The human body is an awesome, beautiful, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? The human body generally has no issue repairing cuts, scrapes, or broken bones (with a little time, your body can restore the giant bones in your legs and arms).
But when it comes to mending the delicate little hairs in your ear, it’s not going to happen. At least, so far.
It doesn’t seem exactly fair when you can recover from significant bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Impairment Irreversible?
So, let’s get right down to it. You’re waiting in your doctor’s office and you’re absorbing the news: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever return. And he informs you that it might or it might not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also a fact. There are two general forms of hearing loss:
- Blockage induced hearing loss: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can exhibit all the signs of hearing loss. This blockage can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). Your hearing will go back to normal, luckily, when the blockage is removed.
- Damage induced hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more common type. This kind of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. This is how it works: inside of your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when moved by sound waves. When vibrations are converted into signals, they are sent to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But loud sounds can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
So the bottom line is this: you can recover from one form of hearing loss and you most likely won’t know which one you’re coping with without having a hearing test.
Treating Hearing Loss
Scientists haven’t found a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. As a matter of fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss might help you:
- Reduce cognitive decline.
- Stay active socially, keeping isolation away.
- Ensure your general quality of life is untouched or stays high.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll normally depend on how significant your hearing loss is. One of the most common treatments is pretty simple: hearing aids.
Why is Hearing Loss Effectively Managed With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you enjoy. They can help you hear the conversation, your phone, your tv, or even just the sounds of nature. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you won’t be straining to hear.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Loud sounds and other things that would harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be safeguarded against them. Hearing well is crucial to your general health and well-being. Regular hearing care, like annual hearing exams, is just another form of self-care.