Your workplace recently embraced the trend of open-office floor plans, promoting collaboration and teamwork. However, you find yourself having difficulties in this new setup. It’s because the elevated noise is making it hard to follow along with conversation and not because you miss the privacy of cubical walls.
Even if mainstream hearing tests indicate perfectly normal hearing, the inability to hear conversations in noisy settings is frequently an early sign of hearing loss. This suggests that having “normal” hearing doesn’t guarantee the capacity to comprehend speech effectively.
Substantial brain power is required to tackle the complex task of speech comprehension. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on particular voices amidst a cacophony of sounds requires optimal hearing capabilities.
As hearing begins to decline, the brain encounters challenges in isolating and processing speech signals amidst competing sounds. As a result, it becomes mentally fatiguing to be in noisy settings like restaurants and busy offices.
Recognizing hearing loss when it’s in its early stages
Here are a number of ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Increased mental exhaustion as a result of heightened concentration required for listening.
- Social isolation.
- Problems understanding conversations in loud environments.
Hearing loss examinations
Uncovering such difficulties can be challenging, particularly when traditional diagnostics suggest normal hearing. Here are a couple of tests being formulated by scientists to identify hearing loss in its early phases:
- The Eye Test: For this diagnostics, you wear a special pair of glasses. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be monitored with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a certain 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: 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 fluctuate in a specific way when you’re in a crowded location.
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
Discovering even slight hearing loss early has two significant advantages.
- Dealing with hearing loss promptly prevents mental decline related to untreated hearing impairments.
- It provides clarity regarding challenges faced in environments like open offices, alleviating potential aggravations.
If you’re experiencing difficulty following conversations in spite of “normal” hearing, think about finding a professional evaluation.
Early detection assures timely intervention, enhancing total auditory health and mental function. Schedule a hearing test today and investigate solutions right for you.