Apple Hearing Study Suggests An Estimated 1 in 3 Americans Are Regularly Exposed to Excessive Noise

[Kobra]

I think that the International Noise Awareness Day should be taken more seriously.

In our modern society we're bombarded with harmful noise when at work (open office space with a high background noise), when in a shop ore store (there's always some sort of background music, sometimes at an unnecessary high volume) and when walking by the street or living nearby a street, etc etc. There's harmful noise around most of us 24h a day (I expect that someone will reply to this with “I live in the woods” or “you should move to the woods“)

Even though some of this noise is below 70db, health studies has shown that constant exposure can lead to high blood pressure and stress. Read this https://noiseawareness.org/noise-hurts/impact-on-health/

Think about it, how many times a day are you in a completely silent environment?

 

[JosephAW]

Probably 2 out of 3 of those harmed are using an Apple product wrong.

 

[JosephAW]

Would be nice if Apple added a normalization compressor feature so all audio would not exceed so many decibels and quiet parts would be louder.
I'm hurting my ears when a quiet part of music switches to full volume and I have to keep turning the volume up and down.
With the launch of classical music they should know this is a common occurrence with volume swings.
ppp to fff

 

[technicalFoozle]

Mine yells at my any time I use a hand dryer in a bathroom.

I've thought about trying to make an automation that turns off the noise sensor for 5 minutes after my watch detects hand washing. Then I shrug and think Apple should just do that instead of me.

 

[klm9210]

The loud noise alerts are a bit annoying, they go off on my AW Ultra every time I put a weight plate on an exercise bar at the gym. Have to look at the settings to see if I can adjust it to only go off for continuous noise, not just a single noise.

I know Apple’s just looking out for my hearing, but if Linger by the Cranberries suddenly comes on through my AirPods, I’ll be damned if the volume’s not up at full blast.

 

[leicaman]

The only two times so far my watch notified me I was in too loud an environment was in a suite behind first base at a Padres game when there was two separate home runs.

 

[macguru212]

Like my neighbors upstairs doing the horizontal polka every night. 😑

I had a neighbor recently who ran a business that involved sewing machines, packing and nailing, until 2 or 3 in the morning. And this person did this with heels on in an old brownstone with uninsulated wood floors. 5 years of bloody hell. I feel your pain.

 

[Lcgiv]

I personally think this study (if just using Apple Watch raw data) is nothing without Apple adding more user input. There is no way to tell Apple Watch “I have hearing protection” so if you’re riding a motorcycle, at the range, or using power equipment with hearing protection it’s all false data. Plus mine always goes off on impacts, from hand washing and showering. Wind when I run as well…

 

[dmr727]

My watch complains anytime I'm at work, but it's not necessarily wrong. I need to go get my hearing looked at - I'm sure I have some loss.

 

[tridley68]

Excess noise like wives and girlfriends constantly chattering . Lol

 

[teh_hunterer]

Mine yells at my any time I use a hand dryer in a bathroom.

I was about to say, could it just be that 1 in 3 Americans used hand dryers every day?

 

[mrwise]

And Mexicans too.

 

[jooish]

How about a study for people that use AirPods Pro with noise canceling for 8 hours a day?

I purchased the first Pros when they came out. They had really good noise cancelling and after wearing them for long periods at a time, I felt like I may have been getting hearing damage and my ears felt weird by the end of the day. Not from listening too loud, either. Wasn't too long before they released a firmware update and wouldn't you know it, the noise cancelling wasn't as good.

 

[sunman42]

It’s allergy season where I live. Twice in the last six weeks, while alone in a quiet house, a single sneeze triggered the “dangerous noise level’ warning on my Watch. Should I feel powerful?

 

[dork]

Blue states are quieter. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[svish]

Very interesting data. Like the noise app on my Apple watch.

 

[ZZ9pluralZalpha]

Holding a crying baby is a common trigger as well. Things like this, crash detection, and other gimmicks just don’t seem reliably implemented.

