Your workplace recently embraced the trend of open-office floor plans, encouraging collaboration and teamwork. But this new arrangement has become difficult for you. Not because you miss the privacy of cubicle walls, but because the elevated noise makes it hard to follow conversations.
Even if established hearing tests indicate totally normal hearing, the inability to hear conversations in noisy environments is often an early sign of hearing loss. You still may have trouble discerning conversations even with “Normal” hearing.
The complexity of speech perception
Speech comprehension is a complex cognitive task that requires considerable brainpower. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amongst a cacophony of sounds requires optimal hearing capabilities.
It becomes increasingly challenging for the brain to isolate speech in noisy settings as we get older. Consequently, settings like bustling offices or crowded restaurants become mentally fatiguing.
Identifying hearing loss when it’s in its early phases
Here are a number of ways that early hearing loss can manifest:
- Distraction and reduced engagement in social interactions.
- Trouble understanding conversations in loud environments.
- Increased mental exhaustion due to heightened concentration required for listening.
Testing for hearing loss
It can be especially difficult to detect these kinds of challenges when standard hearing diagnostics seem to reveal normal hearing. Here are some tests being developed by researchers to identify hearing loss in its early stages:
- Monitoring Electrical Signals: In this test, a device tracks the electrical EEG signals transmitted by your ears to your brain. If these signals change in a certain way while you’re in a crowded or loud environment, that could be a firm indication of some issues with your hearing.
- The Eye Test: A special pair of glasses is utilized in this test. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be tracked with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a particular way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a little harder than usual. So if this tends to happen in crowded or noisy areas, it could be an indication that you’re having to strain to hear.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, coupled with personal observation, are able to identify hearing issues in their very early stages.
The benefits of early detection
There are two important advantages to early detection.
- Mental decline associated with untreated hearing loss can be avoided with early detection.
- It offers clarity regarding difficulties faced in environments like open offices, mitigating potential aggravations.
Think about finding help if you’re having trouble understanding speech even with “normal” hearing.
Total mental function and auditory health will be improved by early diagnosis. Schedule a hearing exam today and investigate solutions right for you.
