What Sounds Would You Miss because of Your Hearing Loss?

There is a wide range of hearing loss. Each degree comes with more difficulty or loss of particular sounds. Hearing levels are categorized as normal, mild, moderate, severe and profound. Being unable to hear sounds often leads to isolation, frustration, and depression. 

Here’s a list of six sounds that you might miss:

1. Someone telling a joke and laughter.
2. The voice of your loved ones.
3. Feeling included in conversations during social situations.
4. The sound of your favorite music.
5. The voice-over in an audio book reading of your favorite novel.
6. The sounds of nature (birds chirping, water flowing, etc.)

Here’s a list of sound levels, and examples of noises associated with them:

Normal (up to 25dB of hearing loss in adults, 15dB of hearing loss in children)

You have the ability to hear speech clearly in quiet or calm environments.

• Birds chirping
• The wind blowing around leaves
• Water droplets
• Whispering
  
  

Mild (between 26-40dB of hearing loss in adults)

You have difficulty with speech and sounds in busy or reverberating surroundings, but you are able to hear clearly in quiet environments.

• A babbling brook
• Fans blowing
• A watch ticking
• The sounds of f, l, m, ng, s th, and v.
  
  

Moderate (between 41-70dB of hearing loss in adults)

You have difficulty comprehending speech, notably when there is background noise and if you need to raise the volume on your computer, phone, radio and TV.

• A baby crying
• A conversation with someone
• Typical office sounds
• The sounds of a, b, d, g, h, i, j, k, o, p, r, u, z, ch, and sh.

Severe (between 71-90dB of hearing loss in adults)

Ordinary speech cannot be heard at all or it’s muffled, even when it’s spoken loudly and it is difficult to distinguish speech. You can comprehend speech using some form of amplifier or hearing aid, but it still doesn’t sound normal. 

• Alarm clock
• Coffee grinder
• Doorbell
• A Phone ringing
• Piano music
• Sounds from a computer or TV
• Whistling teakettle
  
  

Profound (91dB or more in adults)

Distinguishing speech is still challenging even with an amplifier or cannot be heard at all.
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• Aircrafts
• Emergency vehicle sirens
• Fireworks
• Gunfire
• A squeaky toy that is held near the ear
  
  

If you experience difficulty with hearing and are unable to determine which category of hearing loss you fall under, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing test and consultation with one of our hearing instrument specialists.  

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