I dunno, my experience with crying babies says that it's likely not a false alarm. Even at a moderate distance, those things are LOUD

 

[WilliApple]

Lol at first glance, I thought this was on every Apple Watch... Then I forgot they had this research program.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Thats called traffic. Car noise is especially detrimental to human ears.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Like my neighbors upstairs doing the horizontal polka every night. 😑

Hmm.

I think the metrics on Apple Watch in WatchOS 9 is SERIOUSLY Flawed (S8)>

On my previous Nike+ S6/S5 never had an issue in the shower where this alert would occur. Since the S8 and WatchOS 9 EVERY morning when I shower. I'm about to completely shut off this feature.

 

[star-affinity]

While it might be true in general that exposure below a certain sound level should be okay for an eccessive amount of time I think it's important to not generalize about something that is different for each individual.

Some people's ears can handle a lot of beating while others are more sensitive. Instead of following too blindely what measure instruments says should be okay I think it's important to ”listen” to your ears. If they have been exposed to a lot of sound (loud or even not so loud, but for a long time) it is a good idea to go to a quiet area and listen and check-in on the ears. If they feel ”full” or a bit fatigued and if you hear some whosing our other sounds, it is time to take a break from sounds until these sensastions go away. I've seen the recomendation of about 18 hours, of course not in total silence, but so the ears can rest.

I also find it strange that the warnings are all about hearing-loss, which of course is horrible and currenty irreversible, but you can also get tinnitus and other symptomps in the ear that can affect your life in a way difficult to imagine when not having these problems. I'm one of them and my perception of life has changed dramatically to the worse. Currently no objective cure.

What did I do? I listened to music during sleep with my phone in speaker mode and some nights with ear buds in at levels that ”should” be okay. Should…

No need to be afraid, but be aware. I don't recommend falling asleep with earbuds or a sound source close to your ears. Set a timer in that case so the playback stops.

I think people should be made more aware of all the symptoms that can happen when the inner ear gets damaged:

”If you’re unlucky, all it takes is one loud concert to spark a lifetime of ear problems — a constellation of symptoms that include not just hearing loss but also ringing in the ears, sound sensitivity, a feeling of aural fullness and even chronic ear pain.”

That ringing in your ears? Don’t assume it will just fade away.

Hearing loss can result from one just one exposure to excessive noise, and it can last a lifetime.

www.washingtonpost.com

 

[ErikGrim]

Holding a crying baby is a common trigger as well. Things like this, crash detection, and other gimmicks just don’t seem reliably implemented.

But crying babies are really loud. Should it disregard noise simply because it's a baby or a hair dryer?

Sometimes it does complain when I sneeze really loud, but I can live with that.

 

[Mikeske]

I worked in loud environments for 40+ years before retirement and I was on hearing conservation program by my employer for 30+ years. I did have to laugh at them when they tested me a 10 or so years ago after having a medical issue with my left ear. I have maybe 35-40% hearing in the ear after having 4 ear operations over a 6 month period. The hearing loss is permanent in the ear and I have a tube implanted in my left eardrum as it is not able to equalize normally.

I had to see the employers ENT specialist putting me on restrictions that I was to avoid noise areas of the workplace I finally got mad at this supposedly doctor and told him point blank to quit pencil whipping and look at my left ear drum. Once the doctor did look in my ear then he started to ask detailed questions and ask if he could talk the ENT I was having treat me. The restrictions were modified the next day by the company ENT and a baseline was established on the left ear as it was then.

I know that hearing was important and did use the company provided hearing protection but I still ended up easily accommodated restrictions as I could not go into one area and I had the company attempt to assign to this area and I just said mistake as I was on restriction and can not go there. The new assignment went to some else with out the restriction. I really did not like to do this but I could not use ear plugs and the area required ear plugs plus ear muffs and I needed to have airflow through my ear canal for the tube in my ear drum.

After retirement I am still being treated by the same ENT and all hearing test are normal in my right ear and still showing no change on the left ear with the hearing I have in the left ear.

 

[Vref]

[Laughs in muzzle brake, loud aircraft, motorcycles and rock]


What? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 😂

 

[MistD]

Realized the same thing as Apple’s study when i purchased my Mac Studio.