The human body is a wonderful, beautiful, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are typically no problem for the human body to mend (with a bit of time, your body can repair the giant bones in your legs and arms).
But you won’t be so lucky if the tiny hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It’s really regrettable that your body can accomplish such great feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. What’s happening there?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So, let’s get right down to it. You’re at your doctor’s office attempting to digest 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 tells you that it may or may not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a little anticlimactic.
But he isn’t wrong. Hearing loss comes in two basic forms:
- Hearing loss caused by damage: But hearing loss has another more common type. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. Here’s what happens: In your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. When vibrations are transformed into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which makes them into the sounds you perceive. But loud sounds can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, diminish your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
- Blockage induced hearing loss: You can show every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. A wide range of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Your hearing will return to normal, thankfully, when the blockage is cleared away.
So here’s the main point: you can recover from one form of hearing loss and you probably won’t know which one you have without having a hearing exam.
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. As a matter of fact, getting the right treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Avoid isolation by remaining socially active.
- Help fend off mental decline.
- Make sure your overall quality of life is untouched or stays high.
- Safeguard and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you may already have.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll normally depend on how severe your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most common treatment choices.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Treated With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. They can help you hear the conversation, your phone, your tv, or even just the birds in the park. You will no longer be straining to hear so pressure will be taken off your brain.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you should safeguard your hearing from loud sounds and other things that can harm your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Hearing well is critical to your overall health and well-being. Routine hearing care, such as annual hearing exams, is just another kind of self-care.