Your workplace has opted to promote teamwork and cooperation by opening up the office floor plan. However, you find yourself having difficulties in this new configuration. It’s because the increased noise is making it challenging to follow along with conversation and not because you miss the privacy of cubical walls.
The inability to follow along with conversations in loud environments frequently serves as an early indicator of hearing loss, despite conventional hearing exams producing normal results. This indicates that having “normal” hearing doesn’t guarantee the ability to comprehend speech effectively.
Significant brain power is needed to tackle the complex task of speech recognition. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on particular voices amongst a cacophony of sounds demands optimal hearing capabilities.
As hearing starts to go, the brain encounters challenges in separating and processing speech signals amongst competing noises. Because of this, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in loud settings like restaurants and bustling offices.
How to recognize the early signs of hearing loss
Early indications of hearing loss manifest in various ways:
- The brain has to work extra hard to comprehend speech leading to increased mental fatigue.
- When in noisy settings, conversations are difficult to make out.
- Social isolation.
Testing for hearing loss
It can be especially hard to detect these kinds of challenges when traditional hearing diagnostics appear to reveal normal hearing. However, scientists are exploring innovative tests to identify early stages of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: For this diagnostics, you put on a special set of glasses. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be tracked with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a certain way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a bit harder than normal. But it may be an indication that you’re straining to hear if this occurs in a noisy setting.
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: The electrical signal transmitted from your ears to your brain is monitored by an EEG in this test. It will be a strong sign that you’re having some hearing trouble if these signals fluctuate in a specific way when you’re in a crowded place.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, combined with personal observation, are able to detect hearing problems in their very early stages.
What are the benefits of early detection?
Detecting even minor hearing loss early has two significant advantages.
- Addressing hearing loss promptly prevents cognitive decline related to neglected hearing impairments.
- It alleviates aggravation by supplying clarity about the difficulties of being in places like open office plans.
Consider finding help if you’re having trouble understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Total cognitive function and auditory health will be improved by early detection. Schedule a hearing test today and investigate options right for you.