Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate. The vibrations from the eardrum set the ossicles into motion. The ossicles are actually tiny bones — the smallest in the human body. The three bones are named after their shapes: the malleus hammer , incus anvil and stapes stirrup. The ossicles further amplify the sound. The tiny stapes bone attaches to the oval window that connects the middle ear to the inner ear. Here, the types of hearing loss , and where the problem starts within the process: Conductive hearing loss —this is defined as hearing loss due to sounds not making their way through the outer or middle ear, the CDC explains.
This can happen due to a number of reasons, including a damaged eardrum, excessive earwax getting stuck in the ear canal, and ear infections , according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ASHA. Medical or surgical treatments can sometimes resolve this type of hearing loss.
Age-related hearing loss is sensorineural, as is noise-induced hearing loss. Diseases, head trauma, tumors, and certain drugs can also cause sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent, and ranges in severity. Mixed hearing loss —as the name indicates, this type of hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
It can occur over time, or due to sudden trauma. Auditory disorders —Several types of hearing loss occur within the auditory nerve and brain. People with this kind of hearing loss may not show any problems on standard hearing tests, but still feel like they can't hear. These conditions include auditory processing disorder , hidden hearing loss and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorders.
This may be due to damage to hair cells or neurons, or potentially to the auditory nerve, according to the NIDCD. Genes may play a role, too. How hearing aids can help—and their limits Hearing aids can be transformative for people with hearing loss.
Madeleine Burry Madeleine Burry is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and editor. Nov 8. Nov 4. Nov 2. Nov 1. Find a clinic. Find a trusted clinic near me:. Related Help Pages: Hearing loss Causes Health benefits How we hear: A step-by-step explanation How humans process sound - explainer on hearing Contributed by Madeleine Burry September 14, T The human ear is amazing, capable of transforming sound waves into electrical impulses interpreted by the brain. Information also becomes distorted as it reaches the brain, disrupting the quality of our hearing.
Head trauma, neurologic disease, medical disorder or the process of simply aging, can result in alterations in the ability of the brain to process stimuli effectively. This can lead to symptoms that reflect hearing loss; such symptoms may include inattention, inappropriate responses, and confusion.
Our brain works with our ears in an incredible way, processing neural events into our hearing and all that it involves. When your hearing is working as it should, signals and information are processed through various parts of the ear and go up the auditory nerve to the brain.
The inner ear includes the cochlea say: KOH-klee-uh and the semicircular canals. The snail-shaped cochlea changes the vibrations from the middle ear into nerve signals. These signals travel to the brain along the cochlear nerve, also known as the auditory nerve. The semicircular canals look like three tiny connected tubes. It's their job to help you balance. The canals are filled with fluid and lined with tiny hairs.
When your head moves, the fluid in the canals sloshes around, moving the hairs. The hairs send this position information as signals through the vestibular say: veh-STIB-yuh-ler nerve to your brain. The brain interprets these signals and sends messages to the muscles that help keep you balanced. When you spin around and stop, the reason you feel dizzy is because the fluid in your semicircular canals continues to slosh around for awhile, giving your brain the idea that you're still spinning even when you aren't.
When the fluid stops moving, the dizziness goes away.
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