If you are one of the 25 million people in the U.S. with a medical condition called tinnitus, usually ringing in the ears, then you probably know that it tends to get worse when you are trying to fall asleep, but why? The ringing in one or both ears is not a real noise but a complication of a medical issue like hearing loss, either permanent or temporary. Of course, knowing what it is will not explain why you have this ringing, buzzing or swishing noise more often at night.
The truth is more common sense than you might think. To know why your tinnitus increases as you try to sleep, you need to understand the hows and whys of this very common medical problem.
What is Tinnitus?
To say tinnitus is not a real sound just adds to the confusion, but, for most people, that is true. It’s a noise no one else can hear and does not happen of a real sound close to your ear. The individual lying next to you in bed can’t hear it even if it sounds like a tornado to you.
Tinnitus alone is not a disease or condition, but a sign that something else is wrong. It is typically associated with significant hearing loss. For many, tinnitus is the first sign they get that their hearing is at risk. Hearing loss tends to be gradual, so they do not notice it until that ringing or buzzing starts. This phantom noise works like a flag to warn you of a change in how you hear.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is one of medical sciences biggest mysteries. There are no clear mechanisms that cause it. Instead, it is a symptom of a number of medical problems including inner ear damage. Inside the inner ear is a series of tiny hair cells that move in response to sound waves. Damage to those hair cells means the ear has no way to send electrical messages that allow the brain to translate sound into something you can clearly comprehend like the tea kettle whistling.
The current hypothesis regarding tinnitus has to do with the absence of sound. The brain remains on the alert to get these messages, so when they don’t come, it fills that space with the phantom noise of tinnitus. It gets confused by the lack of feedback from the ear and tries to compensate for it.
That would explain a few things when it comes to tinnitus. For one, why it is a symptom of so many different illnesses that affect the ear from mild infection to age-related hearing loss. It also tells you something about why the ringing gets worse at night for some people.
Why Does Tinnitus Get Worse at Night?
Unless you are profoundly 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 in the room. At the very least, you hear your own voice, but that all stops at night when you try to go to sleep.
Suddenly, all the sound disappears and the level of confusion in the brain rises in response. It only knows one thing to do when faced with total silence – create noise even if it’s not real.
In other words, tinnitus gets worse at night because it’s too quiet. Creating sound is the solution for those who can’t sleep because their ears are ringing.
How to Create Noise at Night
If you accept that tinnitus increases at night because there is no distracting noise to keep the brain busy, the answer is clear – create some. For some people suffering from tinnitus, all they need is a fan running in the background. Just the noise of the motor is enough to quiet the ringing.
There is also a device made to help those with tinnitus get to sleep. White noise machines simulate environmental sounds like rain or ocean waves. The soft noise soothes the tinnitus but isn’t distracting enough to keep you awake like leaving the TV on might do.
Can Anything Else Increase Tinnitus?
It’s important to keep in mind that the lack of sound is only one thing that can cause an upsurge in your tinnitus. It tends to get worse when you are under stress and certain medical problems can lead to a flare-up, too, like high blood pressure. If introducing sound into your nighttime routine doesn’t help or you feel dizzy when the ringing is active, it’s time to see the doctor.