Hearing Health Problems and Sleep

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel has shown a correlation between loss of hearing and sleep difficulties. The study enlisted the help of 298 men who suffer from work-related hearing loss.

It which was directed by medical student Tsafnat Test under the supervision of Dr. Einat K. Sheiner, among others. Ninety nine of the subjects suffered from noise induced hearing loss (or NIHL) due to constant exposure to loud noise at the workplace. These men are on average, older and have been exposed to the noise for a longer period of time.

According to the study, tinnitus (or ringing of the ears) was “noted in 51 percent of those with hearing loss and 14 percent of those with normal hearing.” It was this ringing of the ears that caused the workers to suffer from sleep problems.

The study was published in the January issue of the journal “Sleep,” and showed this connection between hearing health and sleep.