Sleeping with tinnitus and waking in the night
Sleeping with tinnitus and waking in the night:
When we get older we sleep more lightly and we have more fragmented sleep. This means that we are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night. This can be for a number of reasons which are usually unrelated to tinnitus. The reasons we wake up in the middle of the night are rarely the same as why we cannot get back to sleep. Stress, worry and negative thinking are usually why we cannot get back to sleep. If we are suffering from tinnitus with the lack of external stimulus and no management strategy we will focus on it.
If we are concentrating on our tinnitus, anger and a stress response is often our reaction. This can lead to the release of cortisol and adrenaline. This will trigger your fight or flight response which will hamper your ability to get back to sleep.
Misconceptions about sleeping with tinnitus:
Tinnitus does not get worse as a result of poor sleep but it may seem worse because you are tired and anxious as a result of poor sleep. Don’t make the mistake of blaming your tinnitus for poor sleep. Negative thinking surrounding your tinnitus will have a detrimental effect on you and your sleep. It is therefore necessary to monitor your Negative Automatic thoughts and challenge them.
As we get older we sleep more lightly and our sleep can become more fragmented. This is natural and not a result of your tinnitus. The problem for tinnitus sufferers is that the quiet time can bring anxious thoughts about tinnitus making you think in terms of black and white or good and bad. Tinnitus will not directly affect your sleep although your thoughts about your tinnitus can. So change your thinking and you can change your quality of sleep.
Research in to sleeping with tinnitus:
Research by the NCBI looked into sleep complaints reported by tinnitus sufferers. The purpose of the study was to assess the severity of sleep disturbance in chronic tinnitus patients. The client base who were interviewed were made up of military personnel. They had noise induced permanent hearing loss however were not suffering from psychiatric disturbance. The main complaints reported in relation to sleeping were complaints around delayed sleep, waking in the morning, mid-sleep waking, morning fatigue and chronic fatigue. The findings also showed a correlation between self-rated severity of tinnitus and respondents with higher sleep disturbance. The study also found that self-rated depressive symptomatology was also highly correlated with sleep disturbance.
There have been a number of studies which have also found a strong correlation between the severity of tinnitus annoyance and the presence of psychiatric conditions. For example anxiety and stress. There is also a relationship between the the severity of tinnitus and hearing loss. There are a number of factors which influence the impact tinnitus may or may not have on quality of life however it is worth remembering that over half of those who seek help for tinnitus do not report having problems sleeping.
If you are experiencing anxiety, stress or depression that is related to your tinnitus these are treatable in relation to counselling and psychotherapy. Women are more likely to ask for help than men making suicide rates among men higher due in large part to not asking for help in relation to mental health issues
Sleep benefits
- Sleep reduces stress
- Sleep makes you look healthier
- You will live longer
- Sleep enhances your mood
- Sleep helps with concentration
- Sleep is crucial for a healthy immune system function
- Better relationships
Tips for a better nights sleep
- Exercise
- Cut out caffeine
- Eat at the right times
- Go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day
- Create a bedtime ritual so that your body knows it is time for sleep
- Mediate
- Avoid using your mobile phone
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid smoking
- Use our breathing tips / airmax nasal dilator
- Substitute your television with a book
- Choose appropriate bedding for the temperature and body support
- Dim your lights well before you want to sleep
- Make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature.
Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Most of us get up too late and go to sleep too late. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
- Use an alarm clock not your phone
- Do not snooze your alarm. Trying to go back to sleep can make you feel more tired throughout the day.
- Late night snacking will mean that you do not shut down properly. You should not eat in the three hours prior to sleeping. If you are hungry this can also keep you awake. You will need to find the right healthy evening meals to ensure you are not hungry when going to bed.
- Drink caffeine in moderation. If you feel you need a caffeine fix drink coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and fruit tea in the evening. We recommend keeping caffeine to an absolute minimum if you are suffering from anxiety and tinnitus.
- Napping during the day will impede your sleep at night although it can be a great way of reducing stress. Meditate instead.
- Research shows that we sleep in 90 minute cycles. If you awake at the end of a sleep cycle you will feel better. If you awake half way through a sleep cycle you will feel groggy and think you have had a poor nights sleep.