According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 35 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. When words and background noise melt together, it can be difficult to communicate. Communication problems can have a negative impact on relationships, friendships, school performance and career opportunities. By amplifying sounds, hearing aids can help hearing-impaired people get their lives back on track. But only about one out of every five who could benefit from using a hearing aid wears one, reports the Deafness Research Foundation.
How You Hear
Hearing occurs when your ear transforms sound waves into electrical signals and your brain interprets the signals as sounds. When sound waves come in your direction, they first enter the opening of your outer ear and cause the eardrum to vibrate. As the sound waves continue toward the inner ear, the eardrum and three small bones in the middle ear intensify the vibrations. In the inner ear, the vibrations travel through fluid in the cochlea, a snail-shaped bone chamber. Thousands of hair cells in the cochlea help transform the vibrations into electrical signals that eventually reach the auditory nerve. Structures in your brain then interpret the signals as sound.
Hearing Loss
In 90 percent of cases, hearing loss results from damage to the hair cells in the cochlea, the National Institutes of Health says. This is called "sensorineural hearing loss." The damage can occur as a result of genetic factors, aging, illness, certain medications and exposure to loud noise. When the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, electrical signals are not transmitted as effectively. This causes impaired hearing. Sensorineural hearing loss is the main type of hearing loss that can be "reversed" with a hearing aid.
Why Wear a Hearing Aid?
Hearing problems might restrict your daily activities. You might have trouble communicating and following instructions in school or at work. When damage to the inner ear is the cause of your hearing loss, you don't have to struggle through life because you can't hear. A properly fitted hearing aid might make sounds easier to hear. An audiologist or otolaryngologist can help you determine which type of hearing aid would be best for your condition.
How Hearing Aids Work
All hearing aids consist of a microphone, an amplifier, a miniature loudspeaker, or receiver, and a tiny battery. The microphone catches sounds and transforms them into electrical impulses. The amplifier modulates the electrical signals. Finally, the receiver converts the amplified signals into sounds and transfers them into your ear canal. Although the basic components of all hearing aids are the same, hearing aids differ in design, amplification technology and special features.
Why People Won't Wear Hearing Aids
Some people don't want a hearing aid because they think it is too expensive. Others feel it is embarrassing to wear one because they associate it with old age, low intelligence or disability, says Connecticut professor emeritus Mark Ross. This is odd when you think about it, as many of the same people happily wear vision aids, such as contact lenses or glasses. Shunning hearing aids to avoid looking old can be self-defeating, says Ross. If you have trouble hearing, your conversation partners might think of you as old or unfriendly. There is nothing embarrassing about wearing a hearing aid, and people most likely won't notice as most hearing aids are so small that they are practically invisible.
