Tinnitus So Loud After Naps — Why?

[Star64]

@Steve0 @Lane I remember reading something about this on the internet, someone had asked an otoneurologist about this... I recall the answer was something along the lines when taking short naps it does not put us into REM sleep, which impacts on tinnitus... plus apparently cortisol levels rise on awakening not just in the mornings... not sure if this is the reason...

However I try not to nap... it's hard sometimes especially if you haven't had a good night's sleep... plus listening to tinnitus all day is tiring...

But if I do nod off my tinnitus is way more deafening. Many tinnitus sufferers refer to toxic naps... They sure are...

 

[Digital Doc]

This increase in tinnitus during naps happens to me as well.

If I fall asleep in front of the TV, even at a low volume, it happens. It has also occurred without a TV on.

My theory is that during a deeper sleep, my ears at this point are very vulnerable to sound damage. If I fall asleep with earplugs, the tinnitus is better, and not worse. I think with these damaged ears from noise, any further noise injures things quite a bit more unfortunately.

 

[JohnRyan]

Yep me too .. it's at the point where if I feel myself drifting off watching a boring TV show I try to make sure I don't sleep because every single time I wake up with a big tinnitus spike and it will then run atleast until a full nights sleep. It only takes 15 minutes of a nap to start it up. It dosn't matter if my head is supported, leaning back or to the side.

There are so many anecdotal reports about this I wish more studies could be done to work out exactly wtf is going on in our heads. It's obviously not coming from the ears.

 

[JohnRyan]

This phenomena has been probably the most consistent pattern I've experienced since tinnitus started for me in Feb. 2018. But something "may" have changed today. I was given 3 small vials of sample CBD oil, and took two of them yesterday. I slept better than normal, which I attributed to some kind of calming effect from the oil.

This morning when I was on the acupuncture table, I dozed off for a few minutes, something that would normally send my tinnitus soaring. But it didn't spike at all. I then took a normal afternoon nap, and noticed again that it didn't spike. -- So am cautiously encouraged at this point. What might all happen if I take CBD oil regularly for a few days or weeks? I'll be giving it a try.​

 

[JohnRyan]

CBD oil is known to calm the central nervous system down and also reduce inflammation stress and anxiety and that can reduce tinnitus symptoms!

 

[JohnRyan]

For me, the shorter amount of time I sleep, the worse it is. There's been times when I dozed off for only a minute or so, and the tinnitus was raging when I woke up. It's louder after an hour nap, but usually not nearly as loud as after drifting off for just a minute or two.

 

[JohnRyan]

That is why I am signed up for this forum now! My Tinnitus is always the loudest ams spikes big time after I take a nap or wake up from sleeping!I just took a 20 minute nap and woke up with a major spike! I have been searching for answers for years! I read that a lot of people with Tinnitus also have sleep disorders like Sleep Apnea or even more complex sleep problems like Central Apnea! I don't snore but have mild sleep apnea after getting a sleep study done! It's hard to sleep in those labs when they have you all wired up! I always ask my kids if they see anything going on when I take a nap and they tell me that I look peaceful but my tinnitus rages through the roof even after a 5 minute nap! Some how my tinnitus is linked to my sleep issues!

 

[Flyingsheep]

Yes a nap will turn my tinnitus into hell, even on a good day. Don't even take naps anymore or I'll hear 17khz screaming for the rest of the day.

 

[JohnRyan]

Yes a nap will turn my tinnitus into hell, even on a good day. Don't even take naps anymore or I'll hear 17khz screaming for the rest of the day.

 

[JohnRyan]

How is the quality of your sleep? Have you ever had a sleep study done before?I know tinnitus can come from many reasons but if a person has broken sleep through out the night from sleep apnea that would through their entire body out of sync! Untreated sleep apnea has a major impact onthe hormonal system! Raised cortisol could cause spikes! It seems like most doctors are clueless why some people get major spikes after a nap or after they sleep! It's frustrating!

 

[PeteJ]

Could be anything. Who knows. Like some people here said, whatever goes on with the neurons.

A power nap can mean a way of re-energizing for the rest of the day. We 'fix ourselves' in our sleep. That's why a lack of sleep can leave us feeling fatigued or cloudy. If you had a dream during sleep, that might have done something too?

 

[LukeYoung]

I think something to do with REM CYCLE.
If this is interrupted you your CNS will be on alert.

 

[Flyingsheep]

How is the quality of your sleep? Have you ever had a sleep study done before?I know tinnitus can come from many reasons but if a person has broken sleep through out the night from sleep apnea that would through their entire body out of sync! Untreated sleep apnea has a major impact onthe hormonal system! Raised cortisol could cause spikes! It seems like most doctors are clueless why some people get major spikes after a nap or after they sleep! It's frustrating!

I haven't had my sleep studied before but have thought about doing it. I wake up a lot throughout the night and get spotty sleep sometimes. But it depends on where I am staying and what my routine is. There have been times (while having tinnitus) where I was getting great sleep for 3-4 months straight and it didn't improve tinnitus.

 

[Don Tinny]

The same thing happens to me. I guess that my brain "resets" and find the hearing loss again.

 

[535bimmer]

Anthony is right. .............. Here is a doctor's point of view about it that I have recorded down:

"I have always felt it to be due to the role of the reticular formation in tinnitus perception. The reticular formation is a primitive structure in the brain stem. It's a "vital sign monitor." When you wake up, the RF checks to see whether or not you are alive! It looks for heartbeat, respirations, blood pressure, temperature - basic bodily signs. It does not care whether or not these signs are good or bad - just that they are present. And as far as the RF is concerned, tinnitus is part of "expected" body function in an individual suffering from severe intrusive tinnitus. So when you wake, your RF checks to see whether or not tinnitus is present. And if it doesn't immediately find the tinnitus, the RF seeks it with a vengeance - - especially in the post-nap state, when there has been inadequate REM sleep and when, therefore, the RF is on already "high alert" that something might not be quite right. Theoretically - very theoretically - this RF hyperactivity in seeking tinnitus, which in a person with severe intrusive tinnitus it equates with life, results in temporarily markedly augmented tinnitus perception."

Hi billie48,

Is there any chance that you would still have the source page of the quote from the doctor above and be able to either post the link or the doctor's name? I would like to share this with my neurologist and point him to the source of the comment.

Thanks

 

[billie48]

Hi billie48,

Is there any chance that you would still have the source page of the quote from the doctor above and be able to either post the link or the doctor's name? I would like to share this with my neurologist and point him to the source of the comment.

Thanks

Yes he is Dr. Stephen Nagler. He is one of the doctors in the Doctors' Corner here on Tinnitus Talk.

To find the original post, you can do a search on reticular formation and you should see it. Good luck.

 

[davidmp]

Same here. Any nap, from short to long, will take me to a horrible spike. It is incredible how tinnitus has changed my life, dramatically reducing my quality of life.

 

[Chasman]

I was camping on the ocean shore one night, and for a couple of moments after I regained consciousness in the morning, there was no sound at all and then all of a sudden the sound of the loud ocean waves kicked in. So I guess our brains (at least mine) turns off sound in some way while I'm asleep. My tinnitus is also much worse right after I wake up, and my guess is that it's because I'm not experiencing sound for that period of time. Lack of (experienced?) sound input is known to make tinnitus worse. The brain wants those signals! I wish there was some way I could keep receiving sound while I am asleep, but despite wearing hearing aids and playing white noise, when I wake up the tinnitus is always much louder.