The human body is a wonderful, beautiful, confusing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are generally no problem for the human body to heal (with a little time, your body can repair the huge bones in your arms and legs).
But you won’t be so lucky if the tiny hairs in your ears are compromised. For now at least.
It’s truly unfortunate that your body can accomplish such great feats of healing but can’t regenerate these little hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Impairment Irreversible?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re waiting in your doctor’s office and you’re absorbing the news: you have hearing loss. So the first question you have is whether the hearing will ever return. And the answer is… it depends.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But he’s not wrong. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Damage related hearing loss: But there’s another, more common form of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is irreversible. Here’s what happens: there are tiny hairs in your ear that vibrate when hit with moving air (sound waves). When vibrations are converted into signals, they are sent to the brain which renders them into the sounds you perceive. But loud sounds can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: When there’s something obstructing your ear canal, you can exhibit all the symptoms of hearing loss. A wide variety of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this blockage. The good news is that once the obstruction is removed, your hearing often returns to normal.
So the bottom line is this: there’s one type of hearing loss you can recover from, and you may need to get examined to see which one you’re dealing with.
Hearing Loss Treatment
So at this time there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (although scientists are working on it). But that doesn’t mean you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. In fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Prevent isolation by remaining socially active.
- Maintain a high quality of life.
- Protect and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Prevent mental decline.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
This treatment can take various forms, and it’ll normally depend on how severe your hearing loss is. One of the most common treatments is rather simple: hearing aids.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Smart Treatment For Hearing Loss?
Hearing aids can help you get back to the people and things you enjoy. They can help you hear the conversation, your phone, your tv, 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 straining to hear.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Loud noises and other things that would damage your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be safeguarded against them. Hearing well is crucial to your overall health and well-being. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be certain that you are safeguarding your hearing.