A Simpler Way to Understand Your Hearing Health.
If you’ve ever had your hearing tested, you may have seen a chart filled with lines and decibels (dB), plotting how well you hear at different pitches. While this audiogram is an essential tool for hearing care professionals like ourselves, it can be confusing for the person it matters most to… you.
That’s where The Hearing Number comes in. A new, simpler way to understand your hearing health, and importantly, to track it over time.
What exactly is The Hearing Number?
Put simply, The Hearing Number is a single figure that reflects how well you hear, based on your hearing thresholds. It’s calculated from the results of our standard hearing test (audiogram), but instead of presenting that data as a graph, it condenses it into an easy-to-understand number between 0 and 100.
- A Hearing Number close to 0 typically means your hearing is within normal limits.
- A higher Hearing Number (up to 100) indicates some degree of hearing loss.
- You could think of it like a percentage hearing loss figure.
- Because the number is based on a weighted average of your hearing thresholds, it gives a general overview of your ability to hear everyday sounds and speech.
Why is this helpful?
For many people, traditional hearing test results can feel clinical or abstract. You might be told you have “mild” or “moderate” hearing loss, or shown an audiogram with symbols across different frequencies, but what does that really mean for your daily life?
The Hearing Number offers a clear, relatable alternative. Like blood pressure or cholesterol levels, it gives you a number you can remember, track over time, and discuss easily with your audiologist. It doesn’t replace the audiogram, which remains vital for diagnosis, but it complements it with a user-friendly summary.
Track your progress over time
One of the biggest benefits of The Hearing Number is that it can help you monitor changes in your hearing from year to year. Whether you’re noticing changes yourself, using hearing aids, or simply checking in on your hearing health as you age, this number can offer peace of mind, or an early alert to act on.
At Hearing Healthcare Practice, we now include The Hearing Number as part of your hearing assessment. It’s a fantastic way to:
- Understand your results more clearly
- Share your hearing health with family or carers
- Set a benchmark for future check-ups
- Track the effectiveness of hearing aids or other interventions
A number with real-world meaning
The Hearing Number is based on the World Health Organisation’s hearing classification and is being adopted by more professional clinics worldwide as a practical way to communicate hearing results. It’s especially helpful for those who might feel overwhelmed by the science behind hearing loss – because understanding your hearing shouldn’t require a degree in audiology.
Curious about your Hearing Number?
If you haven’t had a hearing check in the last year, or if you’re simply curious to know your number, we’d love to see you. Book a consultation with our award-winning team at Hearing Healthcare Practice in Harpenden, and find out your Hearing Number in our relaxed, purpose-built, professional environment.