The human body has some fantastic and remarkable abilities. The human body typically has no difficulty repairing cuts, scrapes, or broken bones (I mean, sure, it takes a while, but your body can literally mend the huge bones in your legs and arms with little more than a splint and some time).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the delicate hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It’s truly regrettable 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 Impairment Permanent?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re absorbing the news: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you have is whether the hearing will ever come back. And he tells you that it might or it might not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a little anticlimactic.
But he’s not wrong. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Hearing loss caused by damage: But there’s another, more prevalent type of hearing loss. Known scientifically as sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss is effectively permanent. This is how it works: there are tiny hairs in your ear that vibrate when struck by moving air (sound waves). When vibrations are transformed into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But over time, loud sounds can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is necessary.
- Hearing impairment caused by a blockage: You can exhibit every indicator of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. This blockage can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright scary (tumors). Fortunately, once the blockage is cleared, your hearing often goes back to normal.
So here’s the main point: you can recover from one type of hearing loss and you most likely won’t know which one you’re coping with without getting a hearing test.
Treating Hearing Loss
So presently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (although scientists are working on it). But that’s not to say you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. In fact, getting the proper treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Help ward off cognitive decline.
- Maintain and safeguard the hearing you still have.
- Stay active socially, keeping isolation at bay.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be experiencing.
- Ensure your total quality of life is unaffected or stays high.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll usually depend on how significant your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most prevalent treatment choices.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Managed With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. They can help you hear the discussions, your phone, your tv, or even just the sounds of nature. You won’t be straining 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. Hearing well is critical to your overall health and well-being. Having routine hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are protecting your hearing.