The human body has some amazing and remarkable abilities. The human body typically has no difficulty healing cuts, scratches, or broken bones (with a little time, your body can restore the giant bones in your arms and legs).
But when it comes to restoring the delicate little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. At least, so far.
It doesn’t seem really fair when you can recover from considerable bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So, let’s get right to it. You’re waiting in your doctor’s office and you’re taking in the news: you’re losing your hearing. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And he informs you that it may or may not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also a fact. There are two general forms of hearing loss:
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: You can show every indicator of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. This obstruction can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). The good news is that once the obstruction is cleared, your hearing usually returns to normal.
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more prevalent form. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss is effectively irreversible. This is how it works: In your ear, there are little hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. Your brain is good at turning these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But over time, loud sounds can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is needed.
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
So currently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (although scientists are working on that). But that’s not to say you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. Here are some ways that the correct treatment might help you:
- Preserve a high quality of life.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
- Stay engaged socially, keeping isolation away.
- Maintain and protect the hearing you still have.
- Help fend off cognitive decline.
This treatment can take numerous forms, and it’ll normally depend on how severe your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the simplest and most prevalent treatment choices.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Good Treatment For Hearing Impairment?
You can get back to the things and people you enjoy with the help of hearing aids. They can help you hear the discussions, your phone, your television, or even just the birds in the park. 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 harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be protected against them. Your general health and well being depend on good hearing. Routine hearing care, such as annual hearing tests, is just another form of self-care.