Tinnitus often gets worse at night for most of the millions of people in the US that experience it. But why should this be? The ringing or buzzing in one or both ears isn’t a real noise but a complication of a medical issue like hearing loss, either lasting or temporary. Naturally, knowing what it is won’t clarify why you have this buzzing, ringing, or whooshing noise more often during the night.
The real reason is pretty simple. To know why your tinnitus gets louder as you try to sleep, you need to know the hows and whys of this very common medical issue.
Tinnitus, what is it?
To say tinnitus isn’t an actual sound just compounds the confusion, but, for most people, that is true. It’s a noise 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 is an indication that something is not right, not a disorder by itself. It is typically linked to significant hearing loss. Tinnitus is often the first indication that hearing loss is Taking hold. Individuals with hearing loss frequently don’t recognize their condition until the tinnitus symptoms begin because it progresses so slowly. Your hearing is changing if you start to hear these sounds, and they’re warning you of those changes.
What causes tinnitus?
At this time medical scientists and doctors are still unsure of exactly what causes tinnitus. It may be a symptom of numerous medical problems including damage to the inner ear. There are very small hair cells inside of your ears that move in response to sound. Sometimes, when these little hairs become damaged to the point that they can’t efficiently send messages to the brain, tinnitus symptoms happen. These electrical signals are how the brain converts sound into something it can clearly comprehend like a car horn or a person speaking.
The present theory regarding tinnitus is about the absence of sound. Your brain will start to fill in for signals that it’s waiting for because of hearing loss. It gets perplexed by the lack of feedback from the ear and attempts to compensate for it.
That would clarify some things when it comes to tinnitus. Why it can be caused by so many medical conditions, such as age-related hearing loss, high blood pressure, and concussions, for starters. That could also be the reason why the symptoms get worse at night sometimes.
Why does tinnitus get louder at night?
Unless you are profoundly deaf, your ear receives some sounds during the day whether you know it or not. It hears very faintly the music or the TV playing in the other room. But at night, when you’re trying to sleep, it gets really quiet.
Abruptly, all the sound vanishes and the level of confusion in the brain increases in response. When confronted with complete silence, it resorts to making its own internal sounds. Hallucinations, such as phantom sounds, are frequently the outcome of sensory deprivation as the brain attempts to create input where none exists.
In other words, it’s too quiet at night so your tinnitus seems louder. If you’re having a difficult time sleeping because your tinnitus symptoms are so loud, producing some noise may be the solution.
How to generate noise at night
For some people suffering from tinnitus, all they need is a fan running in the background. The volume of the ringing is decreased just by the sound of the motor of the fan.
But, there are also devices made to help individuals with tinnitus get to sleep. White noise machines replicate nature sounds like rain or ocean waves. If you were to leave a TV on, it may be disruptive, but white noise machines generate soothing sounds that you can sleep through. As an alternative, you could try an app that plays calming sounds from your smartphone.
What else can worsen tinnitus symptoms?
Lack of sound isn’t the only thing that can bring about an increase in your tinnitus. For example, if you’re drinking too much alcohol before bed, that could contribute to tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus also tends to worsen if you’re stressed out and certain medical issues can trigger a flare-up, too, 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 present.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/
