Sensorineural hearing loss

You know how your ears help you hear sounds like music, talking, and even your own voice? Well, there can be a problem with the way your ears work that makes it hard for you to hear some sounds. This problem is called sensorineural hearing loss.

Here's how it works: Inside your ear, there are tiny little hairs called "hair cells." When these hair cells move, they send a signal to your brain that tells you there's a sound happening. But sometimes, these hair cells can get damaged or stop working for different reasons, like if someone hits your head or if you take certain medicines.

When this happens, your brain can't get the signal that there's a sound happening, so you can't hear it very well. It's sort of like if your phone's battery dies and you can't get any notifications - you don't even know someone is trying to talk to you.

The type of hearing loss we're talking about, sensorineural hearing loss, is different from other types of hearing loss because the problem is in the hair cells inside your ear. Other types of hearing loss might be because something is blocking your ear, like earwax or an infection.

The good news is, there are lots of ways to help people with sensorineural hearing loss, like wearing hearing aids or getting cochlear implants. These devices can help make the sounds louder so your brain can hear them better. So even if you have sensorineural hearing loss, you can still enjoy all the sounds around you!