The Sound of Hearing Loss

It can be challenging to understand how hearing loss actually sounds. After a hearing test, you'll be presented with an audiogram that indicates your ability to hear at different pitches. However, sometimes this graph won’t feel very meaningful to you.

Typically, hearing loss from noise exposure and/or aging affects the ability to hear higher frequencies, resulting in sound that is:

• Dull

• Muffled

• Unclear

Sometimes hearing loss affects all frequencies, resulting in sound that is:

• Muted

• Distant

• Soft

The following videos were produced using a hearing loss simulator from NIOSH (check it out!). Listening to these videos will let you experience the sound of hearing loss.

This lets you compare the sound of a woman’s voice with or without a mild noise-induced hearing loss.

This lets you compare the sound of a woman’s voice with or without a moderate noise-induced hearing loss.

This lets you compare the sound of classical music with or without a mild to moderate hearing loss.

I hope this demonstrates how even a mild hearing loss can significantly affect speech clarity and music quality.

Here is a gentle reminder to:

• Take care of your ears by avoiding loud noises

• Use hearing protection when you can’t avoid loud noises

• Get your hearing checked regularly, especially if you’re frequently exposed to noise

• Encourage your loved ones to address any hearing loss, as it can often be mistaken for simply not paying attention

If you’re concerned about a loved one’s hearing, please contact us.