LAST UPDATED: October 17th, 2022 | BY: Stacy Merci
According to the reports by the World Health Organisation, 5% of the total world’s population suffers from the problem of hearing loss.
It is further expected that with time these numbers will increase rapidly.
Hearing disability can also be classified into the group of six, depending on the level of hearing loss or based upon a degree to measure hearing loss usually termed as “Decibel.” Hearing loss can be found, in any age group, even sometimes in a newborn baby.
Although it can be temporary in some cases, in others, it can be permanent too. By prevention and proper care, this disability can concur. Excessive exposure to noisy situations can also be one of the factors leading to hearing loss.
To gain more knowledge about hearing loss, let’s jump right into the stages of this disability.
The stage where you can only hear intensely loud sounds is usually defined as “Profound hearing loss.”
Most people suffering from such decibel hearing loss are unable to hear sounds below 90dB.
The loud sound approaching you may feel like a vibration. This could be a possible result of any genetic issues or any chronic ear infection. Profound hearing loss could be even due to a side effect of any irrational drug use too.
To communicate with a person who is profoundly deaf, you need to learn sign language as they are unable to hear speech at the conversational level.
Most of the time, the sounds of the letter “S” or “F” are harder to identify than normal alphabets.
In case you are suffering from this type of hearing loss, it is suggested to wear a hearing aid for better and clearer sounds. My personal favorite is , for its premium features, awesome quality & affordability and they provide a basic audiologist consultation as well, for free.
It is one of the common types of hearing loss. A person usually reaches this stage of permanent decibel hearing loss when he or she is continuously experiencing exposure to blare music or blast situations exceeding 71dB. It could probably be a result of aging too in elderly people. Every one person out of three of age 65 and above suffers from permanent hearing loss.
In medical terms, Sensorineural refers to permanent decibel hearing loss.
Permanent hearing loss could be a result of a damaged inner ear.
This usually happens when the tiny hair cells in the ear get damaged and stop functioning effectively. The cells become ineffective and prevent sending the signals to the auditory nerve.
The possible symptoms an individual can go through are hearing loss, reduction in speech, and tinnitus.
Also Read: 5 Best Hearing Aid For Tinnitus
Although no proper cure has been discovered, yet hearing assist and cochlear implants can help in the rehabilitation of hearing loss.
Temporary hearing loss normally lasts for one to three days at max but could be extremely hazardous if not treated at the earliest.
Hearing loss happens most of the time when you are exposed to excessively loud noises. If you love to go to parties, then probably you fall under the high-risk category.
Another possible reason that leads to temporary hearing loss can be head injuries. It ruptures your eardrum and results in bleeding.
The accumulation of wax in the ear could possibly be another reason for temporary hearing loss. As it gets stuck in your ear and results in sudden hearing loss.
Most people suffering from temporary hearing loss show the difficulty in hearing sounds amid background noises. Or many times, they feel muffled sounds in their ear.
In case you are suffering from this hearing disability, it is advised to go to an Audiologist. As in many cases, they can be cured by taking antibiotics.
When you are not able to hear the normal voice, but the loud sounds are audible, then it is termed as severe hearing loss. Sometimes newborn babies are born with the disability of severe hearing loss. Sound that ranges between 71 to 91 decibels fall in the category of severe hearing loss.
When you suffer from such a problem, the sound becomes muffled and fades; you also face difficulty listening to consonants. This might result in another person to speak louder, slowly, and comprehensible. Pain in one or two ears, ringing in the ear (tinnitus) is also considered as symptoms of severe hearing loss.
If you are dealing with this hearing loss, then you should avoid going to noisy places. It has advised you to carry earmuffs with you as a precaution. You should prefer to hear low volume while wearing earphones or headphones.
Surgeries, Hearing aids, and cochlear implantation are the methods that provide you with better and pellucid sound quality. It will further help you to cure severe decibel hearing loss.
If you are facing an issue of moderate hearing loss, you might also not be able to hear vowels and consonants sound accurate. The stage where you are not able to hear soft sounds properly. Sounds that range between 41 to 55 dB fall in the category of moderate hearing loss.
Aging and living in noisy places can be one of the factors causing moderate hearing loss. It damages cells terminating auditory signals that do not reach the brain properly, resulting in the inability of a person to comprehend what another person wants to say.
