Hearing loss is usually a gradual process. People don’t feel as though they are having hearing issues because it doesn’t sound like it’s their fault. Our ears hear high and low pitch sounds. Generally, when people lose their hearing, they tend to lose the ability to hear some types of sounds more so than others. This usually occurs more in the high pitch sounds. We refer to these situations as Sound Voids. The result of Sound Voids is that low pitch sounds are often heard at normal levels while high pitch sounds are not. This is important because, generally speaking, in English, vowel sounds tend to be at a lower pitch and consonants tend to be higher in pitch. Vowel sounds also tend to carry a lot more power than consonant sounds, creating the sensation of volume. Consonants provide much of the clarity in speech, albeit at a much lower volume level. When people are dealing with Sound Voids, they say things like “I can hear, but I can’t understand”, or they accuse others of mumbling.
If you are concerned that you may be experiencing Sound Voids or would like to have a hearing test, please call Orland Hearing Aid Center today.
Photo by Dex Ezekiel on Unsplash
