The human body has some fantastic and surprising abilities. Scratches, cuts, and broken bones are normally no problem for the human body to repair (with a little time, your body can repair the huge bones in your arms and legs).
But when it comes to restoring the tiny little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. At least, so far.
It’s really regrettable that your body can pull off such amazing feats of healing but can’t ever re-grow these tiny hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re absorbing the news: you have hearing impairment. 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 he isn’t wrong. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Damage related hearing loss: But there’s another, more prevalent form of hearing loss. Known scientifically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is effectively permanent. This is how it works: there are delicate hairs in your ear that vibrate when hit with moving air (sound waves). Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But loud sounds can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can exhibit all the symptoms of hearing loss. A wide range of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Your hearing will go back to normal, luckily, when the obstruction is removed.
So here’s the main point: there’s one form of hearing loss you can recover from, and you might need to get examined to see which one you have.
Hearing Loss Treatment
So at this time there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (though scientists are working on that). But that doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. Here are some ways that the right treatment may help you:
- Remain active socially, keeping isolation away.
- Maintain and protect the hearing you have left.
- Preserve a high quality of life.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be going through.
- Prevent mental decline.
This treatment can take numerous forms, and it’ll usually depend on how significant your hearing loss is. One of the most common treatments is rather simple: hearing aids.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Treated With Hearing AIds?
You can return to the people and things you enjoy with the help of hearing aids. They can help you hear the discussions, your phone, your television, or even just the birds in the park. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you won’t be struggling to hear.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Loud sounds and other things that would damage your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be safeguarded against them. Your overall health and well being depend on good hearing. Routine hearing care, like annual hearing tests, is just another type of self-care.