Your workplace recently embraced the trend of open-office floor plans, encouraging cooperation and teamwork. However, you find yourself struggling in this new setup. 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.
Even if standard hearing tests indicate completely fine hearing, the inability to hear conversations in noisy settings is frequently an early sign of hearing loss. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
Speech comprehension is a complex mental task that requires substantial brainpower. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amidst a cacophony of sounds demands optimal hearing capabilities.
It becomes increasingly challenging for the brain to focus in on speech in noisy settings as we get older. Because of this, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in noisy settings like restaurants and bustling offices.
How to recognize the early signs of hearing loss
Here are a few ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- The brain has to work overtime to comprehend speech leading to increased mental tiredness.
- When in noisy settings, conversations are difficult to make out.
- Social isolation.
Testing for hearing loss
Uncovering such difficulties can be tricky, particularly when conventional diagnostics indicate normal hearing. Here are some tests being formulated by scientists to diagnose hearing loss in its early stages:
- The Eye Test: For this diagnostics, you wear a special pair of glasses. These glasses can track the movement and dilation of your pupils. If your pupils react in a specific way, it implies that you’re concentrating a little harder than normal. So if this tends to happen in crowded or loud areas, it could be an indication that you’re having to strain to hear.
- 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 potent sign that you’re having some hearing difficulty if these signals fluctuate in a particular 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 benefits of early detection
There are two significant benefits to early detection.
- Addressing hearing loss promptly prevents mental decline related to neglected hearing impairments.
- It reduces aggravation by providing clarity about the challenges of being in places like open office plans.
If you’re experiencing trouble following conversations in spite of “normal” hearing, consider seeking a professional assessment.
Early detection assures timely intervention, enhancing total auditory health and cognitive function. Give us a call today and let us help you with any hearing loss you might have.