Three sound measures indicate whether something you hear will damage your hearing. Knowing what they are and when a sound can become dangerous to your health can help you better protect your hearing, no matter where you are and what kind of hearing protection you can access.
Sound Measures:
1. Sound Pressure Level (SPL)—measured in decibels (dB): Sound pressure level is the pressure of a sound relative to a reference value.
In medical terms, that reference is typically the threshold of human hearing. So 0 dB is the lower limit of human hearing, but not necessarily the lower limit of hearing for a wombat. Humans can hear a sound that is 85 dB for about 8 hours before they risk hearing damage.
(Wombats can hear ranges as low as 17 Hz compared to humans, who can only hear as low as 20 Hz)
2. Frequency—measured in Hertz (Hz) – Frequency indicates the rate at which a sound wave vibrates, measured in vibrations per second. The higher-pitched a sound is, the higher its frequency.
Humans can hear as high as 20,000 Hz, anything above 20,000 Hz is called ultrasound, which is outside the normal range of human hearing.
3. Exposure duration—measures the length of time a sound is heard.
How Do Sound Measurements Relate to Hearing Damage?
Sound pressure levels and duration both impact the potential for damaged hearing.
Sound Pressure Levels
Sound pressure levels indicate the loudness of a sound. As the volume of a sound increases, so does its decibel level. High-decibel sounds are most likely to destroy cilia in the inner ear, which detects sound waves. Cilia do not regenerate.
This hearing loss is noise-related and doesn’t just affect your ability to hear certain decibels. It can also affect your ability to hear different frequencies.
Because different cilia in the ear prioritize different sound frequencies, losing the ability to hear higher-pitched sounds frequently happens first, since the cilia that detect high-pitched sounds are located at the base of the inner ear, closest to the ear canal where sound enters.
High-pitched hearing loss can affect your ability to process sounds like /t/ in “tin,” /f/ in “sin” or /k/ in “kin.”
Duration
Duration impacts the degree of damage as well. That’s why a loud bang may have your ears ringing, gradually fade and, if you’re lucky, result in little to no damage—but if that same sound were repeated five times in a row, you’d guarantee auditory damage.
Cilia are extremely sensitive and can suffer in their ability to transmit sound or die completely.
How Do You Protect Yourself?
Wear hearing protection anytime you’re around sounds above 85 decibels. Earplugs reduce the decibel level of incoming sounds, lowering them to safe listening levels.
Earplugs and earmuffs: Can cut noise levels down by 15 to 30 decibels.
If You Suspect Hearing Damage
If you believe you might have sound-related hearing damage, it’s essential to see an audiologist with Spartanburg-Greer ENT & Allergy as soon as possible. A diagnosis can identify whether any long-term damage has occurred and if treatment can help prevent additional damage to your hearing.