The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, confusing, confounding construction, isn’t it? The human body generally has no issue repairing cuts, scratches, or broken bones (with a bit of time, your body can repair the giant bones in your legs and arms).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the fragile hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It’s really unfortunate that your body can accomplish such amazing feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. 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 you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… maybe.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also the truth. There are two primary types of hearing loss:
- Blockage induced hearing loss: When there’s something obstructing your ear canal, you can show all the symptoms of hearing loss. A wide range 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 blockage is removed, your hearing usually returns to normal.
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more common type. This form of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. Here’s what happens: inside of your ear, there are little hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But loud sounds can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
So here’s the main point: there’s one type of hearing loss you can recover from, and you might need to get tested to see which one you have.
Treating Hearing Loss
So currently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (though scientists are working on it). But that’s not to say you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. Here are some ways that the proper treatment might help you:
- Ensure your general quality of life is unaffected or remains high.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you may be enduring.
- Avoid isolation by remaining socially active.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Prevent mental decline.
Of the many types of treatment available, which one is right for you depends on the extent of your hearing loss. One of the most common treatments is fairly simple: hearing aids.
Why is Hearing Loss Effectively Managed With Hearing AIds?
You can get back to the people and things you love with the help of hearing aids. With the help of hearing aids, you can start to hear conversations, your tv, your phone, and sounds of nature once again. Hearing aids can also take some of the pressure off of your brain because you won’t be straining to hear.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you need to safeguard your hearing from loud noises and other things that can damage your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Your overall health and well being depend on strong hearing. Routine hearing care, such as annual hearing tests, is just another type of self-care.