Lack of Sleep Make Tinnitus Worsen

A recent research indicates, poor sleep quality can aggravate the condition of tinnitus sufferers. Tinnitus is phenomenon where the ear or head feels like ringing, swishing or buzzing. In the research, researchers in United States involved nearly 117 tinnitus patients who were undergoing treatment at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit between 2009 and 2011. It turns out that the more severe their symptoms of insomnia, the greater the symptoms of tinnitus complaints and worsening emotional distress.

"Tinnitus involves mental, emotional and physiological, which may increase patient suffering," said Dr. Kathleen Yaremchuk, one of the researchers who led department of otolaryngology at Henry Ford Hospital. "Complaints of sleep, including insomnia, tinnitus patients can result in decreased tolerance for their disease," he added.

Yaremchuck say, treating patients with tinnitus is a challenging. "A chronic tinnitus patients may also experience anxiety, depression, disorder or emotional disturbance. And one of the frequent complaints reported by tinnitus patient is sleep disorders."

The researchers revealed their findings could be evidence that treatment of insomnia in patients with tinnitus can reduce the severity of tinnitus symptoms. More than 36 million Americans have tinnitus. The exact cause is unknown, but some conditions have been found to trigger or worsen tinnitus, including exposure to loud noise, dirt in ear, sinus or ear infections, head and neck injuries, and disorders such as Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and hyperthyroidism.

These findings were presented at Combined Otolaryngological Spring Meetings in San Diego, California.