As we grow older we often lose the extreme ends of our hearing spectrum. Unlike other organs such as the liver or skin, the inner ear does not have the capacity to regenerate.
In your ear there are thousands of tiny nerve cells called hair cells.
These are responsible for picking up different frequencies and send the signal to the brain where it's processed , but as you age the continued exposure to noise and loud sounds can break, bend and destroy these cells.
So, why do the high frequencies go first? It turns out that the hairs tuned to high pitches are the first to encounter sound waves.
As a result, they experience more stress and tend to degenerate earlier.
According to ferringhearingcentre.co.uk, there are two main types of hearing loss.
"Conductive Hearing Loss"
"This is when sound is not able to pass through the middle ear mechanism and can be due to wax, infection or a perforated eardrum and can often be treated with medical intervention."
"Sensorineural Hearing Loss"
"This is when the tiny hair-cells in the inner ear are damaged or destroyed, the cause of this is usually age-related (wear and tear) but can be aggravated by exposure to excessive noise This type of hearing loss is generally permanent and cannot be cured but treated with the use of a hearing aid."
Below we feature a video from the amazing youtube channel called Asap Science; which basically puts your hearing to the test by playing a variety of high frequency sounds to determine just how old your ears are.
Watch the video and you’ll be able to tell just how many of the sounds can you hear which; under normal circumstances will help determine whether you're under 20 years old or older.
make sure to comment below which sounds you can and cannot hear and share this article with your friends to help them determine how good their hearing is.
