Once you experience poor quality sleep, a lack of alertness means you miss out on what's going on around you. But even if your eyes are open, you might not be hearing what's happening.
People with sleep apnea may have a higher risk of hearing loss, according to a new study.
The research, which was presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2014 International Conference, found that of the 13,967 participants sampled, about 10 percent had at least moderate sleep apnea. These patients had a 31 percent increased risk of high frequency hearing impairment, a 90 percent increased risk of low frequency hearing impairment and a 38 percent increased risk in combined high and low frequency hearing impairment after controlling for other causes of hearing loss and potentially confounding factors like age and sex.
Read the rest of the sleep and hearing loss article as it originally appeared in the Huffington Post.