10 Fun Facts about Hearing that might surprise you!

Did you know that hearing is the only one of our senses that is constantly active – even when we sleep? Your ears don’t stop hearing when you sleep, it’s just that your brain chooses to ignore sound.

Here are ten more fun facts about hearing that you might not know…

#1.  Newborn babies’ middle ear is full of fluid and can impair their hearing slightly.

 

 

 

 

#2. A dog’s ears speak volumes. For example, a dog’s attention level can be determined by the position of their ears. Ears forward means engaged. Pulled back ears means friendly.

 

 

#3. Snakes hear through their jawbone and fish hear through ridges on their body because neither have physical ears.

 

#4. You do not need to clean the wax out of your ears unless you have an abnormal condition. Ears push the excess wax out as needed. No cotton swabs needed!

 

#5. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

 

 

#6. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

 

#7. Sound travels at the speed of 343 meters per second.

 

 

 

#8. A newborn baby’s entire hearing apparatus is slightly immature but responds best to high-pitched voices.

 

#9. The number one cause of hearing loss is exposure to excessively loud sounds (85 decibels or higher).

 

 

#10. In the inner ear, there are three small loops above the cochlea called semicircular canals. Like the cochlea, they are also filled with liquid and have thousands of microscopic hairs. When you move your head, the liquid in the semicircular canals moves, too, and helps you keep balance when in motion.