Your workplace has opted to encourage teamwork and collaboration by opening up the office floor plan. However, you find yourself struggling in this new configuration. Not because you miss the privacy of cubicle walls, but because the increased noise makes it difficult to follow conversations.
The inability to follow along with conversations in noisy settings frequently serves as an early indicator of hearing loss, despite conventional hearing tests producing normal outcomes. This indicates that having “normal” hearing doesn’t guarantee the capacity to comprehend speech effectively.
Speech comprehension is a complex cognitive task that demands substantial brainpower. Optimal hearing abilities are required to distinguish voices in noisy environments.
It becomes increasingly challenging for the brain to focus in on speech in noisy settings as we get older. As a result, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in noisy settings like restaurants and busy offices.
How to recognize the early signs of hearing loss
Here are a number of ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Trouble understanding conversations in loud environments.
- The brain has to work extra hard to comprehend speech causing increased mental exhaustion.
- Distraction and reduced engagement in social interactions.
Testing for hearing loss
It can be particularly hard to identify these types of difficulties when traditional hearing diagnostics seem to show normal hearing. However, researchers are looking into innovative tests to identify early stages of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: For this test, you wear a special set of glasses. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be monitored with these glasses. If you’re concentrating a little harder than normal your pupils will behave in a specific way. So if this tends to occur in crowded or loud areas, it could be a sign that you’re having to strain to hear.
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: In this test, a device monitors the electrical EEG signals sent by your ears to your brain. It will be a potent sign that you’re having some hearing difficulty if these signals change in a particular way when you’re in a crowded location.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, coupled with personal observation, are able to identify hearing issues in their very early stages.
What are the benefits of early detection?
There are two significant advantages to early detection.
- It provides clarity regarding challenges faced in environments like open offices, mitigating potential frustrations.
- Dealing with hearing loss quickly prevents mental decline associated with neglected hearing impairments.
Consider finding help if you’re having difficulty understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Total mental function and auditory health will be improved by early detection. Schedule a hearing test today and investigate solutions right for you.