Hearing Basics
Hearing is a very complex process
If any part of the outer, middle or inner ear isn’t working correctly, your hearing may be affected.
There are three main sections of the ear
Outer ear
The outer
ear is made up of the outside part that you can see (the pinna) and the ear
canal. The outer ear collects sound from the environment.
Middle ear
The middle
ear is made up of the eardrum and three tiny connected bones (ossicles). The
bones are called the malleus, incus and the stapes, but are often referred to
as the hammer, anvil and stirrup. When sound comes into the outer ear through
the ear canal, it travels to the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. This vibration
puts the middle ear bones into motion.
Inner ear
The inner
ear is made up of the snail-shaped cochlea and hearing nerve. Vibrations from
the eardrum in the middle ear flow through the fluid in the inner ear and cause
tiny hair cells in the cochlea to move. The hair cells change this movement
into electric impulses that travel to the hearing nerve, which connects to the
brain. The brain then takes these impulses from the hearing nerve and
interprets them as sounds.
How natural hearing works
- Sounds enter the ear canal and travel to the eardrum.
- These sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, sending the bones in the middle ear into motion.
- Tiny hair cells inside the inner ear (cochlea) change this motion into electric impulses/signals. The ear has over 25,000 tiny hair cells to help you hear the varying degrees of sound.
- These impulses/signals go up the hearing (auditory) nerve to the brain.
- The brain interprets the impulses/signals as sound and gives meaning to the information.