Those who have never endured the relentless ringing of tinnitus can only dream of the torment. Actually, a bad dream might potentially be the closest some get to experiencing anything like it.
The subjective sound, which can also be a hissing, buzzing, or clicking, is heard by no one else, and it may be present constantly, or may come and go.
Neuroscientists at the University of Oxford now suspect that sleep and tinnitus are closely intertwined in the brain.
Their findings hint at a basic relationship between the two conditions – one that has,surprisingly,been overlooked in the brain until very recently.
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“What first made me and my colleagues curious were the remarkable parallels between tinnitus and sleep,” neuroscientist Linus Milinski at Oxford’s Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute told ScienceAlert.
“Tinnitus is a debilitating medical condition, whereas sleep is a natural state we enter regularly, yet both appear to rely on spontaneous brain activity. As there is still no effective treatment for subjective tinnitus, I believe that exploring thes similarities might offer new ways to understand and eventually treat phantom percepts.”
Watch the video below for a summary of the study:
A ‘phantom percept’ is when our brains fool us into thinking we are seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling something that is not there, physically speaking.
Many people only experience phantom percepts during sleep,but for around 15 percent of the world’s population,an inescapable noise rings in their ears during waking hours,too.
Tinnitus is the world’s most common phantom percept, and yet there is no known cause or cure, despite a long list of hypotheses.
While many individuals with tinnitus report poor sleep and show poor sleep patterns, the potential connection to this crucial bodily function has only recently come to light.
frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen>In 2022, Milinski led a review, which the authors claim is the first to consider, at a functional
The Link Between Sleep and Tinnitus: New Research Offers Hope for Relief
Table of Contents
Tinnitus, the perception of ringing or buzzing in the ears, affects millions worldwide and can significantly impact quality of life. Recent research is increasingly highlighting a strong connection between sleep disturbances and tinnitus, suggesting that improving sleep could be a key therapeutic target. Studies are revealing how brain activity differs in those with tinnitus, notably during sleep, and how this understanding could pave the way for new treatments.
How the Brain Processes Tinnitus
A 2022 review published in Brain Communications https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac089 by Milinski and colleagues at Oxford University, investigated the neural mechanisms underlying tinnitus. The research identified specific brain regions involved in the condition, showing that tinnitus isn’t simply a problem in the ear, but a complex phenomenon involving widespread brain networks.These networks include areas responsible for auditory processing, attention, and emotional regulation. The graphic illustrating these findings (as shown in Figure 1 of the original paper) demonstrates the distributed nature of tinnitus within the brain.
“I hope this research will lead to greater awareness of tinnitus and open new ways of exploring treatments,” Milinski told ScienceAlert. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the impact of tinnitus, particularly in older adults, where it can contribute to isolation and mental health issues.
Sleep and the Tinnitus Cycle
Recent findings from a 2025 study conducted by researchers at South China University of Technology, published in Sleep https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106519, further strengthens the link between sleep and tinnitus. The study found that individuals with tinnitus exhibit increased brain hyperactivity when transitioning from wakefulness to sleep, indicating difficulty in “shutting down” brain activity.
Though, this hyperactivity is suppressed during deep sleep. This observation led the researchers to conclude that sleep represents a “critical therapeutic target to interrupt the 24-hour dysfunctional cycle of tinnitus.” Essentially, restoring healthy sleep patterns could help quiet the persistent neural noise associated with the condition.
A Vicious Cycle?
Milinski and his team at Oxford are now investigating how sleep impacts the progress of tinnitus, not just its symptoms. They hypothesize a potential vicious cycle: tinnitus disrupts sleep, and poor sleep exacerbates tinnitus.
“Tinnitus can make sleep worse, and poor sleep may, in turn, make tinnitus worse. It might potentially be a kind of vicious circle,even though I do not believe it is indeed unbreakable,” milinski speculates. he points to the role of stress,noting that sleep deprivation increases vulnerability to stress,which is a known trigger and intensifier of tinnitus.
Implications for Treatment and Future Research
Understanding the interplay between sleep and tinnitus opens up exciting possibilities for new treatments. Interventions aimed at improving sleep quality – such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), sleep hygiene practices, or even pharmacological approaches – could possibly reduce the severity of tinnitus symptoms.
Further research is needed to fully unravel the complexities of this relationship. Investigating how different stages of sleep impact tinnitus, and identifying specific neural mechanisms involved, could lead to more targeted and effective therapies. Moreover, a deeper understanding of sleep itself may emerge from these investigations, benefiting individuals with and without tinnitus.
the 2022 review was published in brain Communications https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac089.
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