I STARTED wearing my fancy, noise-blocking earbuds in March, after my son, Zak, 20, bought them for me as a Mother’s Day gift.
And they were a dream, drowning out my husband Paul’s snoring, which was causing me endless sleepless nights.
Natasha Harding began wearing the noise-blocking earbuds in March Credit: Lorna Roach
The Soundcore Sleep Earbuds, costing £119, were a gift from her son Credit: Unknown
I loved them immediately, as wearing them meant I fell asleep to a relaxing meditation, and when that finished, they automatically switched to white noise.
These weren’t just your ordinary foam ear plugs, but the Soundcore Sleep Earbuds, costing £119.
Along with many others on the market, they’re a little like music headphones, except designed to be slept in.
They can monitor sleep, with data tracking on your phone, as well as play audiobooks, podcasts and music.
They worked a dream and with them in, I couldn’t hear any external noises – including the dreaded snoring.
But as I placed my Soundcore Sleep Earbuds on charge as I do every morning, a thought occurred to me.
Could they be behind the dizzy episodes I had been experiencing?My sleep sabouteur – snoring – had been swapped for a different issue.
As I lay in bed, I turned and was struck by an overwhelming dizziness.
The room felt as though it was spinning. I lay still and hoped it would pass and within a couple of minutes, I felt as though I could get up safely.
The feeling had been happening for a few weeks, but the episodes were lasting longer and becoming more frequent.
I pride myself on having good balance, especially as I teach yoga and Pilates for a living.
But recently, there had been a couple of times when I was in the middle of teaching a class, and I felt as though I was on a boat as I moved positions.
The earbuds can monitor sleep, with data tracking on your phone, as well as play audiobooks, podcasts and music Credit: Amazon
It was incredibly stressful when I had a roomful of people in front of me and I worried I was going to lose my balance and fall flat on my face.
‘Vertigo’ is the medical name for this issue.
It’s more than just feeling dizzy – it can feel like the world is falling away from you, causing nausea and a desperate need to stay very still.
It’s a symptom, rather than a condition, because it can have so many causes.
One of the main causes of vertigo is inner ear problems that disrupt your balance.
The primary culprits include BPPV (displaced inner ear crystals), inner ear infections, Meniere’s disease and vestibular neuritis – some of these are incurable.
Symptoms flare up, coming and going. So often, the best thing to do is to manage the vertigo.
Labyrinthitis is a common cause, too – an inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus.
Panicking as I read up online about my vertigo spells, I worried that there was a sinister cause that would affect my yoga and Pilates teaching for life.
I’d never had ear issues before, though.
But after some online sleuthing, I had hope that there was a culprit.
I discovered that the earbuds, like the ones I’d been using, may cause issues, including the vertigo-like symptoms I was experiencing.
This apparently happens because they alter the inner ear and potentially confuse the brain’s spatial awareness.
Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar, Clinical Lead at Medical Express Clinic on Harley Street, tells me: “Wearing earbuds affects the in-ear pressure and interferes with the air conduction of the inner ear.
“When you wear earbuds for a prolonged period regularly, this can result in symptoms as you have experienced.
“The easiest, safest and most practical solution is to not wear earbuds at all when you sleep.”
What is vertigo?
Vertigo – the sensation that you, or the environment around you, is spinning – is a symptom caused by an array of health conditions.
A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo, it can last for many days or months.
It is often harmless and the sign of an ear infection or headache.
But, when coupled with double vision, weakness or clumsiness of the limbs and slurred speech, it can be a sign of something more serious such as a stroke.
There are things you can do to ease vertigo symptoms when they’re happening, and to reduce how often it happens.
These include lying still in a quiet, dark room to reduce the spinning feeling or moving your head carefully and slowly during daily activities.
Turning the lights on if you get up at night and sitting down straight away when you feel dizzy, can also help.
The NHS also recommends sleeping with your head slightly raised on two or more pillows and getting out of bed slowly and sitting on the edge of the bed for a while before standing up.
Anxiety can also make vertigo worse.
If you have vertigo that will not go away or keeps coming back, book an appointment with a GP.
You may then be referred to a specialist for further tests.
Source: NHS England
As vertigo can be a symptom of more serious conditions, I thought I should get it checked out properly.
I made an appointment with my GP to discuss my symptoms and he concluded that the earplugs were likely causing the issue.
The doctor advised that I try a couple of nights without them and magically, my symptoms stopped.
He suggested that going forward, I ensured I was cleaning them properly, as bacteria can build on earbuds and cause ear infections.
I also learnt it’s important not to push them too far into the ear, something I was definitely guilty of doing – as the tighter the seal, the more likely it is they can alter the inner-ear pressure.
Before I started using them again, I gave them a thorough clean using alcohol wipes and lowered the noise cancellation from maximum to a lower setting to reduce stress on my ears.
Looking at the Soundcore website, it says they may not be appropriate “if you experience pain, dizziness, or tinnitus” when using them.
Going forward, I’m going to have a couple of nights a week without them so that my ears have a rest.
I’m glad that I’m aware of the issues the earbuds can potentially cause and I’d advise anyone wearing them to be cautious.
Soundcore was approached for comment by The Jattvibe.
