Your workplace has opted to encourage teamwork and cooperation by opening up the office floor plan. However, you find yourself struggling in this new setup. Not because you miss the privacy of cubicle walls, but because the elevated noise makes it difficult to follow conversations.
The inability to follow along with conversations in noisy environments frequently acts as an early indicator of hearing loss, despite conventional hearing tests yielding normal results. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
Speech comprehension is a complex mental process that requires significant brainpower. Differentiating speech from background noise and focusing on particular voices amidst a cacophony of sounds requires optimal hearing abilities.
It becomes increasingly demanding for the brain to focus in on speech in loud settings as we get older. As a result, it becomes mentally fatiguing to be in loud environments like restaurants and bustling offices.
Identifying hearing loss when it’s in its early phases
Early indications of hearing loss manifest in a variety of ways:
- When in noisy settings, conversations are hard to make out.
- Social isolation.
- The brain needs to work extra hard to comprehend speech causing increased mental exhaustion.
Testing for hearing loss
It can be particularly hard to identify these kinds of challenges when traditional hearing diagnostics seem to reveal normal hearing. However, researchers are looking at 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. It will be a strong sign that you’re having some hearing difficulty if these signals fluctuate in a certain way when you’re in a crowded place.
- The Eye Test: For this test, you put on a special set of glasses. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be monitored with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a specific way, it implies that you’re concentrating a little harder than usual. So if this tends to happen in crowded or loud areas, it could be an indication that you’re having to strain to hear.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, coupled with personal observation, are able to detect hearing problems in their very early stages.
What are the benefits of early detection?
Discovering even slight hearing loss early offers two significant advantages.
- It alleviates frustration by providing clarity about the difficulties of being in places like open office plans.
- Cognitive decline related to neglected hearing loss can be avoided with early detection.
If you’re experiencing difficulty following conversations in spite of “normal” hearing, think about seeking a professional evaluation.
Early detection assures timely intervention, enhancing overall auditory health and mental function. Contact us today and let us help you with any hearing loss you may have.
