Introduction
Hearing is one of the five senses that every individual uses daily. Among the most significant senses, it enables people to connect to the outside world. Hearing helps people communicate uniquely in ways other senses cannot. The ear comprises a lot of parts and subcategories. However, hearing loss has become so common in the world today, but it can be avoided with the appropriate hearing guards. The sound waves travel from the source to the eardrum and to the part of the ear that seems like a snail shell. This part transforms the sounds into waves and then into electrical impulses. A lot of things can happen that can cause the person to have hearing issues which are widely known as presbycusis. This affects the process of hearing and a person’s career and relationship. Hearing loss is the most common form of human sensory deficit that many people face either as a result of aging, loud noises, hereditary, some medications, or blocking from the ear wax.
How Normal Hearing Occurs
Sound waves are pressure-like waves that move through the water or air at various speeds depending on the source of the sound. Once an object creates the sound, the waves bounce against the surroundings until it meets the outer ear and then on to the inner ear. As the sound waves are created, they first come in contact with the auricle, the outer ear that looks like a bowl. In minute 3:13, the ear drum is hit, enabling the tympanic membrane to vibrate (New Anatomy and Physiology video, 2015). Next, the sound wave moves to the middle position of the ear, where the eustachian tube is found, also known as the auditory tube. This tube connects to the nasopharynx, which allows the pressure to equalize in a person’s head to the body pressure outside. The other part of the middle ear comprises the auditory ossicles known as incus, malleus, and stapes, which are small bones that act as amplifiers to the sound waves to facilitate better hearing of the little sounds.
Finally, the middle is composed of tympanic muscles that hold the bones together to ensure that the middle ear does not hit the innermost position when the soundwaves are created. Then the soundwaves move to the inner ear, where a bony labyrinth is found. In minute 13:27, The bony labyrinth consists of the vestibule, cochlea, and semicircular canals that aid in transmitting sounds into the neuron signals sent to the brain (New Anatomy and Physiology video, 2015). Once the sound waves enter the inner ear, they travel into the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ. The cochlea is filled with a liquid form that moves in response to the vibrations created by the oval window.
As the fluid moves, thousands of hair-like cells are bent, and more than 24,000 nerve endings are set in motion. This helps transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that then move along the eight cranial nerves to the brain. High-pitched sounds are sensed by the cells containing shorter hair bundles found closest to where the soundwaves travel to the ear. In contrast, lower-pitched sounds are detected by cells containing taller hair placed further into the ear. The brain then translates these impulses into what everyone hears as sound, which also makes the process of hearing possible. The innermost of the ear also contains the vestibular organ which is responsible for balancing the high and low pitch.
Causes of Presbycusis
When people age, deterioration of the hearing process may begin. This is known as presbycusis, which is the steady loss of hearing in both ears. (Cheslock & De Jesus, 2021). However, hearing loss can result from any condition, such as aging, some medications, loud noises, heredity, or other chronic illnesses. However, one of the most basic causes of hearing loss is long-term exposure to a lot of noise. As a result, a person will be unable to hear high-pitched sounds. The process of human hearing is caused by the soundwaves that are turned into electrical signals. This hearing process highly depends on the delicate hair cells that vibrate in the innermost ear. Loud noises and other factors can harm these cells, resulting in an irreversible hearing impairment since once the cells are damaged, they can never grow back.
One of the most common sources of presbycusis that involves a problem with the outer or middle ear is associated with age-related hearing loss. Such issues may affect a reduced function of the tympanic membrane, or the three tiny bones in the middle ear may stop functioning, which are responsible for carrying the sound waves to the inner part of the ear. Moreover, aging causes wear and tear of the nerve cells or hairs found in the cochlea. This part is responsible for sending sound signals to the brain, where the brain translates the signals into what people hear. Once these hair cells are damaged, electrical signals are not transmitted appropriately, resulting in hearing loss. Loud noises are the most common source of presbycusis which involves a problem with the inner ear. Over time, thunderous noises can damage the membranes and cells in the cochlea. Once the cochlea is harmed, transmitting signals to the brain is altered, resulting in hearing loss.
Having Presbycusis
Presbycusis makes it hard for people to hear higher pitches that are within words and also makes someone’s speech slurred or mumbled. For instance, this can apply when the coach tries to converse with the team in a baseball game. Since the background is very noisy, it makes it very hard to understand someone who is talking as the background noise is playing. Hearing loss affects not only the daily activities of an individual but also the hobbies that people enjoy while listening (Kang et al., 2021). For instance, it can limit a person’s ability to listen to their favorite shows on television. In the work sector, it can be impossible for a person to chase their career as most companies are based on meeting and connecting with other companies.
Suppose the managers of an organization start to have hearing problems. In that case, they might miss essential details in their meetings which can result in a negative relationship with other people in the company. As a result, it can cause a reduction in pay as well as the ultimate loss of their jobs. Not only can presbycusis cause difficulties in relationships and work but also can affect an individual’s mental health. Moreover, if this condition is left untreated, it can cause long life-altering conditions such as anxiety and depression, worsening hearing loss.
Conclusions
Hearing can be a very unconscious reflex that a lot of people do not realize in their daily lives. However, if that reflex is minimized or prevented in any way, it can cause a lot of things. As the human body ages, it degenerates over time, which might result in hearing loss. This comes from the degeneration of the cochlea and the prevention of electrical transmissions getting to a person’s brain. This is not the only problem, as there are people with a lot of earwax which can affect hearing loss as the earwax blocks the sound waves from reaching the tympanic drum.
References
Cheslock, M., & De Jesus, O. (2021). Presbycusis. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Kang, H. J., Kang, D. W., Kim, S. S., Oh, T. I., Kim, S. H., & Yeo, S. G. (2021). Analysis of chronic tinnitus in noise-induced hearing loss and presbycusis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(8), 1779. Web.
New Anatomy and Physiology video. (2015). Anatomy and physiology of hearing. (Video). YouTube. Web.