aging and hearing loss

Hearing is one of the traditional five senses, ability to observe sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. The sense of hearing is very important because it has helped humans survive. We know what hearing is, but what is hearing loss? Hearing loss happens when there is a problem with one or more parts of the ear or ears. People who have hearing loss might be able to hear some sounds or nothing at all. People also may use the words deaf, deafness and hard of hearing when they are talking about hearing loss.

To understand how hearing loss happens, it helps to know how the ear works. The ear is made up of three different sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. These parts work together that is why we can hear and process sounds. The outer ear picks up sound waves and the waves transfer through the outer ear canal. When the sound waves hit the eardrum in the middle ear, the eardrum starts to vibrate.
A hearing problem can develop later in life and connected with getting older which a natural part of the aging process is. There are a few common hearing loss causes such as genetics, loud noises. The main one that comes with aging is Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss. It becomes more common in people as they get older. People with this kind of hearing loss may have a hard time hearing what others are saying or may be unable to stand loud sounds. The decline is slow. Just as hair turns gray at different rates, presbycusis can develop at different rates. It can be caused by sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss results from damage to parts of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or hearing pathways in the brain. Presbycusis may be caused by aging, loud noise, heredity, head injury, infection, illness, certain prescription drugs, and circulation problems such as high blood pressure. The degree of hearing loss varies from person to person. Also, a person can have a different amount of hearing loss in each ear.