Your workplace has chosen to encourage teamwork and collaboration by opening up the office floor plan. But this new arrangement has become a struggle for you. Not because you miss the privacy of cubicle walls, but because the elevated noise makes it difficult to follow conversations.
The inability to follow conversations in loud environments often serves as an early indicator of hearing loss, in spite of conventional hearing tests yielding normal results. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
The complexity of speech perception
Speech comprehension is a complex cognitive task that involves considerable brainpower. Optimal hearing abilities are necessary to distinguish voices in noisy environments.
As hearing starts to decline, the brain faces difficulties in isolating and processing speech signals amidst competing sounds. Because of this, it becomes mentally exhausting to be in loud settings like restaurants and busy offices.
How to recognize the early signs of hearing loss
Here are a few ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Increased mental exhaustion as a result of heightened concentration needed for listening.
- Social isolation.
- When in noisy settings, conversations are difficult to make out.
Testing for hearing loss
Detecting such difficulties can be tricky, particularly when conventional diagnostics indicate normal hearing. However, researchers 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 your pupils react in a specific way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a bit harder than usual. But it could be a sign that you’re straining to hear if this occurs in a loud setting.
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: The electrical signal sent from your ears to your brain is tracked by an EEG in this test. 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 place.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, coupled with personal observation, are able to identify hearing problems in their very early stages.
The Advantages of early detection
There are two significant advantages to early detection.
- It alleviates frustration by providing clarity about the challenges of being in settings like open office plans.
- Cognitive decline associated with neglected hearing loss can be avoided with early detection.
If you’re experiencing difficulty following conversations in spite of “normal” hearing, consider finding a professional evaluation.
Early detection assures timely intervention, enhancing total auditory health and cognitive function. Schedule a hearing test today and look into options right for you.
