Eh, what did you say?
Eh, what did you say? Do you say that very often or even starting a few years ago? If so, you might have damaged your hearing.
Listening to loud music, working on a job with noisy machinery without hearing protection or even just mowing your lawn with a gas mower. They all will do damage to the very delicate parts that let you hear the world around you. And the damage can not be reversed! Some sounds do damage more quickly and others take more time. If you have a ringing in your ears after being exposed to loud sounds and it disappears afterward in a short time. That was a warning sign. Heed it!
Sound is comparable to waves lapping against a shoreline. If the waves are almost calm to moderately so, then the shoreline does not erode away. But if the waves become higher then the shoreline washes away into the water. The shoreline can be likened to what the hair cells (stereocilia) are and if you experience hearing damage these hair cells never regenerate. Thus, you lose some or all of your hearing. How much and when is dependent on the sound level(s) and the length of time of exposure.
The National Institute of Health of the United States of America has a very nice chart showing the health effects of sound exposure upon the human ear (shown below).
Sound is measured in decibels (db) and are measured on a logarithmic scale. Which means that it is nonlinear (not in a straight line). So a decibel number of 100 db is tens times that of 95 db. With that in mind below is a chart showing some common examples of sound levels in decibels (source MDHearing ) and a list also follows from the same source.
A decibel chart shows the intensity levels of common environmental sounds, which range from 0 dB to 140 dB (the threshold of pain). Some points of reference on the decibel chart include the following:
- 0 dB – The softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing
- 10 dB – Normal breathing
- 20 dB – Leaves rustling, a ticking watch
- 30 dB – A whisper
- 40 dB – Refrigerator hum, a quiet office
- 50 dB – Moderate rainfall
- 60 dB – Normal conversation, dishwashers
- 70 dB – Vacuum cleaners, traffic
- 80 dB – Police car siren, a noisy restaurant
- 90 dB – Hairdryers, blenders, power tools
- 100 dB – Motorcycles, hand dryers
- 110 dB – Nightclubs, sporting events
- 120 dB – Thunder, concerts, a jet plane taking off
- 130 dB – Jackhammers, ambulances
- 140 dB – Fireworks, gunshot
From the National Institute of Hearing and Deafness– Sounds at or below 70 A-weighted decibels (dBA), even after long exposure, are unlikely to cause hearing loss. However, long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for noise induced hearing loss to happen.
Now I will take a little side trip and talk about tinnitus. What is tinnitus? It can be a ringing in the ears, or a humming or rushing sound in your ears. The damage can be from hearing loss due to exposure to damaging sound levels either over time or from short exposure to a very loud sound level.
While my hearing is very good for my age, I have tinnitus. In my case it is a ringing sound that comes and goes. One warning sign is some ringing after doing something like cutting the grass without any hearing protection. The ringing will disappear a short time after, but if you continue to use the gas powered mower without any protection for your ears. You too may have the lovely ringing in your ears too. Forever.
Today too many people listen to music at levels that cause them to feel the bass sound(s) against their body. I fear that the companies that make hearing aids are going to make windfall profits from these individuals in the not too distant future. You have now been educated and warned. Take heed and think about what is more important to you. If you do not mind being deaf or suffering from tinnitus then just keep on what you are doing. The damage you inflect upon yourself and other innocents is going to be all your own fault!
Please do read the provided links and I hope that the information presented here will prevent you from damaging your hearing. It is a precious gift.
It does not matter whether you listen to Mozart or Drake. Turning up the volume only can harm you and any other person(s) nearby.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
