Determining hearing loss is more technical than it might seem at first. You can most likely hear certain things clearly at lower volumes but not others. Most letters might sound clear at any volume but others, like “s” and “b” may get lost. It will become more apparent why you notice inconsistencies with your hearing when you figure out how to interpret your hearing test. It’s because there’s more to hearing than simply turning up the volume.
When I get my audiogram, how do I decipher it?
An audiogram is a type of hearing test that hearing professionals utilize to ascertain how you hear. It would be wonderful if it looked as simple as a scale from one to ten, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Many people find the graph format challenging at first. But you too can understand a hearing test if you’re aware of what you’re looking at.
Decoding the volume portion of your audiogram
Along the left side of the chart is the volume in Decibels (dB) from 0 (silent) to about 120 (thunder). This number will define how loud a sound needs to be for you to be capable of hearing it. Higher numbers signify that in order for you to hear it, you will need louder sound.
A loss of volume between 26 dB and 45 dB points to mild hearing loss. You have moderate hearing loss if your hearing begins at 45-65 dB. Hearing loss is severe if your hearing begins at 66-85 dB. If you can’t hear sound until it gets up to 90 dB or more (louder than the volume of a running lawnmower), it means that you have profound hearing loss.
The frequency section of your audiogram
Volume isn’t the only thing you hear. 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.
Along the bottom of the chart, you’ll typically 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)
We will check how well you hear frequencies in between and can then plot them on the graph.
So, for instance, if you’re dealing with high-frequency hearing loss, in order for you to hear a high-frequency sound it might 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 graph.
Is it important to track both frequency and volume?
Now that you know how to read your audiogram, let’s take a look at what those results might mean for you in real life. Here are some sounds that would be harder to hear if you have the very common form of high frequency hearing loss:
- Music
- Whispers, even if hearing volume is good
- Women and children who tend to have higher-pitched voices
- Beeps, dings, and timers
- Birds
- “F”, “H”, “S”
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 of your inner ear there are tiny hair-like nerve cells that vibrate with sounds. You lose the ability to hear in whatever frequencies which the corresponding hair cells that detect those frequencies have become damaged and have died. If all of the cells that pick up that frequency are damaged, then you completely lose your ability to hear that frequency regardless of volume.
Interacting with other people can become really aggravating if you’re dealing with this kind of hearing loss. You may have difficulty only hearing certain frequencies, but your family members may think they need to yell to be heard at all. And higher frequency sounds, like your sister talking to you, often get drowned out by background noise for individuals who have this kind of hearing loss.
Hearing solutions can be individualized by a hearing professional by utilizing a hearing test
When we are able to understand which frequencies you don’t hear well or at all, we can program a hearing aid to meet each ear’s distinct hearing profile. In modern digital hearing aids, if a frequency goes into the hearing aid’s microphone, the hearing aid automatically knows if you’re able to hear that frequency. The hearing aid can be fine tuned to boost whatever frequency you’re having difficulty hearing. Or it can change the frequency through frequency compression to a different frequency that you can hear. They also have functions that can make processing background sound less difficult.
Modern hearing aids are fine tuned to address your specific hearing requirements instead of just turning up the volume on all frequencies, which creates a smoother listening experience.
Schedule an appointment for a hearing test today if you think you might be dealing with hearing loss. We can help.
