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Does Napping Help Reduce Tinnitus?


sleeping person with only feet visible; napping reduces tinnitus concept

The most recent findings is that napping may actually increase tinnitus volume -- but only in a minority of people tested.

According to TinnitusUK, "many people with tinnitus do in fact sleep well and see sleep as a refreshing escape from tinnitus. Those people who sleep well do not seem to have ‘different tinnitus’ from those who have trouble sleeping."

However, in an article in the Sleep journal, researchers say that overall, naps increase tinnitus loudness. In fact, the first nap of the day had more tinnitus modulations than the second or third naps of the day.

There's a connection between tinnitus and sleep: tinnitus is a phantom perception (the sounds we hear don't exist outside our heads). The thing that's weird here is that "most people only experience phantom perceptions when they’re asleep," according to an article in The Conversation.

"Sometimes, certain brain areas can be overactive during slow-wave sleep. This is what happens in sleep disorders such as sleep walking. A similar thing may happen in people with tinnitus. We think that hyperactive brain regions might stay awake in the otherwise sleeping brain. This would explain why many people with tinnitus experience disturbed sleep and night terrors more often than people who don’t have tinnitus."

While research into tinnitus and sleep has not provided a cure, one researcher says: 

"The brain's natural dynamics during sleep may be harnessed for tinnitus treatment and how sleep is ultimately linked to how tinnitus develops over time. These findings will help researchers to identify a time window where delivering a treatment for tinnitus will be most effective before it develops into a permanent condition. 

The findings may also provide information about how tinnitus affects sleep quality. This could lead to a new line of research looking at whether sleep could help to correct the abnormal brain activity that is linked to tinnitus."

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