The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are typically no problem for the human body to heal (with a little time, your body can restore the huge bones in your legs and arms).
But when it comes to repairing the tiny little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. At least, so far.
It’s really regrettable that your body can accomplish such amazing feats of healing but can’t regenerate these tiny hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office trying to digest the news he’s giving you: you’re losing your hearing. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And he tells you that it may or may not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But he isn’t wrong. Hearing loss comes in two general forms:
- Hearing loss due to damage: But hearing loss has another more prevalent form. This form of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is 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 transformed into signals, they are sent to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But over time, loud sounds can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is necessary.
- Blockage induced hearing loss: When there’s something obstructing your ear canal, you can present all the indications of hearing loss. This obstruction can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). Your hearing will return to normal, luckily, when the obstruction is cleared away.
So the bottom line is this: you can recover from one form of hearing loss and you probably won’t know which one you have without getting a hearing test.
Treating Hearing Loss
Scientists haven’t found a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But your hearing loss still might be manageable. Here are some ways that the proper treatment may help you:
- Reduce cognitive decline.
- Protect and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Maintain a high quality of life.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be enduring.
- Stay engaged socially, keeping isolation at bay.
Of the many types of treatment available, which one is correct for you depends on the severity of your hearing loss. Hearing aids are one of the simplest and most prevalent treatment choices.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Practical Treatment For Hearing Loss?
Hearing aids can help you get back to the people and things you love. With the help of hearing aids, you can start to hear conversations, your television, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. You won’t be struggling to hear so pressure will be taken off your brain.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Loud noises and other things that would harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be safeguarded against them. Your overall health and well being depend on good hearing. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are safeguarding your hearing.