The human body has some fantastic and remarkable abilities. The human body typically has no difficulty repairing cuts, scrapes, or broken bones (I mean, sure, it takes some time, but your body can literally mend the huge bones in your arms and legs with little more than a splint and some time).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the tiny hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It doesn’t seem exactly fair when you can recover from major 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 get right to it. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re digesting the news: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever come back. And he tells you that it might or it might not.
It’s a little anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But he’s not wrong. There are two general types of hearing loss:
- Obstruction induced hearing loss: When there’s something obstructing your ear canal, you can show all the symptoms of hearing loss. This obstruction can be caused by a wide variety of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright scary (tumors). The good news is that once the obstruction is cleared, your hearing often goes back to normal.
- Damage related hearing loss: But there’s another, more prevalent form of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is irreversible. Here’s what happens: In your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But loud noises can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
So the bottom line is this: there’s one form of hearing loss you can recuperate from, and you might need to get tested to see which one you’re dealing with.
Treating Hearing Loss
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 get treatment for your hearing loss. As a matter of fact, getting the right treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Ensure your total quality of life is untouched or remains high.
- Preserve and safeguard the hearing you still have.
- Prevent mental decline.
- Avoid isolation by staying socially involved.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be experiencing.
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 rather simple: hearing aids.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Practical Treatment For Hearing Impairment?
You can get back to the people and things you enjoy with the assistance of hearing aids. With the help of hearing aids, you can begin to hear conversations, your tv, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. You will no longer be struggling to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you need to safeguard your hearing from loud sounds and other things that can harm your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Your overall health and well being depend on good hearing. Regular hearing care, such as annual hearing tests, is just another form of self-care.