Understanding Decibel Levels and Their Impact on Hearing Health

Hearing loss often occurs as individuals age, with loud noises serving as a significant contributing factor. Exposure to loud sounds can adversely affect one’s hearing. This damage may result from a single, extremely loud noise or prolonged exposure to loud environments. While some instances of hearing damage are temporary, others can lead to permanent impairment. Delving deeper into how loud noises impact our hearing, exploring methods for measuring noise, and discovering ways to maintain healthy ears becomes crucial. Understanding decibel levels is key to comprehending the impact of sound on our auditory health.

What are Decibel Levels?

Decibels (dB) measure how loud sounds are. They’re like a ruler for sound. When the number of decibels goes up, the sound gets louder. This is what Kelly King, a hearing expert, says. But here’s the thing: the way decibels work is not like other rulers. It’s more like a special ruler. Instead of going straight, it goes up in a different way called “logarithmic.” This special way helps us understand how our ears feel changes in sound. Jaclyn Schurman, another expert, explains this.

Even a small increase in loudness can hurt the sensitive parts of our ears. Dr. King warns about this. Sometimes, loud noises, like fireworks near your ears, can cause hearing loss right away. Other times, hearing loss happens slowly from being around loud sounds. Lauren Doolittle, a hearing expert in Pennsylvania, talks about this. She says powerful sounds can hurt our hearing quickly. But being around loud noises often also makes hearing problems more likely.

To keep ears safe, experts suggest using special things like earplugs or earmuffs when doing noisy stuff. Things like going to concerts or using noisy tools can be harmful to our ears.

Knowing which levels of sound are safe and which ones are harmful is important. Dr. Schurman says this knowledge helps protect our hearing.

Sound Measurement

Sound is measured using units called decibels. It’s usually compared to something else. Our ears can’t hear all sounds—some are too low or too high for us to hear. There are two common ways to talk about sound using decibels: sound pressure level (dB SPL), which is about air pressure, and A-weighted decibels (dBA), which is about what our ears can hear best. Dr. King explains this.

When we measure sound in decibels, we use a scale that grows in a special way called logarithmic. It doesn’t increase in a straight line. For example, a sound at 20 decibels is 10 times more intense than a sound at 10 decibels. A sound at 100 decibels is one billion times stronger than a sound at 10 decibels.

Decibel Levels of Common Sounds

Here’s some information about how loud everyday sounds are, measured in units called decibels (dB). These measurements come from advice given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH suggests using ear protection when noises reach 85 decibels or more, no matter how long you’re around that sound.