{"id":6921,"date":"2020-03-24T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/?p=6921"},"modified":"2022-06-07T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T19:40:12","slug":"what-is-a-decibel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/what-is-a-decibel\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Decibel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you get a hearing test, your audiologist will show you your results on an audiogram, which is a chart that shows the exact specifications of your hearing loss<\/a>. This information includes what the quietest sound that you can still hear is, which is measured in decibels.<\/p>\n

What Is a Decibel?\"decibel<\/h2>\n

Decibels measure the loudness of sounds. Another way to say this is they measure the amplitude of soundwaves. The more amplitude a sound has, the louder it is and the higher the decibel rating. Decibels are commonly notated as dB.<\/p>\n

The decibel scale is logarithmic rather than linear. This means that for every 10 dB increase on the decibel scale, there is a 10-fold increase in volume. Therefore, an 80-dB sound is 10 times louder than a 70-dB sound.<\/p>\n

What Level of Sounds Are Safe?<\/h2>\n

Any sound louder than 85 dB can cause hearing damage over time. The louder a sound is, the more quickly it can damage your hearing. City traffic at 85 dB can damage your hearing after eight hours or more of exposure, while a 100-dB sound like a motorcycle engine can cause damage in just 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Here are some everyday sounds and their decibel outputs for reference:<\/p>\n