You first hear the sound when you’re in bed trying to sleep: a beating or perhaps a throbbing, perhaps a whooshing, inside of your ear. The sound is beating at the same rhythm as your heartbeat. And once you notice that sound, you can’t tune it out. You have a big day tomorrow and you really need your sleep so this is not good. And all of a sudden you feel really anxious, very not sleepy.
Does this situation sound familiar? Anxiety, tinnitus, and sleep, as it so happens, are closely linked. And you can see how tinnitus and anxiety could easily conspire to produce a vicious cycle, one that robs you of your sleep, your rest, and can impact your health.
Can anxiety trigger tinnitus?
Generally, ringing in the ears is the definition of tinnitus. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. First of all, the actual noise you hear can take a large number of shapes, from pulsation to throbbing to ringing and so on. Essentially, you’re hearing a sound that doesn’t really exist. When people experience stress, for many, tinnitus can appear.
For individuals who experience feelings of fear or worry and anxiety, these feelings frequently interfere with their life because they have trouble managing them. This can materialize in many ways physically, that includes as tinnitus. So can anxiety trigger tinnitus? Definitely!
Why is this tinnitus-anxiety combo bad?
This combo of anxiety and tinnitus is bad news for a couple of the following reasons:
- Most people tend to notice tinnitus more often at night. Can ringing in the ears be triggered by anxiety? Yes, but the ringing may have also been there during the day but your everyday activities simply covered up the symptoms. This can make falling asleep a little tricky. And that sleeplessness can itself result in more anxiety.
- You might be having a more serious anxiety attack if you start to spike tinnitus symptoms. Once you’ve recognized the connection between anxiety and tinnitus, any time you experience tinnitus symptoms your anxiety could increase.
Often, tinnitus can start in one ear and then move to the other. There are some instances where tinnitus is constant day and night. In other cases, it may pulsate for a few moments and then go away. Either way, this anxiety-tinnitus-combo can present some negative impacts on your health.
How does tinnitus-anxiety affect your sleep?
So, yes, anxiety-related tinnitus could easily be contributing to your sleep problems. Some examples of how are as follows:
- Your stress level will keep rising the longer you go without sleeping. The higher your stress level, the worse your tinnitus will be.
- The sound of your tinnitus can stress you out and difficult to dismiss. In the quiet of the night, your tinnitus can be so unrelenting that you lie awake until morning. Your tinnitus can get even louder and harder to tune out as your anxiety about not sleeping grows.
- Most individuals sleep in locations that are intentionally quiet. You turn everything off because it’s time for bed. But your tinnitus can become much more obvious when everything is quiet.
When your anxiety is contributing to your tinnitus, you may hear that whooshing sound and fear that an anxiety attack is coming. It’s no wonder that you’re having trouble sleeping. But lack of sleep causes all kinds of issues.
Health impacts of lack of sleep
The effect insomnia has on your health will continue to become more significant as this vicious cycle continues. And your overall wellness can be negatively affected by this. Here are a few of the most common impacts:
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease: Over time, lack of sleep can start to impact your long-term health and well-being. You could find yourself at a higher risk of heart disease or stroke.
- Slower reaction times: When you aren’t getting adequate sleep, your reaction times are more sluggish. Driving and other daily activities will then be more dangerous. And if, for example, you run heavy machinery, it can be particularly dangerous.
- Poor work results: It should come as no surprise that if you can’t sleep, your job efficiency will become affected. Your thinking will be sluggish and your mood will be more negative.
- Increased stress and worry: The anxiety symptoms already present will get worse if you’re not sleeping. A vicious cycle of mental health related symptoms can result.
Other causes of anxiety
Of course, there are other causes of anxiety besides tinnitus. And recognizing these causes is essential (largely because they will help you avoid anxiety triggers, which as an additional bonus will help you decrease your tinnitus symptoms). Here are some of the most common causes of anxiety:
- Stress response: When something causes us extreme stress, our bodies will naturally go into an anxious mode. If you are being chased by a wild animal, that’s a good thing. But it’s not so good when you’re working on a project for work. Sometimes, the relationship between the two is not apparent. Something that caused a stress response a week ago could cause an anxiety attack tomorrow. Even a stressor from a year ago can cause an anxiety attack now.
- Medical conditions: You may, in some situations, have a heightened anxiety response because of a medical condition.
- Hyperstimulation: An anxiety attack can happen when someone gets overstimulated with too much of any one thing. Being in a crowded place, for example, can cause some individuals to have an anxiety attack.
Other factors: Some of the following, less common factors might also cause anxiety:
- Use of stimulants (that includes caffeine)
- Fatigue and sleep deprivation (see the vicious cycle once again)
- Certain recreational drugs
- Lack of nutrition
This list is not complete. And if you think you have an anxiety disorder, you should talk to your provider about treatment solutions.
Dealing with anxiety-related tinnitus
With regards to anxiety-induced tinnitus, there are two basic options available. You can either try to address the anxiety or address the tinnitus. Here’s how that may work in either case:
Addressing anxiety
There are a couple of possibilities for managing anxiety:
- Medication: In some instances, medication could help you cope with your symptoms or make your symptoms less pronounced.
- Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT): This therapeutic strategy will help you recognize thought patterns that can unintentionally exacerbate your anxiety symptoms. Patients are able to better prevent anxiety attacks by interrupting those thought patterns.
Treating tinnitus
Tinnitus can be treated in a variety of different ways, especially if it presents while you’re sleeping. Some of the most common treatments include:
- Masking device: Think of this as a white noise machine you wear beside your ears. This may help your tinnitus to be less obvious.
- White noise machine: When you’re attempting to sleep, utilize a white noise machine. This could help mask your tinnitus symptoms.
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): If somebody with tinnitus can recognize and accept their tinnitus symptoms they can minimize the disruptive effect it has. CBT is an approach that helps them do that by helping them create new thought patterns.
You may get better sleep by addressing your tinnitus
You’ll be in danger of falling into a vicious cycle of anxiety and tinnitus if the whooshing and ringing are keeping you awake at night. Managing your tinnitus first is one possible option. Contact us so we can help.