How Do We Hear?
Your ear consists of three major areas: outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations at the eardrum. The eardrum and three small bones of the middle ear (the smallest bones in the human body, the Malleus, Incus & Stapes), amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. There, the vibrations pass through fluid in a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear (cochlea).
Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to your brain through the Auditory Nerve. Your brain turns these signals into sound.
What Is Hearing Loss And How Does Beltone Georgia Help?
Hearing loss is defined as one of three types:
- Conductive (involves outer or middle ear)
- Sensorineural (involves inner ear)
- Mixed (combination of the two)
Most commonly we help patients with sensorineural hearing loss. It is the most common type of hearing loss. We hear sounds with tiny nerves called hair cells located in our inner ears. Our outer hair cells help us hear soft sounds, and our inner hair cells help us hear high and low-pitched sounds.
Aging and exposure to loud noise may cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that send sound signals to the brain. When these hairs or nerve cells are damaged or missing, electrical signals aren’t transmitted as efficiently, and hearing loss occurs.
- With sensorineural loss:
- There are problems with the cochlea and the auditory nerve
- Sounds not only diminish in volume, but become distorted
- The ability to hear high-pitched sounds is usually affected first.
- The ability to hear low-pitched sounds, such as vowel sounds, may be normal or relatively well-preserved
Factors that may damage or lead to loss of the hairs and nerve cells in your inner ear include:
- Aging.
- Loud noise.
- Heredity.
- Occupational noises.
- Recreational noises.
- Some medications.
- Some illnesses. Hearing loss cannot be reversed.
Contact your local Beltone hearing specialist and start with a free hearing test. We have locally owned and operated Beltone Offices in Savannah, Pooler, Richmond Hill, Statesboro and Vidalia. Call today to schedule an appointment (912) 352-1000.
