Polysomnographic Findings in Patients With Chronic Tinnitus

Tinnitus is an auditory sensation in the absence of any external stimulus. It has a negative impact on quality of life and interferes with concentration, sleep, social activities, and even emotional stability. The aim of this study was to compare sleep architecture in patients with and without chronic subjective tinnitus.

This was an observational, noninterventional, and prospective study. The sample consisted of 50 individuals of both sexes aged 20 to 60 years. Twenty-five patients with tinnitus constituted the study group, and for comparison, a control group consisting of 25 patients without reported tinnitus was formed. The patients underwent polysomnography and were administered the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, and visual analog scales.

The group with tinnitus had higher mean values in sleep stages 1 and 2, and lower mean values in stage 3 and in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, compared with the control group, and this difference was significant only for REM sleep ( P = .031). This demonstrates that patients with tinnitus remained longer in shallow sleep and spent less time in deep sleep (stage 3) and REM sleep.

This study shows that patients with tinnitus have significant alterations in REM sleep latency as well as the REM sleep phase.