The human body has some amazing and surprising abilities. The human body typically has no issue mending cuts, scrapes, or broken bones (with a little time, your body can repair the giant bones in your arms and legs).
But when it comes to repairing the delicate little hairs in your ear, it’s not going to happen. At least, so far.
It doesn’t seem quite fair when you can recover from significant bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Irreversible?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office trying to process the news he’s giving you: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever return. And he informs you that it may or may not.
It’s a little anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But it’s also the truth. There are two basic kinds of hearing loss:
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: You can show every indicator 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 blockage. Your hearing will go back to normal, luckily, when the obstruction is removed.
- Damage induced hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more common form. This kind of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is irreversible. Here’s what happens: In your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. When vibrations are converted into signals, they are sent to the brain which makes 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.
So the bottom line is this: you can recover from one form of hearing loss and you most likely won’t know which one you have without having a hearing test.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Scientists haven’t discovered a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. In fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss might help you:
- Make sure your total quality of life is untouched or remains high.
- Preserve and safeguard the hearing you still have.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you may already have.
- Remain active socially, keeping isolation away.
- Help stave off mental decline.
This treatment can take various forms, and it’ll usually 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 love. With the help of hearing aids, you can start to hear conversations, your tv, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. You won’t be struggling to hear so pressure will be taken off your brain.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Loud sounds and other things that would damage your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be protected against them. Your general health and well being depend on good hearing. Having regular hearing exams is the best way to be certain that you are protecting your hearing.