Sounds are not all good for you and some, with prolonged exposure, can be the cause of a failed hearing test. Many people struggle with the loss of the ability to hear. This happens for many reasons, including just getting older. However, more often than not, prolonged exposure to noise or very loud sounds infrequently can cause the damage to the inner ear that can be lasting. If you have failed such a screening and are wondering why this happened to you, it pays to talk to your audiologist about it and what you can do about it. There is help available. It starts with understanding your risks.
Some Sounds Are Okay
Some types of sounds do not damage the ears in any way. These will not lead to any damage seen on a hearing test. For example, a very soft sound, like that of a whisper, has about 30 decibels of sound. Normal conversation is also okay as it has about 60 decibels of sound. If you were to stand next to the average washing machine, that comes in at about 70 decibels and it is still within the normal range where there is no risk present.
Moderate Risk
Anything more than 80 decibels is worrisome because even irregular sounds at this level can begin to cause damage to the inner ear. At the lowest end of this spectrum is the sound of a lawn mower, a hair dryer or heavy traffic. These sounds range from 85 to 90 decibels and while they do not cause instant damage to the ears, they do wear down on your ability to hear over a period of time. Prolonged exposure on an ongoing basis will cause damage here. A motorcycle, with 95 decibels of sound, a snowmobile, with 100 decibels of sound, and a chain saw, with 110 decibels of sound are all too high for regular use.
Very High Sound
Some sounds are classified as high risk or in the injury range. This means that just hearing this sound one time can do permanent damage to your ears if you are close enough to it. For example, an ambulance siren next to the ear is too high because it has about 120 decibels of sound. A jet engine taking off has about 140 decibels of sound. That is also the pain threshold, which means that at this level it is going to be painful.
As you can see, sounds play an important role in your ability to hear. They can also cause you to have a failed hearing test if you are listening to those sounds for good long.
A Reno, NV hearing test helps residents identify and address any pre-existing conditions or injuries to their inner ear canal. Find all the latest devices and methods at: http://www.miracle-ear-reno.com.