Maintaining healthy hearing as we age is easier when we have a better understanding of how our hearing and ears work. It allows us to wear ear protection when necessary and practice safe health habits when it comes to cleaning and doctor visits. Let’s examine five facts you may not have known about your ears and hearing.
Ears Are Always Working
Your ears never take a break. They continue to receive sounds even while you sleep. The brain, however, prioritizes which sounds to ignore and which to respond to during sleep. This trait allows us to wake up to certain sounds and helps to keep us safe. This relentless activity is why hearing protection is important. As ears never rest, overexposure to loud noises can cause hearing damage over time; approximately 15% of American adults 18 or over report some trouble hearing.
Ears Self-Clean
The production of earwax is your body’s natural way of cleaning the ears. Earwax traps dust and dirt and helps protect the ear canal. As you chew and move your jaw, you help move earwax out toward the ear opening and eventually expelling itself from the ear. This makes using alternate items to remove earwax not only unnecessary, but potentially harmful, as using these items can push earwax deeper into the ear. Additionally, the cotton swab itself could damage delicate parts of the inner ear.
Ears Help with Balance
Not only do your ears enable you to hear, but they are also essential for maintaining balance. Inside each ear, there are tiny structures filled with fluid and fine, hair-like sensors. These detect the rotation of your head through the movement of the fluid. Health conditions like ear infections can affect balance due to the disruption of this process via fluid buildup. If you experience signs of an ear infection, you should see a doctor.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss is the Most Common Form of Hearing Loss
Most hearing loss is due to sensorineural damage, which affects the inner ear or the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. This kind of hearing loss is generally caused by exposure to loud noises over time, emphasizing the need for safe listening volumes and hearing protection. Treatments typically involve hearing aids to improve hearing ability.
The Cells That Control Hearing Are Hair Cells in the Inner Ear
The inner ear contains tiny hair cells that play a critical role in how we hear. These cells convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. Once damaged, these cells cannot regenerate, which is why hearing loss from this damage is usually permanent. As mentioned above, protecting your inner ear hair cells from this damage is essential for preserving your hearing.
Your ears are complex systems that do much more than just process sounds. Knowing more about how your ears work can help you appreciate and take better care of them. To learn more about your hearing or to schedule a hearing test, contact Rancho Santa Fe Audiology.
