Tinnitus often gets worse at night for most of the millions of individuals in the US that experience it. But why should this be? The ringing is a phantom sound caused by some medical disorder like hearing loss, it isn’t an outside sound. But none of that information can give an explanation as to why this ringing gets louder at night.
The real reason is pretty simple. But first, we need to learn a little more about this all-too-common condition.
What is tinnitus?
To say tinnitus isn’t an actual sound just adds to the confusion, but, for most individuals, that is the case. It’s a sound no one else can hear. It sounds like air-raid sirens are ringing in your ears but the person sleeping right beside you can’t hear it at all.
Tinnitus is a sign that something is not right, not a condition on its own. Substantial hearing loss is generally at the base of this condition. For many, tinnitus is the first sign they get that their hearing is at risk. 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 uncertain of exactly what causes tinnitus. It might be a symptom of a number of medical issues including inner ear damage. The inner ear has many tiny hair cells made to move in response to sound waves. Sometimes, when these tiny hairs get damaged to the point that they can’t effectively send messages to the brain, tinnitus symptoms occur. Your brain translates these electrical signals into identifiable sounds.
The absence of sound is the basis of the current theory. The brain stays on the alert to get these messages, so when they don’t arrive, it fills that space with the phantom noise of tinnitus. It attempts to compensate for sound that it’s not getting.
That would explain some things about tinnitus. For starters, why it’s a symptom of so many different conditions that impact the ear: minor infections, concussions, and age-related hearing loss. That could also be why the symptoms get worse at night sometimes.
Why are tinnitus sounds worse at night?
You may not even recognize it, but your ear receives some sounds during the day. It hears really faintly the music or the TV playing in the other room. At the very least, you hear your own voice, but that all stops during the night when you try to fall asleep.
Abruptly, all the sound vanishes and the level of confusion in the brain rises in response. When confronted with total silence, it resorts to making its own internal sounds. Hallucinations, such as phantom sounds, are often the result of sensory deprivation as the brain attempts to produce input where none exists.
In other words, it’s too quiet at night so your tinnitus seems louder. Producing sound might be the remedy for people who can’t sleep due to that irritating ringing in the ear.
Generating noise at night
A fan running is often enough to decrease tinnitus symptoms for many people. The volume of the ringing is decreased just by the sound of the fan motor.
But, there are also devices made to help those who have tinnitus get to sleep. White noise machines reproduce nature sounds like rain or ocean waves. The soft sound soothes the tinnitus but isn’t distracting enough to keep you awake like leaving the TV on may do. Your smartphone also has the ability to download apps that will play calming sounds.
Can anything else make tinnitus symptoms louder?
Lack of sound isn’t the only thing that can trigger an increase in your tinnitus. Too much alcohol before bed can lead to more severe tinnitus symptoms. Other things, like high blood pressure and stress can also contribute to your symptoms. If introducing sound into your nighttime program doesn’t help or you feel dizzy when the ringing is active, it’s time to learn about treatment options by scheduling an appointment with us right away.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics/