Apple’s Hearing loss Epidemic is closer than you think
Summary
TLDRThis video highlights the growing concern of hearing loss, emphasizing Apple's focus on this issue with the introduction of health features in AirPods Pro 2. It discusses a study commissioned by Apple and the University of Michigan, and a WHO report indicating nearly 430 million people suffer from hearing loss. The video delves into the causes, impact on society, and preventive measures, including the importance of noise-cancelling headphones. It concludes with a call to action for individuals and governments to prioritize hearing health to prevent a potential epidemic.
Takeaways
- 🎧 Apple's recent event highlighted the importance of hearing health, introducing new features for AirPods Pro 2 focused on preventing hearing loss.
- 🔍 A study by Apple and the University of Michigan, along with a WHO report, emphasize hearing loss as a 'silent epidemic' affecting nearly 430 million people globally.
- 📊 Moderate to severe hearing loss is defined by a higher hearing threshold, meaning sounds must be louder for the individual to hear them compared to someone with normal hearing.
- 🌐 Mild hearing loss is even more prevalent, affecting 1.15 billion people, indicating a potential epidemic if preventive measures are not taken.
- 👂 The cochlear, a part of the inner ear, contains hair cells that are sensitive to sound waves and can be permanently damaged by consistent exposure to loud noises.
- 📉 Decibels, a measure of sound intensity, increase exponentially, not linearly, meaning even a small increase in decibels represents a significant rise in loudness.
- 🚫 Common causes of hearing loss include occupational noise exposure and recreational listening at high volumes, which can be mitigated by using noise-canceling headphones.
- 🏥 The economic impact of hearing loss is substantial, with an estimated cost of around $979 billion, underscoring the importance of prevention and treatment.
- 🌟 Governments and companies have a role to play in preventing hearing loss, including providing better healthcare facilities, creating policies for workplace safety, and investing in hearing loss measurements.
- 👂 Personal responsibility is crucial in preventing hearing loss, with recommendations to use noise-canceling headphones and maintain lower volumes for listening to music.
Q & A
What was the focus of the Apple event segment discussed in the script?
-The focus was on hearing loss and preventive measures, with an introduction of three major health features for AirPods Pro 2.
Which study and report were mentioned in relation to hearing loss in the script?
-The study commissioned by Apple along with the University of Michigan and a report by the World Health Organization were mentioned.
How prevalent is hearing loss according to the World Health Organization report cited in the script?
-Nearly 430 million people worldwide suffer from either moderate or higher grade hearing loss.
What is an audiogram and how is it used to measure hearing loss?
-An audiogram is a plot created by testing an individual's ability to hear a range of frequencies at different volumes. It determines the lowest volume at which a person can hear each frequency, helping to assess the degree of hearing loss.
How many people are estimated to have a mild grade of hearing loss according to the script?
-1.15 billion people are estimated to have a mild grade of hearing loss.
What is the cochlear and what is its role in hearing?
-The cochlear is a part of the inner ear that contains hair cells, which act as receptors sending signals to the brain when they are moved by sound waves, indicating that sound is being heard.
Why is hearing loss damage often permanent?
-Hearing loss damage is often permanent because exposure to loud sounds can permanently bend or even disconnect the hair cells within the cochlear, which do not regenerate.
How does the decibel scale work and why is it considered tricky?
-The decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning that an increase in decibels does not represent a linear increase in loudness. For example, going from 90 to 100 decibels is a significant increase in loudness, not a small one.
What are the two main reasons for mild hearing loss mentioned in the script?
-The two main reasons for mild hearing loss are loud noise exposure due to occupation and recreational music listening at high volumes.
What is tinnitus and what does it indicate?
-Tinnitus is a phenomenon where a person experiences a constant ringing in their ears, often as a result of exposure to loud noises without protection. It indicates that the ear is not functioning as it should.
What steps can be taken at the government, workplace, and individual levels to prevent hearing loss?
-Governments can improve healthcare facilities for audiometric evaluations and create policies for workplace safety. Workplaces can reduce noise levels, enforce hearing protection, and conduct regular audiometric evaluations. Individuals can use noise-cancelling headphones and reduce the volume of their listening devices.
Outlines
🎧 Introduction to Hearing Loss Awareness
The paragraph introduces the topic of hearing loss through the lens of an Apple event emphasizing the importance of preventive measures. It discusses the introduction of health features for AirPods Pro 2 and references a study commissioned by Apple in partnership with the University of Michigan, along with a World Health Organization report, to highlight the prevalence of hearing loss. The script also mentions personal experiences with noise notifications and the seriousness of hearing loss as a silent epidemic. The goal of the video is to explore the causes of hearing impairment, its impact on individuals and society, and potential preventative measures.
👂 The Science of Hearing Loss
This section delves into the science behind hearing loss, explaining how a hearing test is conducted to determine an individual's hearing threshold through audiograms. It discusses the difference between normal hearing and moderate to severe hearing loss, and the impact on daily life. The focus then shifts to the actual epidemic of mild hearing loss, affecting nearly a billion people. The paragraph further explains how loud noises damage the hair cells in the cochlea, leading to irreversible hearing loss, and emphasizes the importance of prevention. It also touches on the non-linear nature of decibel measurements and the significance of even small increases in decibel levels.
🏭 Causes and Impact of Hearing Loss
The paragraph explores the causes of hearing loss, focusing on occupational noise exposure and recreational music listening as primary factors. It also cautions against the use of cotton buds in the ear, which can lead to irritation and infection. The economic impact of hearing loss is discussed, with an estimated global cost of $979 billion. The video then transitions into a personal appeal for viewers to care about their hearing health and the broader implications for society and the economy. It concludes with a call to action for individuals, governments, and companies to invest in hearing loss prevention and awareness.
🛠 Preventative Measures and Solutions
This section discusses preventative measures against hearing loss from various perspectives: government, workplace, and individual. It suggests that governments should improve healthcare facilities for audiometric evaluations and create policies to monitor and prevent hearing loss. Workplaces are advised to implement hearing protection policies, reduce work shifts in noisy environments, and emphasize regular audiometric evaluations. Companies are encouraged to invest in hearing loss measurements for economic benefits. For individuals, the paragraph recommends using noise-canceling headphones to protect hearing and reduce the volume of music to safer levels. The video concludes with a final hearing test for viewers and a call to action to like and share the video to raise awareness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Hearing Loss
💡AirPods Pro 2
💡Decibels
💡Audiogram
💡Hair Cells
💡Tinnitus
💡Noise Cancelling Headphones
💡Economic Impact
💡Prevention
💡Active Noise Cancelling
💡Hearing Test
Highlights
Apple event emphasized hearing loss and preventive measures.
Introduction of three major health features for AirPods Pro 2.
Mention of a study commissioned by Apple and the University of Michigan on hearing loss.
World Health Organization report highlights hearing loss as a silent epidemic.
Hearing loss affects nearly 430 million people worldwide.
Understanding moderate or higher grade hearing loss through audiograms.
Mild hearing loss affects 1.15 billion people, indicating a potential epidemic.
How loud noises permanently damage the hair cells in the cochlea.
Decibels are a non-linear unit of measurement, indicating a small increase can be significant.
The economic impact of hearing loss is estimated to be around $979 billion.
Apple's investment in hearing loss research and prevention.
Tinnitus as a sign of hearing damage and the need for professional help.
Government initiatives to prevent hearing loss through healthcare and workplace policies.
Workplaces can reduce hearing loss by controlling noise levels and providing hearing protectors.
Companies can benefit economically from investing in hearing loss prevention measures.
Individuals can protect their hearing by using noise-canceling headphones and lowering volume.
The importance of prevention in maintaining hearing health.
Encouragement for viewers to like and share the video to raise awareness on hearing loss.
Final hearing test for viewers to assess their own hearing.
Transcripts
So I was just finishing up
watching this Apple event
that happened a few hours ago.
Welcome to Apple part.
And well, there was a
segment in this wherein
there was a massive
emphasis on hearing loss
and preventive measures for it.
Today, we're introducing
three major health features
for AirPods Pro 2.
So there was also the
mention of this study
that apparently Apple commissioned
along with the University of Michigan.
And also this report by
the World Health Organization
as to how hearing loss is
perhaps a silent epidemic
that we don't really know about.
And I think I have a guess
as to who the culprit may be.
