The Recovery Capacity of Your Body
The human body can generally repair scratches, cuts, and fractured bones, although some injuries take longer than others.
Regrettably, there is no fix for the delicate hair cells in your ears once they are damaged.
Up to this time, at least.
Animals can repair damage to the cilia in their ears and get their hearing back, but human beings don’t have that ability (although scientists are working on it).
That means you could have a permanent loss of hearing if you damage the hearing nerve or those tiny hairs.
At What Point Does Hearing Loss Become Permanent?
The first thing you think of when you learn you have hearing loss is whether it can return.
It is uncertain if it will happen, as it depends on numerous factors.
Two principal types of hearing loss:
- Blockage-related hearing impairment: If your ear canal is partially or totally blocked, it can mirror the symptoms of hearing loss.
Earwax, debris, and abnormal growths can possibly obstruct the ear canal.
Your hearing normally goes back to normal after the obstruction is cleared, and that’s the good news. - Damage-related hearing loss: A more common form of hearing loss, responsible for roughly 90 percent of all cases, is triggered by damage rather than other variables.
This particular kind of hearing loss, referred to as sensorineural hearing loss in scientific terms, is typically irreversible.
The hearing process is activated by the impact of moving air on tiny hairs in the ear which transmit sound waves to the brain.
These vibrations are then changed, by your brain, into signals that you hear as sound.
But your hearing can, over time, be permanently harmed by loud noises.
Injury to the inner ear or nerve can also cause sensorineural hearing loss.
A cochlear implant can help restore hearing in some cases of hearing loss, particularly in severe cases.
A hearing test can help in determining if hearing aids would improve your ability to hear.
Treatment of Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss presently has no cure.
Treatment for your hearing loss may, however, be an option.
The following are some ways that getting the right treatment can help you:
- Maintain a good overall standard of living and well-being.
- Successfully address any symptoms of hearing loss that you may be experiencing.
- Protect your remaining hearing to stop added damage.
- Keep isolation away by continuing to be socially active.
- Stop cognitive decline.
The type of treatment you obtain for your hearing loss will vary depending on the severity of the issue.
One of the most common treatment solutions is fairly simple: hearing aids.
What Part do Hearing Aids Play in Dealing With Hearing Impairment?
People who cope with hearing loss can use hearing aids to help them perceive sounds, allowing them to work as efficiently as possible.
Tiredness is the result when the brain struggles to hear.
As scientists acquire more knowledge, they have recognized a greater threat of mental decline with a consistent lack of cognitive input.
Your cognitive function can start to be restored by using hearing aids because they let your ears hear again.
Studies have shown that wearing hearing aids can considerably delay cognitive impairment, with some studies suggesting a reduction of up to 75%.
Modern hearing devices allow you to focus in on specific sounds you wish to hear while decreasing background noise.
Prevention is The Best Protection
If you take away one thing from this article, hopefully, it’s this: you need to safeguard the hearing you have because you can’t depend on recuperating from hearing loss. If an object becomes lodged in your ear canal, it can likely be safely removed.
However, this doesn’t lessen the risk posed by high-volume noises, which can be harmful even if they don’t seem excessively loud to you.
That’s why making the effort to safeguard your ears is a good idea.
The better you safeguard your hearing now, the more treatment potential you’ll have when and if you are eventually diagnosed with hearing loss.
Treatment can help you live a wonderful, full life even if a cure isn’t possible.
To determine what your best choice is, schedule an appointment with our hearing care experts.