Key Takeaways
1. The study found that 78% of participants have experienced tinnitus, with daily tinnitus
prevalence increasing with age and more common in males.
2. Tinnitus significantly affects quality of life, with common management methods
including noise machines, nature sounds, and meditation, while cognitive and behavioral therapy is less frequently used.
3. Most participants experience brief episodes, with older adults reporting more constant tinnitus. Tinnitus is often described as a pure tone or white noise.
New insights on tinnitus have been released from the Apple Hearing Study, which involves researchers from the University of Michigan reviewing survey questions about people’s experience with tinnitus. This research, involving over 160,000 patients, aims to improve
understanding of tinnitus characteristics and inform future research on potential treatments.
“Roughly 15 percent of our participants experience tinnitus daily,” says Richard Neitzel, University of Michigan professor of environmental health sciences. “Tinnitus is something that can have a large impact on a person’s life. The trends that we’re learning through the Apple Hearing Study about people’s experience with tinnitus can help us better understand the groups most at risk, which can in turn help guide efforts to reduce the impacts associated with
it.”
Tinnitus, or the perception of sound that others do not hear, can happen to many people in one or both ears. With tinnitus, the sounds can take many forms but are most commonly described
as a ringing sound, and can be momentary or occur over longer durations. The symptoms and experience of tinnitus can vary significantly from person to person and can change for an
individual.
Tinnitus can impact a person’s overall quality of life, for example, disrupting a person’s sleep, concentration, or ability to hear clearly.
The study found that 78% of participants have experienced tinnitus in their life, with the prevalence of daily tinnitus increasing with age among many. Those ages 55 and up were three times more likely to hear tinnitus daily compared to those 18-34 years old.
In the Apple Hearing Study, participants reported mainly trying three methods to ease their existing tinnitus: using noise machines (28%), listening to nature sounds (24%), and practicing (12%). Less than 2% of participants chose cognitive and behavioral therapy to manage their tinnitus.
The majority of participants experience brief episodes of tinnitus, compared to 15% who reported constant tinnitus. The reported duration of tinnitus significantly increases with age among participants 55 and older: 36% of participants ages 55 and older constantly experience tinnitus. Male participants experience constant tinnitus nearly 7% more than females.
As for tinnitus levels, the majority found it to be faint, with 35% calling it noticeable, compared to 9% who found it very loud or ultra loud. Approximately 10% of participants reported that their tinnitus has moderately or entirely interfered with their ability to hear clearly.
The majority of participants described their tinnitus as either a pure tone (79%) or white noise (17%). Among those who described a pure tone, 91% reported a pitch at 4 kHz or above, similar to the tones in a songbird’s call. Additionally, for those who described a pure tone, 84% identified their tinnitus as a single tone and 17% identified it as a teakettle tone — a high-pitched, whistling sound.
The Apple Hearing Study is one of three landmark public health studies in the Research app on iPhone, which launched in 2019 and is ongoing. Conducted in collaboration with the University of Michigan, the Apple Hearing Study advances the understanding of sound exposure and its impact on hearing health.
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