Your workplace has decided 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 hard to follow conversations.
The inability to follow along with conversations in noisy settings often serves as an early indicator of hearing loss, in spite of conventional hearing tests yielding normal results. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
Significant brain power is needed to tackle the complex task of speech recognition. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amongst a cacophony of sounds demands optimal hearing capabilities.
As hearing starts to go, the brain encounters difficulties in isolating and processing speech signals amongst competing sounds. As a result, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in loud settings like restaurants and bustling offices.
Recognizing hearing loss when it’s in its early stages
Here are a few ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Difficulty understanding conversations in loud environments.
- Social isolation.
- Increased mental fatigue as a result of heightened concentration required for listening.
Hearing loss assessments
Uncovering such challenges can be challenging, especially when conventional diagnostics indicate normal hearing. However, researchers are exploring innovative tests to diagnose early stages of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: A special pair of glasses is utilized in this test. These glasses can monitor the movement and dilation of your pupils. If your pupils behave in a certain way, it implies that you’re concentrating a bit harder than usual. But it could be a sign that you’re straining to hear if this happens in a loud setting.
- 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 potent sign that you’re having some hearing difficulty if these signals change in a certain way when you’re in a crowded place.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, combined with personal observation, are able to identify hearing issues in their very early stages.
The Advantages of early detection
Detecting even slight hearing loss early offers two significant advantages.
- It offers clarity regarding challenges faced in settings like open offices, mitigating potential frustrations.
- Cognitive decline associated with untreated hearing loss can be prevented with early detection.
If you’re experiencing trouble following conversations despite “normal” hearing, consider finding a professional evaluation.
Overall mental function and auditory health will be improved by early detection. Schedule a hearing test today and look into solutions right for you.