(upbeat music)
Thing is I use this for
several hours in a day
and I get those noise notifications
much more than I would like.
Now Apple introduced
this notification system
a few years ago.
I was much younger then.
So is all of this presentation,
all of the hearing
things that they talked about,
is it really very serious?
So in this video, I'm
actually gonna try and figure out
whether any of this
actually really matters.
Well, spoiler alert,
it really does matter.
That's a 1.1 billion with a B.
I'm also going to figure out
what causes hearing impairment
(static)
and what impact does it have,
not just on an
individual, but also on our society.
And ultimately we're also gonna discuss
what can we and the governments do
to prevent this from
becoming the next epidemic.
Stay tuned and let's figure this out.
(upbeat music)
(people chattering)
So let's start with the big document
which is going to form
the backbone of this video.
This report by the World Health
Organization on Hearing
clearly states that hearing loss
is quite a prevalent problem.
It says that across the globe,
nearly 430 million people
suffer from either moderate
or higher grade hearing loss.
Now what really constitutes a moderate
or a higher grade hearing loss?
Well, for that, we need to understand
how a hearing test is done.
For the study, the hearing
test was done as follows.
You are supposed to
hear a range of frequencies
going from low to high
at different volumes,
from very quiet
volumes to very loud volumes.
And for each frequency
tone that you listen to,
which will probably
sound something like this.
(low-pitched tone)
Each of that, you need to determine
what's the lowest volume
that you can hear that.
So let's say this frequency of 250 hertz,
you can hear it at about 20 dB,
and then you do that again
for the rest of the frequencies
and you create a plot for yourself.
So this is what is called an audiogram.
And through this, you can determine
what is your hearing threshold.
And by determining what
your hearing threshold is,
you can then really understand
what levels of hearing
loss are you suffering from.
If your threshold was about 20 dB,
you have pretty normal hearing.
But for moderate and
higher grades of hearing,
your threshold is much higher than 20 dB.
This means that the test
frequencies that you listen to
were audible to you at
a much higher loudness
than somebody with a normal hearing.
And as you can see, this
does have quite a big impact
on your daily life.
But for me, what
actually is already an epidemic
is perhaps the mild hearing loss.
Thing about moderate
and severe hearing losses
is the fact that it was once a very mild
case of hearing loss.
And you wanna know how
many people actually have
a mild case of hearing loss?
Nearly a billion people.
Now this is what the actual epidemic is.
1.15 billion people have
a mild grade hearing loss.
So if people keep continue
doing what they are doing,
moderate and even severe hearing losses
might not be that distant away.
So coming back to this, why
does this actually happen?
Why do some people
hear a certain frequency
at a certain level,
and while the others hear
it at a certain other level?
Well, to answer that, we
need to first understand
how loud noises affect our ears.
And for that, I tried to
read this very technical paper,
and this thing had very few images
that I can really look at.
So we might have to figure something out
to make you understand how
our ears work with loudness.
This is what the ear
looks like, by the way.
Sound waves enter from here, obviously.
I really want to highlight this part,
which is called the cochlear, cochlear.
Call it the coochie for the first five
minutes, by the way.
And within this lies the receptors
which send the signals to the brain
that just you're hearing something.
Now, those receptors
are called hair cells,
and they look somewhat like this,
more specifically, like
the bristles on this brush.
And this is, let's say, a sound wave.
So when a sound wave comes in,
they indirectly move these bristles,
thereby indicating to the brain
that, hey, there's something that you
should be listening to.
As you can see, these bristles
do regain their position back
after the disturbance,
but when you're exposed to loud sounds
for a longer period of time,
these bristles start to
look something like this.
Consistently loud noise
bends these out of proportion,
and it's a permanent bend.
Some of these are even completely
disconnected, by the way.
And this is the reason why
hearing loss damage is kind of permanent.
Now, one of the few
things that I was actually able
to understand through this paper
was the fact that this
damage is irreversible.
So prevention is the way to go with this.
And also the fact that decibels
are a very tricky unit of measurement.
So let's say if you thought that going
from 90 to 100 decibels
was just a little bit of an increase,
well, that is not the case,
because decibels don't
really work linearly.
And nobody mentioned
that this is not a PNG.
This is what we have, okay?
Going from 90 decibels to 100 decibels
is not a small jump.
