Authors: Sreelakshmi Suresh¹; Srikar Vijayasarathy¹
¹All India Institute of Speech and Hearing
Background: While noise and music exposure are established risk factors for hearing health, recent evidence suggests that poor sleep quality may contribute to subtle auditory deficits. This study investigated the association between sleep quality and proxy measures of hidden hearing loss in young adults with normal hearing sensitivity.
Method: Fifty participants were divided into two groups based on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores: good sleep (n = 25) and poor sleep (n = 25). Assessments included extended high-frequency audiometry (10–14 kHz), amplitude modulation detection, DPOAE input-output functions, acoustic reflex thresholds (ARTs), and reflex amplitude growth. Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded at low and high click rates. The study also examined whether acoustic exposure mediated the relationship between sleep and auditory function.
Results: Most auditory measures, including DPOAEs and ABR, showed no significant differences between groups. However, ARTs measured with a 1000 Hz probe tone were significantly elevated in participants with poor sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed that sleep quality independently predicted 8.1% of the variance in ARTs, whereas acoustic exposure demonstrated minimal predictive value.
Conclusion: The preservation of cochlear mechanical function alongside elevated reflex thresholds suggests that sleep-related auditory dysfunction primarily affects neural rather than mechanical processes. These findings provide preliminary evidence of an association between sleep quality and subtle auditory deficits, potentially serving as an early indicator of neural auditory impairment.
