The Recovery Capacity of Your Body
The physical body can normally heal scrapes, cuts, and broken bones, though some injuries take longer than others.
Unfortunately, there is no fix for the delicate hair cells in your ears once they are damaged.
At least so far.
Animals have the capacity to renew damaged cilia in their ears, restoring their hearing, a trait that researchers are presently trying to replicate in humans.
That means you could have a permanent loss of hearing if you damage the hearing nerve or those little hairs.
At What Point Does Hearing Loss Become Irreversible?
Upon discovering hearing loss, the first worry that commonly emerges is whether the hearing will be recovered.
Whether it will or not is dependent on a variety of things.
Two primary kinds of hearing loss:
- Obstruction-based loss of hearing: When there’s something blocking your ear canal, you can experience all of the symptoms of hearing loss.
Debris, earwax, and growths are a few of the things that can cause an obstruction.
The good news is, your hearing generally bounces back once the blockage is removed. - Damage-related hearing loss: A more prevalent type of hearing loss, responsible for approximately 90 percent of all instances, is triggered by damage rather than other factors.
Clinically known as sensorineural hearing loss, this kind of hearing loss is usually permanent.
Here’s the way it works: tiny hairs in your ear move when hit with moving air (sound waves).
These vibrations are then changed, by your brain, into signals that you perceive as sound.
But your hearing can, over time, be permanently harmed by loud noises.
Damage to the inner ear or nerve can also cause sensorineural hearing loss.
A cochlear implant can help reestablish hearing in some cases of hearing loss, particularly in severe cases.
A hearing assessment can help in identifying if hearing aids would improve your ability to hear.
Treatment of Hearing Loss
There is currently no cure for sensorineural hearing loss.
Treatment for your hearing loss may, however, be a possibility.
Benefits of correct treatment for your well-being:
- Ensure your overall quality of life is unaltered or remains high.
- Effectively deal with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be experiencing.
- Protect your remaining hearing to stop further damage.
- Keep solitude away by staying socially active.
- Prevent mental degeneration.
This treatment can take many forms, and it’ll typically depend on how extreme your hearing loss is.
One of the most prevalent treatment solutions is quite simple: hearing aids.
How is Hearing Loss Treated by Hearing Aids
Individuals who cope with hearing loss can use hearing aids to help them perceive sounds, allowing them to work as effectively as possible.
Tiredness occurs when the brain has to work harder to process sound.
Researchers have come to realize that prolonged mental inactivity poses a significant risk to cognitive health, as new findings shed light on the importance of continuous mental stimulation.
Hearing aids help you recover your cognitive function by allowing your ears to hear once more.
Research has revealed that wearing hearing aids can considerably slow cognitive impairment, with some studies suggesting a decrease of up to 75%.
Modern hearing devices allow you to focus in on particular sounds you want to hear while reducing background noise.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Preserving your hearing is essential as once it’s gone, it’s often permanent. If an object becomes lodged in your ear canal, it can usually be safely removed.
However, this doesn’t reduce the risk posed by loud noises, which can be harmful even if they don’t seem overly loud to you.
So taking steps to safeguard your hearing is a wise decision.
If you are ever diagnosed with hearing loss later in life, you will have more treatment options if you take steps to protect your hearing today.
Treatment can help you live a wonderful, full life even if recovery isn’t possible.
To identify what your best choice is, make an appointment with our hearing care experts.