It's insane how decibels work.
It's not insane, it's just math.
So let's say when
you're doing the hearing test
and you jump from 70 to 80,
it's not that small of a jump.
It's a big, big jump,
and the loudness is
much, much more intense.
I mean, just look at how
much the difference there is
between 100 decibels
and 120 decibels, my God.
I sometimes get
notifications that my environment
is at 100 and something decibels.
Now, I'm not gonna suffer by myself.
I'm going to give you guys
a reality check, I swear.
Be prepared for your first hearing test.
I said first, there's
gonna be many in this video.
So I'm sure you've been
in this situation before.
You're trying to have a
conversation with your friend
who's on the other side of the sofa,
which is about a meter and a half away.
Now, he works in a
place where he's exposed
to a lot of loud machinery.
I have a doubt that he
might be in a spectrum
of moderate to severe hearing loss.
And we can check that out,
but just having a
conversation 1.5 meters away.
If he's able to hear
me, his hearing is fine.
If he doesn't, it might be a problem.
So do you know that we have
a social media agency now?
Yeah, and it really doesn't matter
how many followers you have.
If you have any social media content,
which you feel is something
that you've been thinking about
for a long time, or any project, really,
that you can't really
get done by yourself,
we can help you out with that.
We can help you with YouTube,
we can help you with podcasts,
we can help you with Instagram reels.
Anything really that you
feel is worthy of social media.
Of course, if you'd like to get involved,
scan this QR code and help us help you.
Did you hear any of that?
(speaking in foreign language)
So what's the reason that so many people
actually have a mild
grade of hearing loss?
Now, if you take away the
more biological side of things,
which is infections and diseases
that lead to hearing losses,
there are two main
reasons why people have this.
First is loud noise
exposure due to occupation.
(loud noise)
Second is the recreational
music that you listen to.
You know, when you're
listening to your music
on your headphones, and it's so loud
that everybody else can
listen to your music as well?
Yeah, I'm talking about
that level of noise exposure.
Also, if you're one of those people
who likes to put those cotton bud things
inside of your ear, you
are not doing anything.
In fact, you are increasing
your chances of hearing loss
because you're irritating your eardrum
and also the case of having an infection.
So if you want to get your ears clean,
get a professional to do that.
Don't do that by yourself.
Please stop.
I don't think you can hear me.
Please stop doing that.
Do please.
Please stop doing that.
F*$K You in ASL
So I would like to believe
that you who are watching this
would at least now care
about your personal journey
of hair loss.
Not hair loss. Hearing loss.
I'm not trying to make this funny,
but why should anybody else care?
Why should the government care?
Why should companies care?
Why should anybody,
apart from you, really care?
Well, because people matter,
and if people suffer from hearing loss,
it'll severely impact their way of life.
And that would lead
to the biggest problem
that anybody ever fears of,
which is the economic
impact of hearing loss.
I don't think it's the biggest thing
that anybody ever fears.
That might be nuclear
catastrophe or something.
The thing is the
economic impact of hearing loss
is quite significant.
In this paper, for example,
it estimates how much hearing loss really
impacts the economy,
and it turns out to be
somewhere a very small number
of around $979 billion.
$979 billion.
This is so much more bigger
than what I anticipated it to be.
I guess this is why it makes sense
that Apple has invested so much.
In fact, even conducted a study
with the University of Michigan
towards understanding
as to why hearing loss
can be such a big problem.
So clearly, all of
these fancy notifications
are not just our marketing gimmick.
Apple directly benefits from the fact
that people have sound hearing,
and they have
obviously invested a little bit
into figuring out how.
Well, now it's time for
our very own hearing research
and the second test for
our hearing loss program.
I should not be calling it that, my God.
I'm sure you've been in
a place like this before,
with lots of construction,
lots of loud noises,
and if you stay here for
more than a few minutes
without any protection for your hearing,
then you move to a place like this,
which is much more
quieter, much more remote.
You can sometimes hear a
bit of a ringing in your ear.
This phenomena is called tinnitus,
and it's just your
brain playing games on you
because your ear is not
functioning as it's supposed to.
So if you feel like there's a constant
ringing in your ears
and it's happening more
frequently and for longer times,
perhaps it's time to see a professional.
