Can I Recover From Hearing Loss?

The human body is a wonderful, beautiful, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? The human body generally has no problem repairing cuts, scratches, or broken bones (I mean, sure, it takes some time, but your body can actually repair the huge bones in your legs and arms with little more than a splint and some time).

But when it comes to repairing the delicate little hairs in your ear, you’re out of luck. At least, so far.

It’s really unfortunate that your body can accomplish such amazing feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. What’s happening there?

When is Hearing Impairment Irreversible?

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 have hearing loss. So the first question you have is whether the hearing will ever return. And he tells you that it may or may not.

Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.

But he’s not wrong. There are two primary forms of hearing loss:

• Damage related hearing loss: But there’s another, more common type of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is irreversible. Here’s what happens: In your ear, there are little hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. When vibrations are converted into signals, they are sent to the brain which renders them into the sounds you perceive. But loud sounds can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
• Hearing loss caused by a blockage: You can show every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. A wide variety of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Fortunately, once the blockage is removed, your hearing usually returns to normal.

So here’s the main point: you can recover from one type of hearing loss and you probably won’t know which one you’re coping with without getting a hearing exam.

Treating Hearing Loss

So currently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (although scientists are working on it). But that doesn’t mean you can’t get treatment for your hearing loss. Here are a few ways that the proper treatment may help you:

• Remain active socially, keeping isolation away.
• Counter cognitive decline.
• Preserve and safeguard the hearing you still have.
• Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be going through.
• Make sure your general quality of life is untouched or stays high.

Of the many forms of treatment available, which one is correct for you depends on the severity of your hearing loss. One of the most common treatments is rather simple: hearing aids.

Why is Hearing Loss Effectively Treated With Hearing AIds?

You can return to the people and things you enjoy with the assistance of hearing aids. With the help of hearing aids, you can start to hear conversations, your tv, your phone, and sounds of nature once again. You will no longer be straining to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.

The Best Protection is Prevention

Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you need to protect your hearing from loud noises and other things that can harm your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Your general health and well being depend on strong hearing. Regular hearing care, such as annual hearing exams, is just another form of self-care.