Our sense of hearing is probably one of our most essential senses during our day-to-day lives.
Can you imagine living in a world where the volume is always muted?
How would you get along in your daily life if you couldn’t hear or experience a degree of hearing loss?
The world we live in can be loud, and it is getting louder all the time. This means it is essential to protect our hearing and ears, but have you ever thought about your ears in general?
Have you ever wondered just how your ears help you hear the world around you? When you stop to consider them, your ears are a fantastic part of the human body.
So how much do you know about your ears, really? The following list will detail some surprising facts about your ears, some you’ve probably never even considered.
1. Ears Are Always Working
Your ears never stop hearing even while you’re asleep. You can never “turn off” your ears.
However, even though you are hearing while you are asleep, the brain does not process sounds in the same way as it does when you are awake.
Thus, your ears will always hear and process sound regardless of your state, whether you’re conscious or unconscious, your ears never get a day off!
2. Ears Help With Balance
Your ears are essential for you to maintain your balance. If you’ve ever had an ear infection, you might know precisely what we mean.
Vertigo is a common side effect of an inner ear infection.
Your ears help with your balance due to the fluid within them.
When this fluid moves, it tells your brain just what you’re up to and how to compensate in terms of your balance.
3. Ears Self-clean
The earwax inside your ears is actually made up of a combination of oil, sweat and dead skin cells.
Earwax forms a barrier inside your ear canal and it helps to keep your ears clean.
The earwax is sticky by design so it will trap debris and particles and protect your ears.
Think of your earwax as a filter between your ears and the outside world.
4. Ears Have The Smallest Bones in The Body
Your ears have the smallest bones found in the human body.
Actually, there are three bones in your ear and all of them fall into this class. Technically these bones are referred to as “ossicles”.
They are designed to aid with sound transmittal. These bones capture the sound from the air then relay them back to the brain.
The whole process of transmitting sound is an amazing system.
5. Earlobes Are Constantly Growing
There are only two types of earlobes, attached or detached. This is all the result of genetics.
Your earlobes will never stop growing, regardless what genetics provided you with.
Another interesting fact about earlobes is that scientists aren’t really sure why we have them (but some think it may be to help with blood flow).
The earlobes have an amazing array of blood vessels within them that seem to support this theory.
