Sleeping On One Side As Opposed To The Other

Ive noticed that if I sleep on my left side, at night my tinnitus spikes, to unbelievable levels. It wakes me up through sleep meds. In the morning this has usually subsided. This is my preferred sleeping position. My tinnitus is in my right ear (so it's up when i sleep on my left side).

If I sleep on my right side, with ear in the pillow, this doesnt happen.

Anyone ever notice anything similar and/or has an explanation?

 

I have a bit similar situation. My left ear is the T ear and sometimes T spikes when I sleep on my right side. I use rain sounds as masking and lately I have noticed that if I am listening to the rain with my T ear, T increases, but if I block my T ear, T goes down. So maybe in my case it's linked to the background noise.

 

My guess is it's got to be fluid related in the inner ear. Copied and Pasted below.

INNER EAR FLUID IMBALANCE
An inner ear fluid imbalance can be characterized by dizziness ( or vertigo), ringing in the ears (or tinnitus), fullness in the ears, or hearing loss. Patients can have some or all of the above symptoms. When patients have all of the symptoms this condition is sometimes called Meniere's Disease. The cause of this condition is unknown, but predisposing factors include ear infection, allergy, head injury, and positive family history.
The inner ear is a delicate membranous structure surrounded by a bony hard shell. The two components
of this system are the hearing organ ( or cochlea) and the balance organ (semicircular canals). These two systems are very near one another and share the same fluid system. Movements of this fluid move and distend the membranes allowing us to hear and maintain proper balance. This fluid is constantly being recycled and contains specific concentrations of minerals such as sodium ( salt). If too much fluid is produced, or not enough fluid is resorbed, then this is thought to cause an inner ear fluid imbalance. Also, eating food rich in salt can upset this delicate balance. An inner ear fluid imbalance is diagnosed by performing a history, physical examination, and hearing test. Sometimes other tests are also necessary such as as ABR test, balance test, or an MRI scan. Treatment of an inner ear fluid imbalance involves following a strict low salt diet and taking water pill such as Dyazide. It may take several weeks for the treatment to show a noticeable benefit. It is important to restrict salt intake to 1500-2000 milligrams per day. This is more than just not using the salt shaker at meals. Many foods contain salt, especially pork products, chinese food, cheese, frozen dinners, and snacks such as potato chips. Also most restaurants and fast food places use a lot of salt. Most people with an inner ear fluid imbalance who closely follow these recommendations will do very well. People with severe symptoms not responding to medication and a low salt diet may respond to surgery.

 

Im no expert, but I would guess it could be due to increased pressure on your jaw or on your neck on one side as well.
I experience this from time to time myself.. If theres something irritating one or more nerves I could imagine that a certain position could be worse than others.

Just a guess

 

So how does one have a doctor check if nerves play a role besides simply hearing loss?

 

I noticed this as well. I have T mostly on my left ear and

If your T is to do with blood circulation problems then this would make sense. When you sleep on your left ear it gets more blood flow than if you slept on your right side.

That's why its important to sleep with a low pillow so your head is not elevated.

 

My tinnitus (left ear only) has mostly gone away (finally!) after four months. However, I can get the old buzz to return by sleeping on my left side. (There is no problem when sleeping on my right side.) This seems to be the opposite of what others experience.