COMMUNICATION | COMPREHENSION | COMMUNITY
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Hearing Basics
Hearing is complex — but understanding it doesn’t have to be. Let’s break it down.
Sound is just air vibrating. These sound waves travel through the ear canal and hit the eardrum. Vibrations move three tiny bones, which send signals through a fluid-filled inner ear. Tiny hair cells move in response and create signals the brain can understand as sound.
Most hearing loss happens when those tiny hair cells or the nerves connected to them are damaged — something that tends to happen over time due to age, noise exposure, certain medications, or genetics.
What Is Presbycusis?
Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss — and the most common type. It usually affects both ears gradually, so people don’t always realize it’s happening.
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People with presbycusis struggle with high-pitched and soft speech sounds like p, k, f, s, and ch. These are especially hard to hear in noisy places, like restaurants or family gatherings.
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Why those sounds first?
High-frequency hair cells are located at the base of the cochlea — they work the hardest and wear out first. Over time, this affects both what you hear and how your brain processes sound.
The Brain and Hearing
Hearing loss doesn’t just affect your ears — it affects your brain.
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When your brain gets less sound input, it starts doing less work. That can lead to shrinkage in parts of the brain tied to memory, language, and thinking. Without regular “sound exercise,” the brain’s ability to interpret sound can weaken.
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This isn’t just about clarity — it’s about cognitive health. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to:
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Cognitive decline and dementia
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Social isolation and depression
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Increased risk of falls
Good hearing supports balance, memory, and emotional well-being. Helping your ears helps your whole self.
Speech in Noise
Ever feel like everyone’s mumbling in noisy places? You’re not alone.
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Understanding speech in background noise is the #1 complaint among people with hearing loss — and even people with “normal” hearing.
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Noise works like fog: it covers up sounds we want to hear. Things like:
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Room acoustics (echo, reverb)
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Distance from the speaker
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The speaker’s voice and clarity
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Your own attention, fatigue, or stress
All of these play a role in how we hear. That’s why even mild hearing loss can feel much worse in loud environments.
Tinnitus and Listening Effort
Tinnitus is a common companion to hearing loss — a constant or occasional ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears. It’s the brain’s response to reduced sound input.
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Meanwhile, listening effort is the energy it takes to understand what people are saying — especially in tough listening conditions. It’s real, and it’s exhausting.
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The good news? Hearing aids and assistive devices can reduce both tinnitus and listening effort by making sound clearer and more consistent.
Why Early Action Matters
Think of hearing rehab like stroke rehab.
Both involve the brain’s ability to rewire itself — neuroplasticity. The earlier you start using hearing aids or doing auditory training, the better your brain can adapt.
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Without sound input, your brain starts to reassign the auditory cortex to other senses like vision. This is called cross-modal plasticity. Once those pathways are repurposed, it’s harder to get them back.
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Early action keeps those sound pathways active and helps you stay sharp, social, and balanced.
What Is Aural Therapy?
Aural therapy is like physical therapy for your hearing. It includes training to help your brain adapt to hearing loss and improve how you process sound — especially when using hearing aids. Implementing aural therapy soon after hearing loss is diagnosed could maximize the brain’s ability to adapt, compensate, and retain auditory function.
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Right now, aural therapy isn’t standard practice. But it should be. We believe early hearing rehab should be available to everyone diagnosed with hearing loss — just like stroke rehab.
It’s not just about hearing better. It’s about living better.​