The Healing Capability of Your Body
The human body usually can heal scratches, cuts, and broken bones, even though some injuries take longer than others. But you’re out of luck when it comes to repairing the tiny little hairs in your ears. At least, so far. Although scientists are working on it, humans don’t repair the cilia in their ears in the same way animals can. That means, if you ruin these hairs or the hearing nerve, you may have permanent loss of hearing.
At What Point Does Hearing Loss Become Permanent?
When you learn you have hearing loss, the first thing that most people ask is will it come back? Whether it will or not depends on many factors. Fundamentally, there are two types of hearing loss:
- Loss of hearing caused by damage: But there’s another, more widespread type of hearing loss that makes up nearly 90 percent of hearing loss. Known clinically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is usually irreversible. Here’s what occurs: When hit by moving air (sound waves), tiny little hairs in your ears vibrate. These vibrations are then changed, by your brain, into signals that you hear as sound. But loud sounds can damage the hairs and, over time, permanently diminish your hearing. Injury to the inner ear or nerve can also cause sensorineural hearing loss. In some cases, specifically in cases of severe hearing loss, a cochlear implant may help restore hearing.
- Loss of hearing caused by a blockage: You can show all the signs of hearing loss when there is something obstructing your ear canal. This obstruction can be caused by a wide range of things, from debris to earwax to tumors. The good news is that after the obstruction is cleared your hearing often returns to normal.
A hearing test can help you figure out whether hearing aids will help improve your hearing.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Sensorineural hearing loss currently has no cure. But it might be possible to get treatment for your hearing loss. In fact, getting the correct treatment for your hearing loss can help you:
- Ensure your all-around quality of life remains high or is unaffected.
- Stay involved socially, keeping isolation away.
- Preserve and protect the hearing you have left.
- Successfully deal with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you may be suffering from.
- Prevent cognitive decline.
This approach can take many forms, and it’ll usually depend on how severe your loss of hearing is. One of the most common treatments is pretty simple: hearing aids.
How is Hearing Loss Treated by Hearing Aids
People who have loss of hearing can use hearing aids to detect sounds and perform as effectively as they can. When your hearing is hampered, the brain struggles to hear, which can exhaust you. As scientist gain more knowledge, they have identified an increased risk of mental decline with a continued lack of cognitive input. By letting your ears to hear again, hearing aids assist the restoration of cognitive function. As a matter of fact, using hearing aids has been shown to slow cognitive decline by as much as 75%. Background sound can also be tuned out by contemporary hearing aids allowing you to focus on what you want to hear.
Prevention is The Best Defense
Hopefully, if you take one thing away from this information, it this: you can’t count on recovering from loss of hearing, so instead you should focus on safeguarding the hearing you have. Certainly, you can have any obstruction in your ear cleared. But lots of loud noises are dangerous even though you may not think they are very loud. That’s why it’s a good idea to take the time to safeguard your ears. If you are inevitably diagnosed with hearing loss, you will have more treatment possibilities if you take measures now to safeguard your hearing. Treatment can help you live a great, full life even if recovery isn’t an option. Contact a hearing care expert to decide what your best option is.