To put the situation, I recommend you to restrict yourself from going to noisy places or conditions that require excessive exposure to noise pollution. To enhance your safety reasons, do wear earmuffs or earplugs to elude traffic noise. Try to shun from the uncontrollable sound of crackers, gunfire, and extravagant music.
The best-recommended treatment for the convalescent and clarifying sound quality, you must prefer hearing aids, in some cases, surgeries can also put up some of the appreciable results and take the necessary precautions.
If you have mild hearing loss, you might face arduous to hear soft sounds and have a herculean to agnize whispering. The sound that ranges below 15 decibels might not be audible for children. In adults, this sound range differs, and lies between below 25 decibels are not detectable.
Auxiliary noisy publication and middle ear abnormalities are some of the paramount for mild hearing loss. Although there could be some innate or genetic factors too, such as Penrod syndrome, which is solely responsible for hearing loss.
The sound of the dripping of water, leaves rustling, chirping of a bird, etc are some of the standard quotidian, faced by a majority of people.
High pitch and low pitch frequency sounds are hard to hear to any individual suffering from mild decibel hearing loss.
To ward off hearing disability, you ought to prefer earplugs consisting of foam inside, as they are better in comfort level. In-ear monitors can also be an up-standing option, as they control the amount of sound entering into your ears. And at last, nothing can beat the results provided by the hearing aids.
Levels Of Decibel Hearing Loss | Degrees Of Hearing Loss | Symptoms, Described In Verbal Communication | Sounds That You Might Not Able To Hear |
Normal | More Than -10db Or Less Than 15db | – | – |
Minimal | More Than 15db Or Less Than 26db | Hardly Any Issues | Leakage Of Water |
Mild | More Than 26db Or Less Than 40db | Struggling In Hearing Faint Sounds Or Voices At Distant Areas. | Tick-tick Of Clock |
Moderate | More Than 40db Or Less Than 55db | Unable To Hear Diminished Speeches At A Conversational Level | Hoover Or Vacuum Sweeper |
Moderate Severe | More Than 55db Or Less Than 70db | Unable To Hear Low Voices During A Chit-chat | Woofing Of Dog |
Severe | More Than 70db Or Less Than 90db | Inadequate Chit-chat Ability And Tends To Hear Loud Voices Only | Weeping Of Baby |
Profound | Above 90db | Inadequate Capacity To Hear Loud Sounds | Aeroplanes Or Aircrafts |
How Long Temporary Hearing Loss Last?
According to the research temporary hearing loss occurs due to loud music or a blast. They usually last for 16 to 42 hours approximately, after some time hearing becomes normal. The latest researches show that they although get disappeared in the short-run but have an adverse effect on one’s health in the long-run.
What Level Of Hearing Loss Is Considered A Hearing Disability?
If you’re hearing test scores, as an adult, is more than 40 dB, you are suffering from a hearing disability. In children, if the score is less than 30dB, then they also fall in the category of hearing disability.
Even in some cases, after the implantation of the cochlear, still, the performance is not satisfactory even after one year of surgery. You can qualify for disability benefits if your score is less than 60% on the hearing test. Get a .
At What Percentage Of Hearing Aids Are Required?
Hearing aids are required if you have mild hearing loss which is from 25 to 40dB. You can use hearing aids if you are suffering from moderate-severe hearing loss that ranges between 56 to 76dB.
For severe hearing loss ranging from 71to 90dB, hearing aids are highly recommended as they provide you with better sound clarity.
How Long Does It Take To Fit A Hearing Aid In-to Your Ear With Superior Comfort?
Usually, an Audiologist takes approximately 45 minutes to provide you with extreme comfort. Although in some cases, depending upon your level of hearing loss, it can take up to 2 hours too. So, whenever you are planning to have a hearing aid in your ear make sure you have at least 2 hours.
Is It Possible To Have A Hearing Loss Only In One Ear?
Yes, it is possible to have hearing loss in one ear only. This type of hearing loss is usually referred to as “Unilateral Hearing loss.” If the person has lost the capacity to hear from both the ear, it is termed as “Bi-lateral Hearing loss.” although when same parts of both the ears are affected, they are termed as “Symmetrical Hearing loss.”