The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, confusing, confounding construction, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are generally no problem for the human body to mend (with a bit of time, your body can heal the huge bones in your arms and legs).
But you won’t be so fortunate if the delicate hairs in your ears are compromised. At least, so far.
It doesn’t seem quite fair when you can heal from considerable bone injuries but you have problems repairing tiny hairs in your ear. What’s happening there?
When is Hearing Impairment Permanent?
So let’s have a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office trying to process the news he’s giving you: you have hearing loss. So the first question you have is whether the hearing will ever return. And the answer is… it depends.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But he’s not wrong. There are two primary kinds of hearing loss:
- Hearing impairment caused by an obstruction: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can present all the indications 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 return to normal, luckily, when the obstruction is cleared away.
- Hearing loss caused by damage: But there’s another, more prevalent type of hearing loss. Known medically as sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss is effectively permanent. This is how it works: there are delicate 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 renders them into the sounds you perceive. But loud noises can cause damage to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
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 exam.
Treating Hearing Loss
Scientists haven’t found a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But that’s not to say you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. Here are a few ways that the right treatment may help you:
- Maintain a high quality of life.
- Help stave off mental decline.
- Preserve and protect the hearing you have left.
- Stay engaged socially, keeping isolation at bay.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you may be enduring.
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?
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 sounds of nature. You will no longer be straining to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Loud sounds and other things that would harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be protected against them. Your overall health and well being depend on strong hearing. Having regular hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are safeguarding your hearing.