The human body has some fantastic and remarkable abilities. Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are normally no problem for the human body to heal (I mean, sure, it takes a while, but your body can literally heal 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 fragile hairs in your ears are compromised. For now anyway.
It doesn’t seem quite fair when you can heal from major bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Impairment Irreversible?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office attempting to process the news he’s giving you: you have hearing loss. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever return. And he informs you that it may or may not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also a fact. Hearing loss comes in two primary forms:
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more common type. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is effectively irreversible. This is how it works: inside of your ear, there are little hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But loud noises can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, diminish your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
- Blockage induced hearing loss: You can show every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some sort 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 obstruction is cleared, your hearing often goes back to normal.
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’re coping with 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 get treatment for your hearing loss. In fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss might help you:
- Help fend off mental decline.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
- Ensure your overall quality of life is untouched or remains high.
- Prevent isolation by staying socially involved.
- Protect and maintain your remaining hearing.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll usually depend on how severe your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most prevalent treatment options.
Why is Hearing Loss Effectively Managed With Hearing AIds?
You can get back to the things and people you love with the help of hearing aids. With the help of hearing aids, you can begin to hear conversations, your television, your phone, and sounds of nature once more. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you will no longer be struggling to hear.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Loud noises and other things that would harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be safeguarded against them. Hearing well is critical to your overall health and well-being. Regular hearing care, like annual hearing tests, is just another kind of self-care.