The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? The human body usually has no problem repairing cuts, scrapes, or broken bones (with a little time, your body can heal the huge bones in your arms and legs).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the tiny hairs in your ears are damaged. For now anyway.
It doesn’t seem really fair when you can heal from considerable bone injuries but you can’t heal tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Irreversible?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office trying to process the news he’s giving you: you have hearing impairment. So the first question you have is whether the hearing will ever return. And the answer is… it depends.
It’s a bit anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But he’s not wrong. Hearing loss comes in two general forms:
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more common type. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss is effectively permanent. This is how it works: there are tiny hairs in your ear that vibrate when hit with moving air (sound waves). When vibrations are converted into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But over time, loud noises can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is required.
- Blockage induced hearing loss: You can exhibit every indicator of hearing loss when your ear has some sort of obstruction. This obstruction can be caused by a wide variety of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). Fortunately, once the blockage is removed, your hearing often goes back to normal.
So the bottom line is this: there’s one type of hearing loss you can recuperate from, and you might need to get tested to see which one you have.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Scientists haven’t discovered a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But that’s not to say you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. As a matter of fact, getting the right treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Make sure your overall quality of life is untouched or stays high.
- Cope successfully with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you may be experiencing.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Remain active socially, keeping isolation at bay.
- Prevent cognitive decline.
Of the many types of treatment available, which one is right for you depends on the severity of your hearing loss. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most common treatment choices.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Practical Treatment For Hearing Impairment?
Hearing aids can help you get back to the people and things you enjoy. With the help of hearing aids, you can begin to hear conversations, your television, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. Hearing aids can also take some of the pressure off of your brain because you won’t be struggling to hear.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you should protect your hearing from loud sounds and other things that can damage your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Hearing well is crucial to your general health and well-being. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are safeguarding your hearing.