And the question is, what can we do
to prevent this from becoming a
widespread epidemic?
Well, we can take a look at it from a
government perspective,
from a workplace perspective,
and from a personal perspective.
Let's first start with
the government perspective.
One of the biggest challenges
that any government
really has in this sector
is the fact that there's a
severe lack of professionals,
especially in the
countries which are rather poor
in comparison to its West counterparts.
So one of the first things that
government should really do
is provide a better healthcare facility
for audiometric evaluations
because the more
professionals that come in,
the more awareness there will be
towards the silent epidemic.
They can also help in
creating policies in workplaces
that can help monitor things better
and prevent hearing loss altogether.
So talking about
workplaces, what can they do?
Well, let's say they can
put a few policies in place
with help of the professional.
For example, it is stated that at 85 dB,
then the work shifts
should only be eight hours long.
If the noise level is higher, the work
shifts need to reduce.
Similarly, there can be more emphasis on
hearing surveillance
so that there are more frequent
regular audiometric evaluations.
In fact, if it's a
daily exposure measurement,
that can be one of the
most safe at practices ever.
There should be proper
use of hearing protectors.
And obviously, if possible,
there should be lack of use of equipment
which create a lot of noise.
But these are quite the
obvious points in this case.
What really companies should think about
is the fact of how much can
they really benefit from this.
Now, I did talk about
how the general economy
will be affected with hearing loss,
but I would also like to talk about
how the companies would benefit from this
by investing in hearing
loss measurements directly.
You can clearly see how
much you get in return
for every dollar that you've invested
in hearing loss measurements.
And these are marked by two
different set of predictions,
one which is more progressive
and one which is a bit more ambitious.
So you can actually make money
by investing in hearing loss measures,
which is what companies do, right?
Now it is time to talk about
what we as individuals can do
to prolong our hearing capabilities.
And the answer for it...
(drum roll)
You should be wearing your headphones.
But don't just any
headphones, noise canceling ones.
Let me explain.
So I hope you remember
this graph from earlier.
This is what we described as a sound wave
and we know already the
damage that it can do.
So the reason that these headphones
can be an effective
tool for sounds like these
is because they have something called
active noise cancelling.
What it means is that
for every sound wave
that is generated,
the active noise cancelling headphones
generate a wave of its own,
which is exactly the
opposite of the sound wave.
So what does that mean?
Destructive interference and no sound,
no waves entering your ears.
What I've started doing recently
is that I've started using
more of the noise cancellation
and just lowering the volume of the music
that I'm listening to.
It kind of then puts
me into my own waggle,
so I don't really understand what's
really happening outside,
which is good for an introvert like me.
And my notifications have
dropped by significantly
in the past few months.
And if you see September,
you'll see that I've only had one
notification until now.
At least now I feel a
little bit better about myself.
Perhaps wearing these
bulky ass headphones
with noise cancelling in them
might just salvage my
hearing in the long run.
So for the last time,
I would just like to
emphasize on the fact that
hearing is a very
fundamental sensory function.
It is important for critical
daily human functionalities
and any degree of loss that you will have
will have monumental
impacts on your daily life.
And like I have mentioned this
a thousand times before in this video,
prevention is the only
way, at least for now,
to take care of your ears
because of the fact that there's gonna be
another hearing test
going to happen right now.
Okay guys, we're nearly
at the end of the video.
That was quite loud.
So before we run the final test,
and we'll just like to believe that
if you like this video enough,
please do like and share.
I can't emphasize how much a
like and share helps us out
because when the YouTube gods see that
this is being shared and liked by people,
they tend to help us reach out to
a much larger audience
than what you already have.
And that's the biggest struggle that I
have at this moment.
I don't know how to get more people
to care for content like this.
In any case, I will
be here in a few days,
but if you can help me out,
that'll be very much appreciated.
So now let's do the final hearing test.
You're gonna listen
to a set of frequencies
and you have to just
determine which frequency
was the last one that was audible to you.
And just for reference, you'll also see
at what age generally
people are able to hear
that frequency.
So this can help you
assess whether your hearing
is suitable for your age
or whether you should be taking
corrective measures.
So I'm gonna go and get some coffee
and you should perhaps try this test out.
Thank you again for watching
and I'll see you in a few days.
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