music to your ears

Could the Apple Watch help with your hearing?

Announced As pArt of watchOS 6, the Noise app will measure ambient sound level. It’s a small thing, but if Apple Watch users take it up, it has the potential — like heart monitoring — to deliver notable public health benefits.

There are increasing concerns that noise–induced hearing loss is more common than assumed. While ear protection is recognized as essential in some industrial settings, it’s not always adequate, and the rest of us may not even think about using it. Musicians are among the groups at high risk, but their audiences can also be affected, and not just in obviously loud genres or venues. Even using headphones or earbuds at high volume can contribute, as Apple recognizes by limiting levels and warning when they’re higher than recommended.

Rarely, bursts of sound can instantly rupture the eardrum or deform bones behind it that transmit vibration. Less dramatically, noise can damage or kill tiny hair cells in the inner ear, progressing irreversibly over time.

As Apple points out, hearing loss is not only distressing in itself but is linked to cognitive decline. A large study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, looked at over 10,000 older men across eight years. Published in 2018 in the journal Alzheimer’s &

Dementia, it found hearing loss was associated with a substantially higher risk of subjective cognitive function (SCF) decline.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of CDC, already offers a free Sound Level Meter App for iPhone, encouraging users to “make informed decisions about their noise environment”. Some sound meter apps, including Decibel X, also work on the Watch. By making it a standard feature, however, and with the hardware design access to achieve optimal default calibration, Apple could make a significant impact on hearing loss among Watch users over the coming years. For guidance on sound levels and recommended exposure limits, see bit.ly/2XJfE5m.