How Noise Can Impact Your Sleep Cycle

Are you often woken up by noise in the middle of the night? Maybe you’re constantly having trouble falling asleep because of how noisy it can get outside your house? Or maybe you’re already living with hearing loss in the form of tinnitus, and it’s hard to fall asleep with that characteristic ringing in your ears?

Well then you already know all about how noise can prevent you from getting good quality sleep! But knowing how interrupted sleep can affect you is key to getting a good night’s rest back. As such, we’ve detailed below how noise can impact your sleep cycle, and what effects this can have in both the short and long term.

What Noise Can Do to Your Sleep Cycle

Sleep cycles can vary from person to person, but most people tend to fall asleep around nine or 10 pm and then wake up at around eight a.m. But truthfully, no matter what sleeping pattern you follow, noise can prevent you from completing a full and healthy sleep cycle. Indeed, if you’re often waking up feeling groggy and like you’re more tired than you were before you slept, it could be a sign that your sleep cycle has been interrupted.

Noise can even change the way your sleep cycle works. A sudden or loud noise can cause certain stages of sleep to either end prematurely or be skipped altogether. For example, a person may fall into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as usual, but if a loud horn from a car outside goes off, your brain and body may pull you out of this stage and head back to light sleep. This could lead to you waking up as soon as you actually fall asleep.

Noise Can Be a Problem Even if it Doesn’t Wake You!

Even if noise doesn’t wake you up during the night or prevent you from falling asleep at a healthy hour, it can still be a problem throughout the night. Speaking of a loud car horn or heavy traffic outside your bedroom window, even if it didn’t wake you up, it could cause sleep stage interruptions throughout the night. Technically you’re still asleep, but you’re not sleeping properly, and you’ll be tired and oversleep in the morning.

How to Lessen Noise Effects

If noises keep you up at night and you’re unable to sleep properly, it can have both mental and physical effects. You can start to experience mood fluctuations, be a lot more tired and have lower stamina throughout the day and you may even develop a sleeping disorder. However, lessening the effect of noise on your sleep cycle doesn’t have to be impossible.

First, check on your windows. If they’re usually open at night, it might be best to close them as often as you’re able to. It’s also a good idea to hang thick blackout curtains to help absorb sound from the outside world; curtains are a good form of sound insulation, alongside rugs, blankets and cushions.

Similarly, most people turn to white noise machines to help them drown out loud background noise they have no control over. Even just putting in sleep friendly earphones and playing a white noise playlist can help you get used to sound in your environment and help tune disruptive tones out.

You should also do your best to shut down noise inside your house during the night. Unplug appliances that make sounds at all times, such as the low hum of the fridge or a fan that’s been left on. Be sure to turn your phone on silent or use the do not disturb function, to prevent even vibrations from waking you up throughout the night.

Contact Us at Brentwood Hearing Center

Here at Brentwood Hearing Center, we know just how frustrating it is to constantly lose sleep over loud noises! Whether there’s a bird nesting outside your window, or you live near a busy road or rail line, we can help you put your worries over a lack of sleep to rest.

After all, our trained and experienced audiologists are on hand to answer all your questions around hearing protection and how to maintain good hearing. So be sure to get in touch with us on our company line at (615) 866-0431. Hearing loss can often be attributed to a lack of good sleep, but we can help you to turn an issue like this around. We’re open from Monday to Friday and we’re keen to take your call!