HDG Sound Library | Learn Common Breathing, Heart & Medical Sounds
Learn to Recognize Common Health Sounds
Some medical conditions produce characteristic sounds that can provide important clues about what may be happening in the body.
The HDG Sound Library brings together carefully selected educational recordings and videos from trusted medical and public health organizations to help you become familiar with these sounds.
Whether you are a parent, caregiver, student, or simply interested in learning more about health, this library is designed to make medical sounds easier to understand.
👉 These recordings are for educational purposes only. They cannot diagnose a medical condition or replace assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
🫁 Respiratory Sounds
Breathing sounds may provide clues about problems affecting the lungs or airways.
🎧 Normal Breathing
Healthy breathing is usually quiet, regular, and effortless.
🔊 Listen: MSD Manuals – Normal Breath Sounds
🎧 Wheezing
A high-pitched whistling sound caused by narrowed airways.
Commonly associated with:
• Asthma
• Viral wheeze
• Bronchiolitis
• Allergic reactions
🔊 Listen: MSD Manuals – Wheezing
🎥 Watch: KidsHealth New Zealand – Wheezing in Children
🎧 Stridor
A harsh, high-pitched sound usually heard when breathing in.
Commonly associated with:
• Croup
• Upper airway swelling
• Foreign body aspiration
🔊 Listen: MSD Manuals – Stridor
🎥 Watch: KidsHealth New Zealand – Stridor
🚨 Stridor while resting should always be assessed urgently.
🎧 Crackles
Small popping or crackling sounds heard when fluid or mucus affects the lungs.
Commonly associated with:
• Pneumonia
• Bronchiolitis
• Heart failure
🔊 Listen: MSD Manuals – Crackles
🎧 Grunting
A short sound some babies and children make while breathing out to help keep their lungs open.
🚨 Grunting often indicates significant breathing difficulty.
🎥 Watch: KidsHealth New Zealand – Grunting
🎧 Barking Cough (Croup)
A distinctive cough that sounds similar to a barking seal.
Commonly associated with:
• Croup
🎥 Watch: KidsHealth New Zealand – Croup
🎧 Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
Repeated coughing fits followed by a deep breath that may produce a characteristic "whoop."
Commonly associated with:
• Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
🔊 Listen: MSD Manuals – Whooping Cough
🎥 Watch: KidsHealth New Zealand – Whooping Cough
❤️ Heart Sounds (Coming Soon)
🎧 Normal heart sounds
🎧 Heart murmurs
🎧 Extra heart sounds
👶 Baby & Child Sounds (Coming Soon)
🎧 Normal newborn cry
🎧 Pain cry
🎧 Colic cry
🎧 Hoarse cry
👂 Ear, Nose & Throat Sounds (Coming Soon)
🎧 Snoring
🎧 Sleep apnea
🎧 Noisy breathing
🩺 Other Clinical Sounds (Coming Soon)
🎧 Bowel sounds
🎧 Joint crepitus (clicking)
🎧 Hiccups
🚨 When to Seek Urgent Medical Care
Do not rely on sound recordings alone.
Seek emergency medical care immediately if someone has:
• severe difficulty breathing
• blue, gray, or pale lips or face
• repeated grunting
• stridor while resting
• difficulty waking up
• inability to speak, cry, or feed because of breathing difficulty
👉 If you are unsure whether a breathing sound is normal, it is always safest to seek medical advice.
🔗 Related Health Topics
• Wheezing in Children
• Viral Wheeze in Children
• Asthma in Children
• Bronchiolitis
• Croup
• Whooping Cough
• Pneumonia in Children
• Breathing Difficulty in Children
🔗 Recommended Educational Resources
🟢 MSD Manuals (Audio Library)
Listen to authentic medical recordings of common breath and heart sounds.
https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/pages-with-widgets/audio
🟢 KidsHealth New Zealand
Watch videos showing common breathing sounds and signs of breathing difficulty in babies and children.
https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/signs-that-children-are-struggling-to-breathe
📚 Copyright Notice
Health Decoded Guide does not own or host the recordings or videos linked on this page.
All recordings remain the property of their original creators and are accessed directly from the original websites.
Links are provided solely for educational purposes to help readers learn from trusted medical resources while respecting copyright.
⚠️ Disclaimer
The HDG Sound Library is for educational purposes only.
Medical sounds alone cannot diagnose a condition, and similar sounds may occur in different illnesses.
If you or someone you are caring for has severe symptoms or difficulty breathing, seek urgent medical attention immediately.