The human body is a wonderful, beautiful, confusing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are normally no problem for the human body to heal (I mean, sure, it takes a while, but your body can actually repair the giant bones in your arms and legs with little more than a splint and some time).
But when it comes to repairing the tiny little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. For now anyway.
It doesn’t seem quite fair when you can heal from considerable bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. What’s happening there?
When is Hearing Impairment Irreversible?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office attempting to digest the news he’s giving you: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… it depends.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But he isn’t wrong. There are two primary kinds of hearing loss:
- Hearing loss caused by an obstruction: When there’s something obstructing your ear canal, you can show all the signs of hearing loss. This obstruction can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright scary (tumors). Your hearing will return to normal, luckily, when the blockage is cleared away.
- Damage induced hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more prevalent type. Known scientifically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is effectively irreversible. Here’s what happens: there are fragile hairs in your ear that vibrate when hit with moving air (sound waves). When vibrations are transformed into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which renders them into the sounds you perceive. But loud noises can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, diminish your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
So here’s the main point: there’s one form of hearing loss you can recuperate from, and you may need to get examined 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 doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. Here are a few ways that the correct treatment might help you:
- Help fend off cognitive decline.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Cope successfully with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be going through.
- Remain engaged socially, keeping isolation at bay.
- Preserve a high quality of life.
Of the many forms of treatment available, which one is correct for you depends on the seriousness of your hearing loss. One of the most common treatments is fairly simple: hearing aids.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Practical Treatment For Hearing Loss?
Hearing aids can help you get back to the people and things you love. They can help you hear the discussions, the phone, your television, or even just the sounds of nature. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you will no longer be struggling to hear.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Loud noises and other things that would damage your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be protected against them. Hearing well is critical to your overall health and well-being. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be certain that you are protecting your hearing.