Unveiling the Mystery of Tinnitus: Insights and Innovations from the APPLE Hearing Study

Even as the pace of discovery has ramped up to tackle this mystery in the past decade, new treatments have not materialised. Still, the APPLE Hearing Study, launched in 2019 with the University of Michigan, builds on those previous attempts, shining light on the prevalence and nuance of the condition, and creating a path forward to dull tinnitus.

Understanding Tinnitus Through the APPLE Hearing Study

A third of us hear sounds that nobody else does, like ringing or buzzing tones, or static white noise, a pattern of nerve impulses in our inner ears. Tinnitus, scientists call it. It’s the most common disease we’re working on. The APPLE Hearing Study, thanks to the reach of iPhone’s Research app, might be uniquely situated to help unlock this mysterious pattern. So far, the iPhone has captured 400 million hours of ambient sound levels with the phones’ microphones, matched with more-detailed lifestyle surveys. It’s one of the largest studies of its kind, focused on tinnitus, ever.

The Journey to Comprehension

The preliminary findings published were nothing if not startling: 77.6 per cent of the participants said they had experienced tinnitus at some point in their lives. That’s a lot of ringing ears. The older you are, the more likely it is you’ll hear it every day: people age 55 and older were more than three times as likely as their younger counterparts – aged 18-34 – to report hearing it daily, the study said. Men are more than twice as likely as women to say it’s ‘always’ with them.

Tinnitus: A Common Yet Complex Condition

Burrowing deeper, it classified tinnitus experiences among subjects into those having short and transient episodes, with around 70 per cent of participants falling under this category; and around 14.7 per cent living with a constant tinnitus. Similarly, the influence on hearing wasn’t a straightforward case, with the study reporting that 10 per cent of suffers reported the condition as causing moderate to complete interference with their hearing. These findings stress the importance of developing efficient management methods for the condition.

Empowering Solutions from APPLE

Because tinnitus can be aggravated by excess exposures to noise, APPLE recommends a few of its practical solutions, tapping into some of its favourite products and apps. Included is the Noise app on APPLE Watch, which lets users know when environmental noise levels could put their hearing at risk. Meanwhile, on APPLE Watch, iPhone and other devices, users get environmental sound reduction when they use AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. And iPhone users can adjust their audio settings to help protect their hearing, presumably, by limiting peak volume to headphones.

Leveraging Technology for Better Hearing Health

A world filled to the brim with sound, and the ability to still experience great sound quality in those situations without having your world just replaced with more sound – that is where APPLE’s Active Noise Cancellation and Loud Sound Reduction mode offers something truly new. These features offer a ‘sound haven’ – when outside noises get exceptionally loud, the headphones let some of that in, but keep the sound quality. The same balanced approach to improving the audio experience and achieving better hearing health applies to APPLE’s Spatial Audio technology.

Conclusion: A Path Forward in Hearing Health

The preliminary findings from the APPLE Hearing Study are like a beacon for future tinnitus and general hearing-health research and development. The more insights we gain as the APPLE Hearing Study progresses, the more we’ll learn about tinnitus – and the more we can provide hope and new solutions to the millions around the world who suffer from it. As we usher in this potential, technology and healthcare will continue their journey together to unlock new possibilities in treating hearing-related conditions.

About APPLE

Ultimately, the company imagines itself as the epicentre of innovation, using technology to expand the reaches of its use and application. Its devices, including the iPhone, iPad, APPLE Watch, and associated apps, have been foundational in how technology and health are interconnected. The APPLE Hearing Study is an example of how technology can be brought to bear on health challenges such as tinnitus, and how APPLE, in turn, is clearly positioned at the convergence of technological and human health.