, your ear receives some sounds during the day whether you recognize it or not. It hears very faintly the music or the TV playing in the other room. But during the night, when you’re trying to sleep, it gets very quiet.
Suddenly, all the sound vanishes and the level of confusion in the brain rises in response. It only knows one response when confronted with complete silence – generate noise even if it isn’t real. Sensory deprivation has been shown to cause 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 worse. Producing sound might be the remedy for individuals who can’t sleep because of that irritating ringing in the ear.
How to generate noise at night
For some individuals dealing with tinnitus, all they need is a fan running in the background. The volume of the ringing is lowered just by the sound of the motor of the fan.
But, there are also devices made to help those who have tinnitus get to sleep. White noise machines simulate environmental sounds like rain or ocean waves. The soft noise calms the tinnitus but isn’t distracting enough to keep you awake like keeping the TV on may do. Your smartphone also has the ability to download apps that will play calming sounds.
What else can worsen tinnitus symptoms?
Your tinnitus symptoms can be worsened by other things besides lack of sound. For instance, if you’re indulging in too much alcohol before bed, that could contribute to tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus also tends to become severe if you’re stressed out and certain medical problems can lead to a flare-up, also, like high blood pressure. Contact us for an appointment if these suggestions aren’t helping or if you’re feeling dizzy when your tinnitus symptoms are active.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/