Not having enough sleep can have a damaging effect on your health and vitality. If you don’t get a complete, relaxing seven to eight hours of sleep, you wake up groggy and cranky, an undesirable feeling that only three cups of coffee can keep at bay. So you were aghast when your loss of hearing started to make you lose sleep.

Understandably so. Fortunately, there’s a little something that can be of assistance: a hearing aid. Based on the latest surveys and research, these tiny devices can most likely help you sleep better.

How is Sleep Affected by Hearing Loss?

Recently, you’ve noticed yourself counting sheep more than normal, dealing with fatigue all day no matter how much sleep you get, and then having a hard time falling asleep at night (despite your exhaustion). All of these issues started around the same time you also began to notice that your radio, television, and mobile phone were becoming difficult to hear.

Turns out, you’re not imagining it. There is a well-documented relationship between loss of hearing and insomnia, even if the exact sources aren’t completely clear. There are, of course, a couple of theories:

• Tinnitus can cause you to hear ringing, thumping, and humming and that noise can keep you awake at night. (Lack of sleep can also make your tinnitus worse, which then can cause stronger insomnia, it’s a vicious cycle).
• As you develop loss of hearing, your brain begins straining, it’s searching for inputs from your ears where none exists. If your brain is in high gear trying to hear while you’re drifting off to sleep, your entire cycle could be disrupted (it’s that “my brain won’t shut off” issue).
• Hearing loss is related to depression, and depression can lead to chemical imbalances in the brain that interrupt your sleep cycle. Because of this, falling asleep and staying asleep becomes more difficult.

Can Hearing Aids Improve Your Sleep?

According to one study, 44% of individuals with loss of hearing who don’t wear hearing aids reported being satisfied with their sleep in comparison to 59% sleep satisfaction from those who did wear a hearing aid. So does that guarantee it’s safe to suppose hearing aids are also a kind of sleep aid?

well, not quite. If you don’t suffer from loss of hearing, a hearing aid can’t cure insomnia.

But if you suffer from hearing loss related insomnia, hearing aids could help in numerous crucial ways:

• Isolation: Your less likely to feel isolated and depressed if you can connect with people in your social network when you’re out and about. Relationships get less difficult when you use hearing aids (this can also diminish “cabin fever”-associated sleep cycle issues).
• Strain: The damage on your brain will effectively diminished by wearing hearing aids. And when your brain isn’t continuously struggling to hear everything around you, it won’t be as likely to continue that practice when you’re trying to sleep.
• Tinnitus: Hearing aids may be a practical treatment for that ringing or buzzing, depending on the nature of your tinnitus. This can assist you to get to sleep by stopping that vicious cycle.

Achieving a Better Quality Sleep With Hearing Aids

It’s not just how many hours you sleep that’s significant here. To be sure that your sleep can be actually refreshing, it’s important that you reach a certain depth to your z’s. Hearing loss can reduce that deep sleep, and hearing aids, therefore, can enhance your ability to enjoy restful sleep.

Using your hearing aids on the suggested daytime schedule will enhance your sleep but it’s worthwhile to note that hearing aids aren’t ordinarily intended to be worn while you sleep. They don’t help you hear better when you’re sleeping (you won’t be able to hear your alarm clock better, for instance). And, over time, using your hearing aids at night can decrease their efficiency. It’s wearing them during the day that helps you achieve better sleep.

Go to Bed!

Sleep is valuable. Ample sleep can keep your immune system in fighting shape, reduce stress levels, and help you think more clearly. Healthy sleep habits have even been connected to lower risks for heart disease and diabetes.

When your sleep schedule is disturbed by your loss of hearing, the problem becomes more than annoying, insomnia can frequently result in serious health concerns. Fortunately, most surveys document that people with hearing aids have improved quality of sleep.