Tinnitus often gets worse at night for the majority of the millions of individuals 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 becomes louder during the night.
The truth is more common sense than you probably think. To know why your tinnitus increases as you try to sleep, you need to understand the hows and whys of this extremely common medical problem.
Tinnitus, what is it?
For most people, tinnitus isn’t an actual sound, but this fact just compounds the confusion. The person dealing with tinnitus can hear the sound but nobody else can. 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 on its own. It is generally associated with significant hearing loss. For many, tinnitus is the first indication they get that their hearing is at risk. Hearing loss is often gradual, so they don’t notice it until that ringing or buzzing starts. Your hearing is changing if you begin to hear these sounds, and they’re alerting you of those changes.
What causes tinnitus?
Right now medical scientists and doctors are still unsure of exactly what triggers tinnitus. It might be a symptom of a number of medical issues including inner ear damage. There are very small hair cells inside of your ears that vibrate in response to sound. Sometimes, when these tiny hairs get damaged to the point that they can’t effectively send signals to the brain, tinnitus symptoms occur. These electrical signals are how the brain translates sound into something it can clearly interpret like a car horn or someone speaking.
The absence of sound is the base of the current theory. The brain remains on the alert to get these messages, so when they don’t arrive, it fills that space with the phantom noise of tinnitus. 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 some things. Why it can be a result of so many medical conditions, such as 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 significantly deaf, your ear picks up some sounds during the day whether you realize it or not. It hears very faintly the music or the TV playing somewhere close by. At the very least, you hear your own voice, but that all stops during the night when you try to fall asleep.
All of a sudden, the brain is thrown into confusion as it listens for sound to process. When faced with total silence, it resorts to making its own internal sounds. Hallucinations, including phantom sounds, are often the result of sensory deprivation as the brain tries to create input where none exists.
In other words, it’s too quiet at night so your tinnitus seems worse. If you’re having a difficult time sleeping because your tinnitus symptoms are so loud, creating some noise might be the answer.
How to produce noise at night
A fan running is frequently enough to reduce tinnitus symptoms for many individuals. The volume of the ringing is reduced just by the sound of the fan motor.
But you can also get devices that are specifically made to reduce tinnitus sounds. White noise machines reproduce environmental sounds like rain or ocean waves. If you were to leave a TV on, it may be distracting, but white noise machines generate calming sounds that you can sleep through. Instead, you could try an app that plays calming sounds from your smartphone.
Can anything else make tinnitus symptoms louder?
Your tinnitus symptoms can be exacerbated by other things besides lack of sound. Too much alcohol before bed can contribute to more extreme tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus also tends to get worse if you’re stressed out and certain medical issues can lead to a flare-up, also, like high blood pressure. Call us for an appointment if these tips aren’t helping or if you’re feeling dizzy when your tinnitus symptoms are active.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/
