Watch: [Understanding Your Body] Ears

⭐English subtitles available⭐

 

 

The world is full of a wide variety of sounds.

 

These sounds are composed of sound waves,

which are vibrations that travel through the air.

 

The human ear perceives these vibrations in the air as sound

through a highly complex process.

 

Our ears also adjust our sense of balance

by detecting changes in gravity as our bodies move.

 

The ears, located on either side of our face,

are structurally divided into the outer, middle, and inner ear.

 

The outer ear, including the auricle and ear canal,

is where sound is transmitted to the eardrum.

 

The cartilage-made auricle gathers sound,

while the ear canal, acting like a resonator,

transmits the sound to the eardrum.

 

The eardrum, as small as a pinky nail,

separates the outer ear from the middle ear

and plays a crucial role in transmitting sound.

 

As sound travels through the ear canal

and makes the eardrum vibrate like a drum,

the middle ear picks up the sound as vibrations.

 

During this process, vibrations travel along three tiny bones

called the ossicles, and then into the cochlea.

 

Inside the cochlea is lymphatic fluid,

which moves and stimulates cochlear hair cells,

or tiny hair cells, that create nerve signals.

 

When these signals reach the brain,

we can finally hear and understand the sound.

 

Besides hearing, the ear also functions to maintain balance.

 

This sense of balance is mainly managed by

the vestibule and three semicircular canals

located in the innermost part of the ear.

 

The vestibular system, which keeps the body balanced,

collectively refers to the vestibule

and the three semicircular canals within the inner ear.

 

The three semicircular canals are

connected to the vestibule and filled with a fluid called lymph.

 

When we turn our head or tilt our body,

this lymph fluid stimulates sensory cells.

 

This is how we can sense how much our body is tilted

and in which direction we are moving.

 

For example, when we spin in circles and suddenly stop,

we feel dizzy for a while because the lymph fluid

in the semicircular canals continues to move

and has not adjusted to the sudden stop.

 

Similarly, motion sickness in a moving vehicle

commonly occurs when visual information from the eyes

conflict with the balance sensations from the ears.

 

As the ear is responsible for both hearing and balance,

its complex structure and functions mean that

improper care or bacterial infections

can lead to various health issues.

 

Conditions such as

inflammation in the outer, middle, or inner ear,

hearing loss, tinnitus,

or Meniere’s disease, a balance disorder, can occur.

 

To prevent these various ear disorders,

it is essential to maintain certain lifestyle habits.

 

If abnormal symptoms in the ear are left untreated,

there is a risk of losing hearing.

Therefore, it is advisable to seek appropriate treatment early on.