What happens to shorter hairs in the cochlea as a person ages?

As a person ages, the shorter hairs in the cochlea, which are crucial for detecting higher frequency sounds, tend to become damaged or less effective. This degeneration leads to a reduced ability to hear higher frequency sounds, which is often a part of age-related hearing loss. Over time, exposure to sound, along with natural aging processes, can impact the sensory cells and hair cells within the cochlea. The result is that individuals may experience difficulty hearing high-pitched noises, while lower frequencies may remain more detectable. This shift in hearing ability is a common experience and helps to explain why many older adults report struggling to hear high-frequency sounds, such as the voices of children or certain musical notes.