{"id":8806,"date":"2020-01-24T10:31:25","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T18:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everhear.com\/?p=8806"},"modified":"2020-11-13T09:01:31","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T17:01:31","slug":"now-is-the-time-for-hearing-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everhear.com\/now-is-the-time-for-hearing-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Is the Time for Hearing Aids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition<\/a> in the U.S., behind only arthritis and heart disease. Unlike these other conditions, people with hearing loss typically wait 10 years<\/a> after their initial diagnosis to seek treatment.<\/p>\n

David Owen, author of a new book called Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World<\/em><\/a> hopes to convince his readers that early intervention is key. He sums up the problem in one sentence, \u201cHearing problems are often aggravated by the human tendency to do nothing and hope for the best, usually while pretending that everything is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

How You Hear<\/h2>\n

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Owen\u2019s book is divided into sections explaining the mechanics of hearing sound and the technologies available to treat hearing loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He breaks down the complicated technical concept of hearing into language anyone can understand, explaining, \u201cThe principal components of the auditory system are coiled inside a spiraling fluid-filled chamber about the size of a pea, yet a person whose ears are fully functional can hear vibrations so faint they displace the air molecules inside their ear canals by distances measured in trillionths of a meter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hair cells within the ear are submicroscopic cylindrical tubes that translate sound waves into electrical signals that end up in the auditory centers of the brain. The eardrum, the various tiny bones in the middle ear (one of them \u201csimilar in shape to a hummingbird\u2019s wishbone but roughly half the size\u201d), the snail-shaped cochlea (\u201cless than half the diameter of a dime\u201d) and the Eustachian tube that connects the ear to the throat are \u201calmost inconceivably sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

These parts together make up the auditory system.<\/p>\n

Causes of Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n

Hearing loss is a common problem linked with aging, but exposure to loud sounds can also lead to the disorder. While attending rock concerts and being around machinery without proper hearing protection are obvious causes, there are hidden hearing risks all around you, including:<\/p>\n