How Your Body Recovers From Injury and Sickness
The human body can usually repair scrapes, cuts, and fractured bones, though some injuries take longer than others.
But you’re out of luck when it concerns restoring the tiny little hairs in your ears.
Up to this time, at least.
Animals can heal damage to the hair cells in their ears and get their hearing back, but humans don’t have that ability (although scientists are working on it).
That means you may have a permanent loss of hearing if you damage the hearing nerve or those tiny hairs.
When is Hearing Loss Irreversible?
The first thing you consider when you discover you have hearing loss is whether it can return.
It is uncertain if it will happen, as it is dependent on various elements.
Two principal kinds of hearing loss:
- Obstruction-based loss of hearing: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can experience all the symptoms of hearing loss.
Earwax, debris, and abnormal growths can possibly obstruct the ear canal.
The good news is, your hearing typically recovers when the blockage is eliminated. - Damage-related hearing loss: A more common type of hearing impairment, responsible for roughly 90 percent of all instances, is triggered by damage instead of other factors.
This distinct form of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss in medical terms, is usually permanent.
The hearing process is triggered by the impact of moving air on tiny hairs in the ear which send sound waves to the brain.
Your brain converts these vibrations into auditory signals that are heard by you as sound.
Prolonged exposure to loud noises can, however, lead to permanent damage to your hearing.
Sensorineural hearing loss can also be triggered by harm to the inner ear or nerve.
In certain instances of extreme hearing loss, a cochlear implant may be able to enhance hearing function.
A hearing exam will help you determine whether hearing aids will help strengthen your hearing.
Solutions for Enhancing Your Hearing
There is currently no cure for sensorineural hearing loss.
Treatment for your hearing loss might, however, be a possibility.
The following are a number of ways that getting the right treatment can help you:
- Preserve a good total standard of living and well-being.
- Successfully manage any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be suffering from.
- Protect your remaining hearing to prevent added damage.
- Preserve relations and community participation to prevent feelings of isolation and disconnection.
- Prevent cognitive degeneration.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll usually depend on how extreme your hearing loss is.
A frequently recommended and fairly straightforward strategy is the use of hearing aids.
How is Hearing Loss Treated by Hearing Aids
Individuals who have hearing loss can use hearing aids to help them perceive sounds, allowing them to work as effectively as possible.
Fatigue happens when the brain has to work overtime to process sound.
As scientists acquire more knowledge, they have recognized a greater danger of cognitive decline with a persistent lack of cognitive stimulation.
Hearing aids help you restore your cognitive function by allowing your ears to hear again.
Research has revealed that wearing hearing aids can significantly slow cognitive decline, with some research suggesting a decrease of up to 75%.
Modern hearing aids will also allow you to focus on what you want to hear while tuning out background sounds.
The Best Defense is Prevention
If you take away one thing from this article, hopefully, it’s this: you should protect the hearing you have because you can’t count on recovering from hearing loss. If an object becomes wedged in your ear canal, it can usually be safely removed.
But that doesn’t reduce the danger posed by loud sounds that you might not believe to be loud enough to be all that hazardous.
So taking measures to safeguard your hearing is a good plan.
The better you safeguard your hearing today, the more treatment potential you’ll have when and if you are inevitably diagnosed with hearing loss.
Receiving treatment can enable you to lead a fulfilling life, even if total recovery is not achievable.
Consult with our professional audiologist to determine the most practical solution for your unique hearing needs.