Your workplace has decided to encourage teamwork and collaboration by opening up the office floor plan. But this new arrangement has become a struggle for you. It’s because the increased noise is making it hard to follow along with conversation and not because you miss the privacy of cubical walls.
Even if standard hearing tests indicate perfectly fine hearing, the inability to hear conversations in noisy environments is frequently an early sign of hearing loss. This suggests that having “normal” hearing doesn’t guarantee the ability to comprehend speech effectively.
Considerable brain power is needed to tackle the complex task of speech recognition. Optimal hearing capabilities are required to differentiate voices in loud environments.
It becomes increasingly demanding for the brain to isolate speech in noisy settings as we get older. As a result, settings like busy offices or crowded restaurants become mentally exhausting.
Identifying hearing loss when it’s in its early stages
Early indications of hearing loss manifest in a variety of ways:
- Difficulty understanding conversations in noisy environments.
- Increased mental fatigue due to heightened concentration needed for listening.
- Distraction and reduced engagement in social interactions.
Hearing loss tests
It can be particularly difficult to identify these types of difficulties when traditional hearing diagnostics appear to reveal normal hearing. However, scientists are looking at innovative tests to diagnose early stages of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: For this diagnostics, you put on a special pair of glasses. These glasses can track the movement and dilation of your pupils. If you’re concentrating a little harder than normal your pupils will react in a particular way. But it could be an indication that you’re straining to hear if this happens in a loud setting.
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: In this test, a device tracks the electrical EEG signals transmitted 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 particular way when you’re in a crowded place.
These tests, coupled with personal observations, aim to detect hearing issues at their nascent phases, facilitating early intervention.
What are the benefits of early detection?
There are two significant advantages to early detection.
- Mental decline related to untreated hearing loss can be avoided with early detection.
- It alleviates frustration by providing clarity about the challenges of being in settings like open office plans.
Consider getting help if you’re having difficulty understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Total mental function and auditory health will be improved by early diagnosis. Call us today and let us help you with any hearing loss you might have.