The human body is a wonderful, beautiful, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are normally no problem for the human body to heal (with a little time, your body can restore the giant bones in your legs and arms).
But you won’t be so lucky if the tiny hairs in your ears are damaged. For now at least.
It doesn’t seem exactly fair when you can recover from considerable bone injuries but you can’t heal tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Irreversible?
So, let’s get right to it. You’re at your doctor’s office trying to process the news he’s giving you: you have hearing impairment. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… it depends.
It’s a little anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But he isn’t wrong. Hearing loss comes in two general forms:
- Hearing loss due to damage: But hearing loss has another more prevalent form. This kind of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. This is how it works: there are fragile hairs in your ear that vibrate when struck by moving air (sound waves). Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But over time, loud noises can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is required.
- Hearing loss caused by a blockage: You can exhibit every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some type of obstruction. A wide variety of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Your hearing will return to normal, luckily, when the blockage is cleared away.
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 (although scientists are working on that). But your hearing loss still may be manageable. In fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss might help you:
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Remain active socially, keeping isolation away.
- Ensure your total quality of life is untouched or remains high.
- Help ward off mental decline.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you may be going through.
Of the many types of treatment available, which one is the right choice for you depends on the severity of your hearing loss. One of the most prevalent treatments is rather simple: hearing aids.
Why is Hearing Loss Effectively Managed With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. They can help you hear the conversation, your phone, your tv, or even just the birds in the park. Hearing aids can also take some of the pressure off of your brain because you won’t be straining to hear.
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 crucial to your overall health and well-being. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are protecting your hearing.