Your workplace recently adopted the trend of open-office floor plans, encouraging collaboration and teamwork. But this new setup has become challenging for you. It’s because the increased noise is making it difficult to follow along with conversation and not because you miss the privacy of cubical walls.
The inability to follow conversations in loud environments frequently acts as an early indicator of hearing loss, in spite of conventional hearing exams producing normal results. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
Significant brain power is needed to carry out the complex task of speech recognition. Optimal hearing capabilities are needed to distinguish voices in loud environments.
As hearing starts to go, the brain faces challenges in separating and processing speech signals amongst competing sounds. Because of this, it becomes mentally fatiguing to be in loud environments like restaurants and bustling offices.
How to identify the early signs of hearing loss
Here are a few ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Distraction and reduced engagement in social interactions.
- Increased mental exhaustion as a result of heightened concentration required for listening.
- When in noisy settings, conversations are hard to understand.
Hearing loss tests
It can be especially hard to identify these kinds of difficulties when traditional hearing diagnostics seem to reveal normal hearing. However, scientists are exploring innovative tests to diagnose early signs of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: For this test, you put on a special pair of glasses. These glasses can monitor the movement and dilation of your pupils. If your pupils react in a specific way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a little harder than normal. But it could be a sign that you’re straining to hear if this occurs in a loud setting.
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: In this test, a device monitors the electrical EEG signals transmitted by your ears to your brain. If these signals fluctuate in a specific way while you’re in a crowded or noisy environment, that could be a firm indication of some issues with your hearing.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, along with personal observation, are able to identify hearing problems in their very early stages.
What are the advantages of early detection?
Discovering even slight hearing loss early offers two substantial advantages.
- It alleviates frustration by providing clarity about the challenges of being in places like open office plans.
- Addressing hearing loss quickly prevents cognitive decline associated with untreated hearing impairments.
Think about finding help if you’re having difficulty understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Total cognitive function and auditory health will be improved by early detection. Give us a call today and let us help you with any hearing loss you might have.
