4 ways to sleep better with tinnitus

The following content was provided by TruHearing, Aspire Health Plan’s partner for affordable hearing healthcare services and hearing aids.

Chris, a TruHearing® customer, woke up one morning unable to hear out of his right ear. Shortly after that, the constant ringing of tinnitus started—only partially relieved by lying down with a fan right next to his ear.

Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, clicking, or buzzing in one or both ears. It’s generally caused by noise-induced or age-related hearing loss, ear injury, or conditions affecting your circulatory system.

Chris and his entire family suffered because of his hearing loss and tinnitus. He wasn’t his usual happy self with his children. Neither Chris nor his wife were sleeping well due to the discomfort caused by the ringing. “My wife wasn’t getting any sleep because I’m sitting there rolling around, getting up, pacing the house. It’s torture,” he explains.

Tinnitus is annoying during the day, but the quiet of your bedroom at night can be exasperating when you’re trying to fall asleep. This can lead to a vicious cycle of stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.

Four tips to improve sleep with tinnitus

1. Use sound masking.

   Playing background noise such as nature sounds, a fan, ambient music, or white noise can help mask the tinnitus and help you fall asleep.

2. Practice good sleep hygiene.

   Bedtime can be stressful for those with tinnitus due to the anxiety and frustration of struggling to sleep well. Sleep hygiene means creating an optimal environment for better sleep. Examples include blocking out light with an eye mask or heavy curtains, avoiding electronic devices before bed, or doing relaxation exercises. While sleep hygiene can’t fix tinnitus, it can help you create a routine that makes falling and staying asleep a bit easier.</h3

3. Treat sleep disorders.

   Addressing any underlying sleep disorders will help you sleep better.

4. Seek help.

   A hearing care provider can give personalized advice and treatment to help you find relief from hearing problems like tinnitus that are interfering with your life and sleep quality.

Chris learned about TruHearing from his insurance company, set up an appointment, and noticed a dramatic difference in his quality of life. He explains:

“I go in there [to my appointment], and they pop in a demo hearing aid for me. And I just burst into tears because that’s the first time in months that I didn’t hear the ringing. I was so happy to just not hear it anymore. Just to have a break from it. When this first started, I thought my life was slipping through my fingers. And now, my wife’s happy, I’m happy, my kids are happy.”

Treating tinnitus can drastically improve your quality of life. If you’re having trouble sleeping due to hearing problems, we want to help. As an Aspire Health Plan member, you have access to hearing care through TruHearing^®. With your benefit, you get up to two hearing aids per year at a low copay of $899 for the TruHearing Premium hearing aid or $599 for the TruHearing Advanced hearing aid.

If you’re experiencing hearing difficulty, we hope you’ll take advantage of this program. Call TruHearing at (866) 792-7913 to schedule a hearing exam with a provider in your area.

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