The Journey of Sound ends in the brain an instant after it begins. You may not live near an ocean, but waves are crashing into you every day. They’re sound waves, and when they hit your ears an amazing chain reaction happens. Your outer ears act like satellite dishes, catching sounds and funneling them into the ear canal. The sound waves are amplified by the canal’s funnel-like shape. They hit the eardrum and cause vibrations, which in turn move the ossicles, the three tiniest bones in your body. You may know them by their more common names: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. The ossicles convey the vibrations through the middle ear to the “oval window,” the membrane between the middle and inner ear.
These impulses evoke different physical and emotional reactions, triggering movement, speech and stir the memory. The spiral-shaped inner ear is called the cochlea. It’s lined with thousands of microscopic hair cells that convert sound energy into electrical signals. These signals travel on nerve pathways to the brain where they are finally interpreted. These electrical signals are not sounds but symbols of sounds, and are much like the impulses that activate a computer. These impulses evoke different physical and emotional reactions, triggering movement, speech and stir the memory.
It’s important to know that if these hair cells are damaged by loud or prolonged noise, they can’t be repaired. Make sure to protect yourself from excessive sound so you can hear well for years to come. Even people with severe Hearing Loss have no real basis to know what they are missing. If you suspect that you have hearing loss, schedule a hearing test and demonstration of state-of- the- art hearing aids and hear what you have been missing! Contact a Hearing Healthcare Professional as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive hearing test.
Untreated Hearing Loss leads to poor cognitive function
For people over the age of 55, hearing tests should be part of your necessary routine in caring for your overall health. Untreated Hearing Loss leads to poor cognitive function and depression.
Hearing is the keystone of all communication.