They say each day is a gift—and that gift includes a medley of sounds that stitch your day together, from birds chirping as you sip your morning coffee on the patio to the serene sound of summer rain pattering on your umbrella. But how does hearing loss affect our ability to hear these sounds? And which everyday sounds may those with hearing loss commonly miss? Read on to find out.
Nature sounds
Women and children
Music
Animals and pets
Sound is measured in two ways: decibels and frequencies. Decibels (dB) refer to how loud or soft a sound is, or its intensity. A person’s ability—or lack thereof—to hear sounds in certain decibel ranges helps indicate if they have hearing loss and how severe it is. Levels of hearing loss, decibels that can be perceived and at what frequencies can all be determined through a hearing test performed by a licensed hearing professional.
Two of the main causes for hearing loss include aging and exposure to loud noises. As people age, it’s not abnormal for their hearing to decline. In fact, 50% of adults in the U.S. over the age of 75 experience age-related hearing loss.
Hearing loss can occur prematurely through exposure to loud noises. Factors that contribute to temporary or permanent noise-induced hearing loss include:
If your work or hobbies regularly expose you to loud noises, be sure to educate yourself about hearing safety.
Sound frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) and refers to how “high” or “low” a sound is, or its pitch. The lower the number, the lower the pitch of that sound. Most everyday sounds we hear fall within 250 to 6,000 Hz, though the full range of sounds a person with normal hearing can detect ranges from 20 to 20,000 Hz.
A lower-frequency sound is one that clocks in at 500 Hz or lower. Generally, the human ear can’t process sounds that are as low as 20 Hz , and at such low frequencies, you may “feel” the sound more than you can hear it. (Think of how you can feel the bass pulsing at a rock concert.)
Low frequency sounds include:
High-frequency sounds are those that register at 2,000 Hz or higher. The human ear can generally perceive sounds up to 20,000 Hz; the sound of birds chirping is a frequency of about 10,000 Hz.
High frequency sounds include:
Typically, high frequency sounds are the first to get missed when someone has hearing loss. Why? The hair (or nerve) cells in our inner ear that perceive higher pitched sounds are more likely to get damaged first, based on the anatomy of our inner ear. These nerve cells can get damaged for a number of reasons, but exposure to loud sounds is one of the most common reasons, leading to noise-induced hearing loss.
Someone with high frequency hearing loss has trouble hearing sounds in the 2,000 to 8,000 Hz range. They often find it difficult to understand women and children when they speak, due to the high pitch sound of those voices. Certain high-pitched consonants like “f,” “s” and “th” (4,000-5,000 Hz) also might get missed, causing speech to sound muffled or garbled.
In contrast, low frequency hearing loss means it is more difficult to hear or understand low frequency sounds, such as the hum of a refrigerator or roar of a garbage truck. This type of hearing loss is often due to genetic factors, a congenital defect or a malformation in the inner ear (cochlea).
If you or a loved one is missing everyday sounds or experiencing any of these signs of hearing loss, book a free hearing test with Miracle-Ear today. Our hearing specialists will be able to help you understand any hearing loss you may be experiencing and help guide you towards the best treatment options for you.
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