It may seem, initially, like measuring hearing loss would be simple. You can most likely hear certain things clearly at lower volumes but not others. You might confuse certain letters like “S” or “B”, but hear other letters just fine at any volume. It will become more evident why you have inconsistencies with your hearing when you figure out how to read your hearing test. It’s because there’s more to hearing than just cranking up the volume.
How do I understand the results of my audiogram?
An audiogram is a type of hearing test that hearing professionals employ to calculate how you hear. It would be terrific if it looked as simple as a scale from one to ten, but unfortunately, that’s not the situation.
Many people find the graph format challenging at first. But if you know what you’re looking at, you too can interpret the results of your audiogram.
Deciphering the volume section of your audiogram
Along the left side of the graph is the volume in Decibels (dB) from 0 (silent) to about 120 (thunder). This number will define how loud a sound has to be for you to be capable of hearing it. Higher numbers signify that in order for you to hear it, you will require louder sound.
If you can’t hear any sound until it reaches around 30 dB then you’re dealing with mild hearing loss which is a loss of volume between 26 and 45 dB. If hearing starts at 45-65 dB then you have moderate hearing loss. Hearing loss is severe if your hearing begins at 66-85 dB. Profound hearing loss means that you’re unable to hear until the volume gets up to 90 dB or more, which is louder than a lawnmower.
Examining frequency on a hearing test
Volume’s not the only thing you hear. You hear sound at different frequencies, commonly known as pitches in music. Frequencies help you differentiate between types of sounds, including the letters of the alphabet.
On the lower section of the chart, you’ll usually see frequencies that a human ear can detect, starting from a low frequency of 125 (lower than a bullfrog) to a high frequency of 8000 (higher than a cricket)
We will test how well you’re able to hear frequencies in between and can then plot them on the chart.
So if you’re dealing with hearing loss in the higher frequencies, you might need the volume of high frequency sounds to be as loud as 60 dB (the volume of somebody talking at a raised volume). The volume that the sound needs to reach for you to hear each frequency varies and will be plotted on the graph.
Is it important to measure both frequency and volume?
So in real life, what might the results of this test mean for you? High-frequency hearing loss, which is a quite common type of loss would make it harder to hear or understand:
- Birds
- Women and children who tend to have higher-pitched voices
- Whispers, even if hearing volume is good
- “F”, “H”, “S”
- Music
- Beeps, dings, and timers
While someone who has high-frequency hearing loss has more trouble with high-frequency sounds, certain frequencies might seem easier to hear than others.
Inside your inner ear you have very small hair-like nerve cells that vibrate along with sounds. You lose the ability to hear in any frequencies which the corresponding hair cells that detect those frequencies have become damaged and have died. You will completely lose your ability to hear any frequencies that have lost all of the related hair cells.
This kind of hearing loss can make some interactions with friends and family extremely frustrating. You might have trouble only hearing specific frequencies, but your family members may assume they have to yell in order for you to hear them at all. On top of that, those who have this type of hearing impairment find background sound overshadows louder, higher-frequency sounds such as your sister talking to you in a restaurant.
We can utilize the hearing test to personalize hearing solutions
When we are able to recognize which frequencies you can’t hear well or at all, we can fine tune a hearing aid to meet each ear’s distinct hearing profile. Modern hearing aids have the ability to know exactly what frequencies enter the microphone. It can then make that frequency louder so you can hear it. Or it can use its frequency compression feature to change the frequency to one you can better hear. They also have features that can make processing background sound easier.
Modern hearing aids are fine tuned to target your specific hearing needs rather than just turning up the volume on all frequencies, which creates a smoother listening experience.
Make an appointment for a hearing exam right away if you think you may be suffering from hearing loss. We can help.
