Sleep is a pretty mysterious thing. It’s something we all need, yet the more we strive to attain it, the more it escapes us. It’s actually a common occurrence and a study from 2017 has shown exactly that. The study found that 39.8% of Australian adults experience inadequate sleep, with an estimated economic cost of an array of health issues including heart disease, obesity and depression.
With those kinds of scary facts, it’s worth looking at what might be causing disrupted sleep for you and your family. One of the most common disruptions is noise. While we can close our eyes to block out disturbing or disruptive light, we can’t close our ears. Even – and especially - at 4am.
The good news is that noise-related disrupted sleep issues can often be resolved by using sleeping ear plugs that suit your particular sleeping environment and individual preferences.
Noisy sleeping environments are ones with a high degree of ambient noise. Think busy cities with honking traffic, arguing neighbours, thumping music and blaring sirens sounding at any hour of the day or night. These noises may arouse you from sleep even without you being consciously aware of the sound. The first defence can be a simple one:
The result is improved sleep quality, with less breaks in deep sleep that lead to groggy mornings and serious caffeine addictions.
Of course, some of us find that more peaceful sleep environments are, ironically, too quiet for restful sleep. Think the cliché of the stressed-out sea-changer, lying awake missing the roar of the inner city.
If that’s you, you could benefit from a white noise machine or app. The monotonous hum will prevent small sounds – creaking floorboards, or a ticking clock – from interrupting your slumber.
The best solution, of course, is to know what kind of environment most suits your ears and adjust your bedroom to suit. If that doesn’t work? Perhaps you should consider moving to Melbourne!
Why Melbourne, you ask? Because data obtained from Jawbone’s UP, a wristband that tracks movement and sleeping patterns, shows that Melburnians enjoy an average of 6 hours 58 minutes of shut-eye every night – more than any other city in the world!
The Amplifon blog is our place to explore ideas and themes of interest. For professional audiology advice, please contact your local clinic for a consultation.
