Measuring hearing loss is more technical than it might seem at first. If you’re suffering from hearing loss, you can most likely hear certain things clearly at a lower volume, but not others. The majority of letters might sound clear at high or low volumes but others, such as “s” and “b” may get lost. When you figure out how to read your hearing test it becomes more obvious why your hearing seems “inconsistent”. It’s because there’s more to hearing than just cranking up the volume.
How do I interpret the results of my audiogram?
An audiogram is a type of hearing test that hearing professionals use to determine how you hear. It would be great if it looked as basic as a scale from one to ten, but regrettably, that isn’t the case.
Rather, it’s written on a graph, which is why many people find it challenging. But you too can understand a hearing test if you’re aware of what you’re looking at.
Reading volume on a hearing test
On the left side of the chart is the volume in Decibels (dB) from 0 (silent) to around 120 (thunder). The higher the number, the louder the sound must be for you to be able to hear it.
If you can’t hear any sound until it reaches about 30 dB then you’re dealing with mild hearing loss which is a loss of volume between 26 and 45 dB. You have moderate hearing loss if your hearing begins at 45-65 dB. If you start hearing at between 66 and 85 dB then it means you’re dealing with severe hearing loss. If you can’t hear sound until it reaches 90 dB or more (louder than the volume of a running lawnmower), it means that you have profound hearing loss.
Reading frequency on a audiogram
You hear other things besides volume too. You can also hear a range of frequencies or pitches of sound. Different types of sounds, including letters of the alphabet, are differentiated by frequency or pitch.
On the bottom of the chart, you’ll generally find frequencies that a human ear can detect, starting from a low frequency of 125 (deeper than a bullfrog) to a high frequency of 8000 (higher than a cricket)
This test will let us ascertain how well you can hear within a range of wavelengths.
So, for instance, if you have high-frequency hearing loss, in order for you to hear a high-frequency sound it may have to be at least 60 dB (which is about the volume of a raised, but not yelling, voice). The volume that the sound needs to reach for you to hear each frequency varies and will be plotted on the chart.
Is it significant to measure both frequency and volume?
So in real life, what might the outcome of this test mean for you? Here are a few sounds that would be more difficult to hear if you have the very common form of high frequency hearing loss:
- Music
- Women and children who tend to have higher-pitched voices
- Beeps, dings, and timers
- Whispers, even if hearing volume is good
- Birds
- “F”, “H”, “S”
While someone who has high-frequency hearing loss has more difficulty with high-frequency sounds, certain frequencies might seem easier to hear than others.
Within the inner ear tiny stereocilia (hair-like cells) shake in response to sound waves. If the cells that detect a specific frequency become damaged and eventually die, you will lose your ability to hear that frequency at lower volumes. If all of the cells that detect that frequency are damaged, then you completely lose your ability to hear that frequency even at higher volumes.
This kind of hearing loss can make some communications with friends and family really aggravating. Your family members may think they have to yell at you in order to be heard even though you only have difficulty hearing certain frequencies. And higher frequency sounds, such as your sister talking to you, often get drowned out by background noise for individuals with this type of hearing loss.
Hearing solution can be personalized by a hearing professional by utilizing a hearing test
We will be able to custom tune a hearing aid for your particular hearing requirements once we’re able to understand which frequencies you’re having trouble hearing. In modern digital hearing aids, if a frequency enters the hearing aid’s microphone, the hearing aid immediately knows if you’re able to hear that frequency. It can then raise the volume on that frequency so you’re able to hear it. Or it can use its frequency compression feature to adjust the frequency to one you can hear better. Additionally, they can enhance your ability to process background noise.
This delivers a smoother more normal hearing experience for the hearing aid user because instead of just making everything louder, it’s meeting your personal hearing needs.
If you think you may be dealing with hearing loss, contact us and we can help.
