The human body has some amazing and surprising abilities. The human body typically has no difficulty healing cuts, scratches, or broken bones (with a bit of time, your body can repair the huge bones in your legs and arms).
But you won’t be so lucky if the tiny hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It’s truly unfortunate that your body can pull off such amazing feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re waiting in your doctor’s office and you’re digesting the news: you have hearing impairment. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… maybe.
It’s a little anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But it’s also a fact. There are two primary types of hearing loss:
- Damage related hearing loss: But there’s another, more prevalent type of hearing loss. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss is effectively permanent. Here’s what happens: there are little hairs in your ear that vibrate when struck by moving air (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.
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: You can exhibit every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some type of obstruction. A wide range of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Fortunately, once the blockage is removed, your hearing usually goes back to normal.
So the bottom line is this: there’s one type of hearing loss you can recover from, and you might need to get tested to see which one you’re dealing with.
Treating Hearing Loss
So presently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (though scientists are working on it). But that’s not to say you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. Here are a few ways that the correct treatment might help you:
- Maintain a high quality of life.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Cope successfully with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be enduring.
- Help fend off mental decline.
- Remain active socially, keeping isolation away.
This treatment can take various forms, and it’ll usually depend on how significant your hearing loss is. One of the most common treatments is fairly simple: hearing aids.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Smart Treatment For Hearing Loss?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you enjoy. 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 straining to hear so pressure will be taken off 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 damage your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Hearing well is essential to your general health and well-being. Routine hearing care, like annual hearing exams, is just another kind of self-care.