Protecting Your Inner Ear

The inner ear; this is where the hearing magic happens. The inner ear is the final part of the ear, the part that converts and sends the messages to the brain for us to know and understand what it is that we are hearing.

How the inner ear works

So how does sound get into the inner ear to have it send the messages to the brain? The outer ear gathers the sound and directs the sound down the ear canal to the middle ear through the eardrum. The eardrum takes the sound presented to it by the outer ear and transfers it into kinetic energy which it then sends through the middle ear’s bones; the malleus, incus and the stapes. The bones of the middle ear then convert the kinetic energy into wave vibrations and send it through the oval window and into the inner ear.

Once the wave vibrations have made it into the ear, the “sound” must travel around the cochlea triggering the tiny hair follicles in the cochlea to respond to the “sound” that is presented to them. Each and every hair follicle in the cochlea responds only to one specific sound. The inner ear then converts these wave vibrations into electrical impulses that are sent to the brain for use to understand and interpret what it is we are hearing.

There is another large part of the inner ear: the semicircular canals. These semicircular canals are responsible for our balance. The three canals are filled with a liquid that ebbs and flows as we move keeping us on balance.

Protecting your ears

So how does one protect the inner ear when it is inside the head and seemingly protected? First and foremost, hearing protection is the key to keeping the inner ear safe. When the ear, as a whole, is exposed to prolonged loud noise without hearing protection, the inner ear can be easily damaged. The tiny hairs in the inner ear are very fragile and if exposed to loud noise they could be easily damaged beyond repair, causing hearing loss and possibly tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in the ear).

Talk to a hearing specialist about ear protection

Wearing special headphones or earplugs can keep your ears properly protected from damaging noise or trauma. Talk with a hearing care provider in your area to determine if your work or lifestyle makes you at risk for hearing loss, tinnitus or loud noise. In the event you work or hang out in loud environments, your hearing specialist can recommend the proper ear protection to keep your hearing safe and sound!