The main organ of hearing is the cochlea in the internal ear. Cochlea receives sound waves and transmits them to the brain. It works smoothly in people with normal hearing. The human hearing range is a description of the pitches and stress levels that a person can hear before feeling uncomfortable.
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Decibel level for normal hearing ranges from 0 to 20 decibel. A decibel is a unit of measurement of the loudness of the sound. Normal hearing is important for language development, social communication, gaining new knowledge and responsiveness to environmental sounds.
The word “decibel” comes from “deci” (meaning “one-tenth”). Alexander Graham Bell invented this unit. The frequency describes the pitch of the sound. There is Severe deafness, wherein a person cannot hear loud speech without the usage of hearing aid. It’s important to remember that hearing inability is different for different people and even has different levels.
Pitch and Loudness
The human hearing range depends on the pitch of the sound whether it is low or high. The level of a pitch of the sound is measured in the decibel (dB) and the level of loudness is measured in Hertz (Hz).
For a normal person hearing range starts low about 20 Hz. It is at the lowest pedal. On the other hand, the range of human hearing at the highest possible frequency heard without discomfort is 20,000 Hz. Our hearing is most sensitive at the level between 2000 – 5000 Hz frequency range. While 20 to 2000 Hz forms a human hearing range.
Meaning of “Decibel” and “Hertz”
The volume of sound or a loud sound is determined by the level of pressure. The word “decibel” comes from “deci” (meaning “one-tenth”). Alexander Graham Bell invented this unit. The frequency describes the pitch of the sound. The level of the sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB).
The frequency describes how high the sound pitch is. It is measured in Hz, which is named after the name of the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. How many vibrations is frequency per second? For example, 20 Hz means 20 vibrations per second.
The process of normal hearing:
- Normal hearing occurs when sound enters the outer ear, travels through the ear canal and reaches the eardrum
- The eardrum is the start of the middle ear. It vibrates in answer to the sound and this causes vibration in the chain of the three bones in the middle ear.
- This vibration is transferred to the inner ear. The inner ear consists of nerve fibers that receive sound.
- The signal is given by the auditory nerve to the center of the brainstem, which, receives a signal from both ears.
- At last, it is transferred to the auditory cortex from where the brain thinks, it is the place where the signal’s message is understood.
The Hearing loss keeps away the person from learning as well as growth in the language, moreover social and behavioral aspects. Hearing loss can be fundamental or related to illness, injury or drugs. A mild hearing loss may be difficult to notice but, we should not neglect the conflicting effects that it may cause.
Some points related to hearing are…
- Quiet countryside: 20 dB
- Quiet conversation: 40 dB
- Normal conversation: 60 dB
- Traffic: 80 dB
- Industrial noise: 100 dB
- Nearby thunder: 120 dB
- Jet engine: 140 dB
- Sounds louder than 130 dB can cause acute hearing loss.
The list below outlines different decibel levels…
A hearing loss of up to 20 decibels under the hearing threshold is still considered a normal hearing. The more serious hearing loss is serious:
- Moderate hearing loss: 40 to 55 dB higher than normal.
- Moderate-to-severe hearing loss: 55 to 70 dB higher than normal.
- Severe hearing loss: 70 to 90 dB higher than normal.
- Profound loss: 90 dB or more to the animal.
Measurement of Sound
The lowest level of the decibel is 0 at this level we can hear. This is the measurement of the softest sound that our ears can hear. With an increase of 10 decibels, a sound becomes 10 times more intense twice as loud to our ears. By the time when the decibel level reaches about 120 decibels, for example, the sound of a jet engine or ambulance siren, the intensity is 1 trillion times greater than the weakest audible sound.
The decibel levels could be harder for us to exact estimate than distance or volume, many of the hearing organizations have developed helpful points of reference on the decibel scale. The sound of normal breathing is 10 decibels, a soft whisper is 30 decibels, a normal conversation is 60 decibels, and shouting in the ear is 110 decibels. Among common environmental sounds, a refrigerator is 50 decibels, a ringing telephone is 80 decibels, a noisy restaurant is 85 decibels, and a subway is 90 to 115 decibels.
How do we hear?
In order for us to be able to hear a sound at all, it has to be above a certain level. This level name as an auditory threshold or hearing threshold. Humans have a hearing threshold of around 0 decibels. Above this threshold, sounds with higher sound pressure levels are heard as louder noises. Sounds above 90 dB can lead to chronic hearing damage if people are exposed to them every day or all the time. Hearing becomes uncomfortable if the sound pressure level is above 110 decibels (threshold of discomfort), and it becomes painful above 130 decibels (threshold of pain).
The following list shows examples of the volume of familiar noises. Most people perceive a 10-decibel increase in volume to be “twice as loud.”
- Quiet countryside: 20 dB
- Quiet conversation: 40 dB
- Normal conversation: 60 dB
- Traffic: 80 dB
- Industrial noise: 100 dB
- Very loud music, for example at a rock concert or a nightclub: 120 dB
- Nearby thunder: 120 dB
- Jet engine: 140 dB
Sounds louder than 130 dB can cause acute hearing loss.
Why is the hearing bad with age?
As the age of the people increases, their hearing worse is very common. About 25 to 40 people out of 100 of the age of 65 are affected. Half of all people 75 years old and 80% of 80-year-old people are hard to hear.
The exact reasons for age-related hearing loss are not known. Changes in the inner ear and the brain are thought to play a role.
Nowadays, there are various amplifier hearing aids that improve people’s hearing and help them understand the conversation. All these hearing aids filter the background noise. They are adjustable according to the personal needs of their wearer. And they can be worn in the back or in the ears, where they are barely visible.
You can purchase the latest hearing aids at a fair price through HearingSol, If you need more information or you have a query about Decibel Level for Normal Hearing or Hearing Loss, just give us a call on +91-9327901950. We are always here to help you.