Your workplace has opted to encourage teamwork and collaboration by opening up the office floor plan. But this new arrangement has become difficult 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 settings 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
Significant brain power is required to tackle the complex task of speech recognition. Distinguishing speech from background noise and focusing on specific voices amongst a cacophony of sounds requires optimal hearing capabilities.
As hearing starts to decline, the brain encounters challenges in separating and processing speech signals amongst competing noises. As a result, settings like busy offices or crowded restaurants become mentally fatiguing.
How to identify the early signs of hearing loss
Early signs of hearing loss manifest in various ways:
- Distraction and decreased engagement in social interactions.
- When in loud settings, conversations are hard to make out.
- Increased mental exhaustion due to heightened concentration needed for listening.
Hearing loss assessments
Uncovering such challenges can be challenging, especially when traditional diagnostics indicate normal hearing. However, scientists are exploring innovative tests to diagnose early signs of hearing loss:
- The Eye Test: A special pair of glasses is used in this test. The movement and dilation of your pupils can be tracked with these glasses. If your pupils behave in a specific way, it suggests that you’re concentrating a little harder than usual. But it may be an indication that you’re straining to hear if this occurs in a loud setting.
- 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 particular way while you’re in a crowded or noisy setting, that could be a firm indication of some problems with your hearing.
Early intervention will be possible if these tests, combined with personal observation, are able to identify hearing issues in their very early stages.
The Advantages of early detection
Detecting even slight hearing loss early provides two significant advantages.
- It offers clarity regarding challenges faced in environments like open offices, alleviating potential frustrations.
- Mental decline associated with untreated hearing loss can be avoided with early detection.
If you’re experiencing trouble following conversations despite “normal” hearing, think about seeking a professional assessment.
Total cognitive function and auditory health will be improved by early diagnosis. Schedule a hearing exam today and investigate options right for you.