Your workplace has opted to promote 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 increased noise makes it difficult to follow conversations.
Even if established hearing tests indicate totally normal hearing, the inability to hear conversations in noisy environments is often an early sign of hearing loss. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
Considerable brain power is required to carry out the complex task of speech comprehension. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amidst a cacophony of sounds requires optimal hearing capabilities.
It becomes increasingly challenging for the brain to isolate speech in loud settings as we get older. Because of this, it becomes mentally fatiguing to be in noisy 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:
- Problems understanding conversations in loud environments.
- The brain needs to work extra hard to comprehend speech causing increased mental fatigue.
- Social isolation.
Hearing loss tests
It can be particularly hard to detect these kinds of difficulties when traditional hearing diagnostics seem to show normal hearing. However, researchers are exploring innovative tests to identify early stages of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: A special set of glasses is used in this test. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be tracked with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a particular way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a little 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 sent from your ears to your brain is tracked by an EEG in this test. If these signals change in a specific way while you’re in a crowded or noisy setting, that could be a firm indication of some problems with your hearing.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, along with personal observation, are able to detect hearing problems in their very early stages.
The benefits of early detection
Detecting even minor hearing loss early offers two considerable advantages.
- It alleviates frustration by supplying clarity about the challenges of being in settings like open office plans.
- Addressing hearing loss promptly prevents mental decline related to untreated hearing impairments.
Consider finding help if you’re having difficulty understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Overall cognitive function and auditory health will be improved by early detection. Call us today and let us help you with any hearing loss you may have.