How Our Hearing Works

Our ears help us hear others and allow us to process information in order to communicate. We can also use our ears to listen to the sounds around us and enjoy music.

The hearing process is complex and utilizes different parts of the ear to help our brain understand and interpret sound. Here’s how our hearing works, as well as some information about the inner workings of the ear.

1. Sound Waves Enter the Ear

Whenever sound happens, it enters the outer ear (which is also called the pinna or aurile). The pinna can amplify and filter out the sound waves and then it sends them to the ear canal, which is a narrow passageway that leads to the eardrum.¹

2. The Eardrum Vibrates

Upon receiving the sound, the eardrum vibrates and sends it to 3 tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – in the middle ear.²

3. Sound Moves Through the Middle Ear

The middle ear is located behind the eardrum. The bones in the middle ear help amplify the sound and send it to the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with fluid and shaped like a snail, and there are tiny hairs that react differently to the sound’s level of frequency. For example, some of the hairs are associated with how someone hears higher frequencies and can influence how they hear higher pitches.¹

4. The Auditory Nerve Sends the Signal to the Brain

The hair cells convert the vibrations of the sound into an electric signal which is then picked up by the auditory nerves. This helps our brain interpret and understand the sound we are hearing.³

Pitch and Intensity of Sound

The pitch we hear is measured in Hertz (Hz). The loudness, or intensity, is measured by decibels (dB).

Usually, most of the sounds we hear in a day are between 250-6,000 Hz. For the intensity, it is 0 decibels when it is quiet, and it is estimated a whisper is 25-30 dB. Sounds that are as high as 2,000-5000 Hz and are over 85 dB can negatively impact our hearing.⁴

Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects the brain’s ability to properly interpret the sounds around us. Hearing loss can happen at any age and can be caused by a variety of different factors.

There are 3 basic categories of hearing loss: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss: This is the most common type of hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused when there is damage to the inner ear or hearing nerve. Usually, this happens when the hair cells in the cochlea are damaged. Some reasons sensorineural hearing loss occurs is aging, damage from loud noise, disease, injuries, a medical condition, or drugs.⁵
Conductive Hearing Loss: Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a problem delivering sound to your cochlea. Some reasons this occurs is due to problems with the 3 bones in the ear, blockage to the ear canal, a hole in the ear drum, or fluid in the space that is between the ear drum and cochlea.⁶
Mixed Hearing Loss: This is when both sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss occur at the same exact time. This can occur over an extended period of time or due to a trauma.¹

How to Protect Your Hearing

It’s important to protect your ears to ensure that they are able to work throughout your lifetime. Once your hearing is damaged, there is no way to recover it back or restore it to the way it once was.

Some ways you can protect your hearing include:⁷

Avoid exposure to loud noises
Wear proper protective equipment when necessary
Keep the volume of the television, cell phone, computers, video games, and other devices at normal levels
Avoid smoking, which can significantly damage hearing
Control blood sugar levels if you are diabetic

Hearing Aids and Sound

Hearing aids can help those who suffer from hearing loss regain their ability to communicate with those they love. While hearing aids can’t restore your hearing completely, they can help those who need them hear the world around them again.

Hearing aids usually have the same basic components:⁸

Microphone. Microphones are what pick up the sound, and some microphones are able to distinguish between background noise and talking.
Amplifier. This turns the sound into an electric signal that can be processed by the hearing aid’s speaker.
Battery. This powers the hearing aids. Some are rechargeable while other types of hearing aids are disposable.

Sound first comes through the microphone of the hearing aids, and is then processed and sent to an amplifier, which will then send them to the speaker. The soundwaves go from the speaker to the inner ear through an ear mold or a thin wire that leads to the inner ear. The electrical impulses are then sent to the brain and processed as sound.⁹

Hearing aids are designed to be worn each day and are created according to your type of hearing loss. It is important to properly care for your hearing aids and ensure that they work properly. You should also clean them each day after use. If you notice that your hearing aids are defective or do not work as well as they used to, contact a hearing professional.

Reach Out If you Think You Have Hearing Loss

If you believe that you might be experiencing hearing loss, we encourage you to reach out to a medical professional and seek out a proper diagnosis. A hearing professional can help you understand why your hearing may have changed over time, and can help you find the right hearing aids if you need them.

Here at Saber Healthcare, our nursing and rehabilitation staff work with residents who have a variety of different health conditions. To learn more about the services we offer, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

Burry, Madeline. “How we hear: A step-by-step explanation.” Healthy Hearing. 14 September 2021. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/53241-How-we-hear-explainer-hearing
“How do we hear?” National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. 3 January 2018. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/how-do-we-hear
“How Hearing Works.” Hearing Health Foundation. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/how-hearing-works#:~:text=Sound%20waves%20enter%20the%20ear,up%20by%20the%20auditory%20nerve
“How Does the Ear Work?” News-Medical.Net. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Does-the-Ear-Work.aspx
“Types of Hearing Loss.” John Hopkins Medicine. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hearing-loss/types-of-hearing-loss#:~:text=The%20three%20basic%20categories%20of,should%20know%20about%20each%20type.
“Conductive Hearing Loss.” American Academy of Otolaryngology, ENTHealth. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.enthealth.org/conditions/conductive-hearing-loss/
“6 Ways to Protect Your Hearing as You Age.” Saber Healthcare Group. 20 July 2021. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/protect-your-hearing-as-you-age
Clason, Debbie. “Understanding the various parts of a hearing aid.” Healthy Hearing. 15 October 2019. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/50313-Understanding-the-various-parts-of-a-hearing-aid
“Separating fact from fiction.” Oticon. Accessed 28 February 2022. Link: https://www.oticon.com/your-hearing/hearing-health/how-do-hearing-aids-work

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