How does noise exposure cause hearing loss?

👂Very loud sounds damage the hair cells of the cochlea, the hearing part of the inner ear.

💥These sensitive structures are small sensory cells that convert sound energy into electrical signals that travel to the brain, where the brain converts them into meaningful sounds.

🧏‍♀️ Once damaged, hair cells cannot regrow and lose the ability to transmit sound.

🥁When loud sounds are exposed to the ear for a short time, you may experience temporary hearing loss (also known as temporary threshold shift) or ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

📣 If the ear is exposed to loud sounds over longer periods of time, the hair cells can be damaged forever, causing permanent sensorineural hearing loss.