Is there a relationship between tinnitus severity and sleep effort?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is there a relationship between tinnitus severity and sleep effort?
IRAS ID
208352
Contact name
Sheila Fidler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 27 days
Research summary
Tinnitus is a perception of noise originating from the ears that is not related to any sounds heard externally. Tinnitus is a common symptom experienced within the UK however, a small number find it distressing. Anxiety, stress, poor sleep and depression are factors which exacerbate the severity of tinnitus to which point a vicious cycle is generated. For example, it is well known that those who report having sleep difficulties because of tinnitus, tend to suffer to a greater degree with tinnitus than those who report no sleep difficulties. Sleep itself is not simple and research studies have been carried out in the past exploring the nature of disrupted sleep and its impact on basic functioning, the exacerbation of tinnitus and overall quality of life. Therefore, tinnitus therapy can be better tailored if there is a greater understanding of the factors that exacerbate tinnitus.
Sleep-effort describes a trait commonly seen in those with insomnia; the more effort an individual puts into attaining sleep, the more agitated they become and inadvertently exacerbate insomnia. There is no known research carried out to see if Sleep-effort is a trait present in tinnitus sufferers.
The aim of the study is to find out if sleep effort-related sleep difficulties are present amongst tinnitus sufferers. The objective is to recruit 30 participants with constant tinnitus, aged between 26-64 attending Tinnitus Clinic as new patients and after obtaining consent, administering 3 questionnaires; the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Questionnaire. Analysis of the data will be to test if there is a significant correlation between scores derived from the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale. This study is carried out as an MSc Dissertation for the University of Manchester and participants will be recruited from Southend University Hospital.REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EE/0432
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion