How Hearing Aids Work
Do you know how hearing aids work? If you thought that hearing aids just make sounds louder, you would be incorrect. It’s much more complicated and sophisticated than just making sounds louder. Of course, they amplify sound, but they do so much more. Read on to learn how hearing aids truly help you hear again.
Hearing Aids and Your Hearing
We actually process sounds and “hear” with our brains, not our ears. Our ears send auditory signals to the brain, which is then processed it into speech and sounds. Hearing loss occurs when the tin hair cells within the ear are damaged. Hearing aids are used to magnify the sound vibrations so that any remaining healthy hair cells can transport the signals to the brain. Common causes of hearing loss include ageing, noise, disease, injury, or medication side effects. Hearing aids help restore most types of hearing loss.
Here is how a hearing aid works step-by-step:
- Microphones pick up sounds
- Sounds are analyzed by the processing chip
- Processed sounds are sent to the amplifier
- Amplified sounds are sent to the loudspeaker
- Sounds are transmitted by the loudspeaker into the inner ear, via tubing in an ear mould in the ear canal, or via a thin wire to a receiver in the ear
- In the inner ear the sounds are transformed into electrical impulses
- Impulses are picked up by the brain where they are processed
At Anderson Audiology, we have multiple hearing aid features available that help us program your hearing aids according to your specific hearing needs, lifestyle, and preferences. Some of the available hearing aid technology and features include:
- Multiple frequency channels
- Directional microphones
- Feedback management
- Noise reductions and suppression
- Preset programs / programming
- Binaural synchronization
- Wind noise reduction
- Fully automatic / environmentally adaptive
- Telecoil
- FM compatibility
- Data logging
- Learning features
- Tinnitus maskers
- Telephone adaptation
- Remote controls
- Wireless connectivity to mobile devices & entertainment systems
Trust the Experts at Anderson Audiology
We are here for you and all your hearing health needs. If you are concerned about the possibility of hearing loss or have any questions about hearing aids, contact us at Anderson Audiology and schedule an appointment today with one of our hearing professionals at one of our five convenient audiology clinic locations in southern Nevada.