Our Los Gatos, CA, hearing doctor emphasizes the importance of protecting your hearing from loud sound, so you can avoid the difficulties that accompany noise-induced hearing damage. By opting for earplugs during a loud concert or in a noisy work environment, or by keeping the volume low when you wear headphones, you help to ensure a lifetime of better hearing. Why does noise cause such damage to our ears, however?
How Does Sound Travel in Your Ears?
When sound enters your ear, it must journey a little further before your brain receives the signal:
- First, the sound travels through your ear canal until it reaches your eardrum.
- The eardrum vibrates from the sound, and these vibrations carry further into the three tiny bones in your middle ear.
- From there, the bones in your ear transfer the sound vibrations to the fluid in your inner ear (in the cochlea ).
- These vibrations are then picked up by special cells deep in your ear that are called “hair cells.” These cells transfer the vibrations into an electrical signal, which is then sent to your brain.
When sound vibrations are too forceful, these hair cells can get worn out or damaged, and eventually they die. In this way, you can progressively lose your hearing as more and more hair cells get damaged or die over time.
Can You Restore Your Hearing?
Once a hair cell becomes damaged, it is not able to regenerate, and your body won’t grow new ones. Therefore, you cannot restore your natural hearing once it is damaged. Happily, significant advancements have been made in audiology (the science of hearing), and you may be able to restore your hearing to a certain degree.
Today’s hearing aids are a far cry from the ones of the past. Many are so small and can sit so deeply in your ear that no one will notice them. In addition, today’s advanced wireless technology can even link your hearing aid to devices such as your cell phone or television!
Call Our Los Gatos, CA, Hearing Doctor for Your Free Hearing Aid Consultation
Do you believe you or a loved one is suffering from noise-induced hearing loss? If so, schedule your free, no-obligation real-world hearing aid consultation today. We look forward to helping you once again enjoy the sounds of the world around you!
The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about this and other topics related to audiology, feel free to contact Los Gatos Audiology, with a convenient hearing center located in Los Gatos, CA, by clicking here or by calling 408.354.1312.