Sleep problems are probably the most important ones in case of tinnitus, and the ones that people mostly complain about. It is quite obvious that with ear noises suddenly being present, the sleep quality will be affected. However, to a certain degree these problems might actually be self-imposed. This is because many people have certain idealistic notions about sleep, like 'I need eight hours of sleep' and 'I have to sleep through without waking up'. And then in case of not being able to fulfill these ideals, they feel guilty and inferior because of it, which however only will aggravate the problems and the suffering associated with the sleeplessness.

So my advice would be not to dwell so much in your mind on the sleep problem, but just try to cope with it as best as you can on a day to day basis. My doctor told me that for quite a while one can manage with 5-6 hours of sleep per night, so one shouldn't feel bad if one only gets this amount. If it causes too much stress to lie awake each night for an hour or two, then consider going to bed correspondingly later. This won't give you more sleep but reduce the amount of time you are lying awake (and thus the stress associated with this).

Only as a last resort you should consider sleeping tablets or tranquilizers for a while.

In any case, don't worry, for most people the acute sleep problems only occur for the first 6 months at most. The sleep will then return to a more normal (in any case more manageable) pattern again.

Thomas