Your workplace has decided to promote teamwork and collaboration by opening up the office floor plan. But this new setup has become a struggle for you. It’s because the increased noise is making it difficult to follow along with conversation and not because you miss the privacy of cubical walls.
The inability to follow along with conversations in loud settings often acts as an early indicator of hearing loss, in spite of conventional hearing exams producing normal results. This suggests that having “normal” hearing doesn’t guarantee the ability to comprehend speech effectively.
Significant brain power is required to tackle the complex task of speech comprehension. Differentiating speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amongst a cacophony of sounds demands optimal hearing abilities.
As hearing begins to decline, the brain faces difficulties in separating and processing speech signals amidst competing sounds. Because of this, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in loud environments like restaurants and bustling offices.
How to recognize the early signs of hearing loss
Here are a number of ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- The brain has to work overtime to comprehend speech causing increased mental exhaustion.
- When in loud settings, conversations are difficult to make out.
- Social isolation.
Testing for hearing loss
Uncovering such challenges can be tricky, especially when conventional diagnostics indicate normal hearing. However, researchers are exploring innovative tests to identify early signs of hearing loss:
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: The electrical signal sent from your ears to your brain is monitored by an EEG in this test. If these signals change in a particular way while you’re in a crowded or noisy setting, that could be a strong indication of some issues with your hearing.
- The Eye Test: For this diagnostics, you put on a special pair of glasses. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be monitored with these glasses. If your pupils react in a specific way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a little harder than usual. So if this tends to occur in crowded or noisy areas, it could be a sign that you’re having to strain to hear.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, combined with personal observation, are able to identify hearing issues in their very early stages.
What are the advantages of early detection?
Detecting even slight hearing loss early has two considerable advantages.
- It alleviates frustration by supplying clarity about the difficulties of being in places like open office plans.
- Dealing with hearing loss promptly prevents mental decline related to untreated hearing impairments.
If you’re experiencing difficulty following conversations despite “normal” hearing, consider finding a professional evaluation.
Overall cognitive function and auditory health will be improved by early diagnosis. Schedule a hearing test today and look into options right for you.