The human body is an awesome, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scratches, cuts, and broken bones are generally no problem for the human body to mend (with a little time, your body can repair the giant bones in your arms and legs).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the delicate hairs in your ears are damaged. For now at least.
It doesn’t seem exactly fair when you can heal from significant bone injuries but you can’t heal tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re digesting the news: you’re losing your hearing. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever return. And he tells you that it might or it might not.
It’s a bit anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But it’s also the truth. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Blockage induced hearing loss: You can show every indicator of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. A wide variety of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this blockage. Your hearing will return to normal, thankfully, when the blockage is removed.
- Hearing loss due to damage: But there’s another, more prevalent form of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. Here’s what happens: there are little hairs in your ear that vibrate when hit with moving air (sound waves). Your brain is good at turning 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 needed.
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’re dealing with.
Treating Hearing Loss
So currently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (although scientists are working on that). But your hearing loss still might be manageable. As a matter of fact, getting the right treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you may already have.
- Preserve a high quality of life.
- Maintain and protect the hearing you still have.
- Counter mental decline.
- Prevent isolation by remaining socially involved.
This treatment can take various forms, and it’ll usually depend on how severe your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most common treatment options.
Why Are Hearing Aids a Good Treatment For Hearing Impairment?
You can get back to the people and things you love with the assistance of hearing aids. 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 struggling to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.
Prevention is The Best Protection
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 kind of self-care.