The human body is an awesome, breathtaking, confusing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scratches, cuts, and broken bones are typically no problem for the human body to mend (with a bit of time, your body can heal the giant bones in your arms and legs).
But when it comes to restoring the fragile little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. For now anyway.
It doesn’t seem exactly fair when you can recover from considerable bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. What’s going on there?
When is Hearing Impairment Permanent?
So, let’s get right to it. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re taking in the news: you’re losing your hearing. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… maybe.
It’s a little anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But he’s not wrong. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Obstruction induced hearing loss: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can present all the indications of hearing loss. This blockage can be caused by a wide range of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). Your hearing will go back to normal, thankfully, when the obstruction is removed.
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more prevalent type. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is effectively irreversible. Here’s what happens: In your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. When vibrations are converted into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But loud noises can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
So here’s the main point: there’s one form of hearing loss you can recover from, and you may need to get examined to see which one you have.
Hearing Loss Treatment
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:
- Maintain and protect the hearing you still have.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you may already have.
- Avoid isolation by staying socially active.
- Ensure your general quality of life is untouched or remains high.
- Help stave off cognitive decline.
Of the many forms of treatment available, which one is the right choice for you depends on the extent of your hearing loss. One of the most prevalent treatments is pretty simple: hearing aids.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Practical Treatment For Hearing Loss?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. With the help of hearing aids, you can begin to hear conversations, your television, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. You will no longer be struggling to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you need to protect your hearing from loud sounds and other things that can damage your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Hearing well is critical to your general health and well-being. Routine hearing care, like annual hearing tests, is just another type of self-care.