AirPods causing tinnitus?

I received a pair of generation 2 AirPods as a Bday gift this year. I started to use them in May when I exercised, playing mainly jogging or stretching programs with normal volume. A month later I noticed there was a constant high pitch noise in my right ear. Since then I went through family doctor, two different ENT doctors, two audio tests, and a brain MRI. None of them found the cause of the tinnitus. I wish I had seen this discussion before spending so much time and money trying to find out what went wrong with me. I am considered to be healthy and fit all my life but now having to cope with tinnitus. This is the least I’d expect from an earphone with such premium price! I will for sure discontinue using the AirPods and tell people about this discussion. I hope Apple would take this seriously and provide an answer.

To see so many people coming here is really sad and irresponsible for such a large company to be doing nothing to address this issue.

I’ve posted previous comments and would like to add this link to help those that are experiencing T see that people do heal from noise trauma.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxLNqBGWBhLxphlCH3dC1j3iPcs8hWRme

It is such a relief to find that there are others who have experienced the same problem. Until I found this site I thought I was alone with tinnitus. I had occasionally used Airpods when sitting in a cafe, mainly for listening to podcasts and other talk programmes. Earlier this year, I decided to listen to them in bed before going to sleep. This was mainly so as not to disturb neighbours, which was ironical actually because, soon after that,one of them turned out to be very noisy herself. However, on two occasions I fell asleep with the Airpods still in. And in a day or two I started to experience a horrible ringing sound in one ear and realised I had tinnitus. It was as if someone was standing beside me with one of those musical triangles one sees in an orchestra. This went on for weeks and I found it very distressing. I then had an examination with an audiologist and later a surgeon, but neither could find anything wrong with me, although I had started to get some hearing loss years ago. I did wonder if the cause was the wearing of the Airpods and stopped using them for a while. Eventually the tinnitus almost disappeared, although occasionally I did get a slight tingling noise in either ear. This week I thought I would try the earpods again and only listened to a couple of podcasts. Sure enough the tinnitus returned. It is not very strong during the daytime, when I am out and about, but at night, when I am still and quiet, it comes back again. I am hoping the tinnitus will go away completely eventually, and I shall definitely never use the Airpods again. Never!

It is very discouraging to read this forum, I would have never used Air Pod Pros if i had. I was using Apple in-ear buds with a cord for years with no issues and when they conked out I went for the Air Pod Pros after reading good reviews. I listened to a few podcasts and in the first days I developed intense tinnitus. It has not gone away. I am a physician, and we like to say “correlation is not causation”, but the relationship between starting to use my Air Pod Pros with the onset of this tinnitus was so tight, and now reading this forum, it seems pretty clear that using Air Pod Pros is hazardous for some people.

My research shows it’s the electrical/ microwave signal interfering with the electrical signal ie neural pathways in the brain. The brain goes into fight or flight mode because it’s been disrupted. Stress Relaxation techniques, diet change and supplementation can help heal. Also stopping the use of AirPods will stop any further damage. See my previous comments.

Thanks so much hendrik176 for your post. It was very informative and helpful. The fact that you started using the Airpods again and you tinnitus came back is the clear example of causality I've seen. After probably several months mine is slowly improving but not back to what it was before I got the Airpods.

Same here! I received the AirPod Pros three weeks ago and used them for about 2 hours a day to mostly listen to podcasts and music at a low-med volume.

after about the fifth day of use, I pulled them out and noticed that my usual soft, low-volume tinnitus had increased to a loud, high-pitched endless sound. I haven’t worn them since and continue to hear this high-pitched sound.

Although I have a prior history of tinnitus, it definitely feels like the AirPod Pros exacerbated my condition. I now notice constant ringing, which was not the case pre-AirPod Pros.

I had not used any other headphone prior to this for the use of music or podcasts.

as expensive as they are, Apple needs to include a warning about this, as it appears that there are many of us experiencing the same thing.

At last the tinnitus has eased off and I am hoping it will not come back. Last night was the first one that I managed to get to sleep, without the loud tinkling sound going on in my ears, preventing this. As was the case the previous time I stopped wearing the AirPods, in early summer, there is just the odd "ping" sound. It was only when I started wearing them, a couple of weeks ago, just to listen to talk podcasts (no music), that it had returned. I had never had any form of tinnitus before I started using them. I shall certainly not be wearing any form of ear pods ever again. Am not even sure I shall go back to wearing headphones either.

That shows how much you know about tinnitus. An ENT cannot diagnose tinnitus. They can verify that there is no obvious observable cause for it (like wax in the ear). But it is the patient who experiences the symptom that makes the diagnosis. It can be associated with hearing loss, but even an audiogram doesn't diagnose it.

RonOnerheim wrote:

That shows how much you know about tinnitus. An ENT cannot diagnose tinnitus. They can verify that there is no obvious observable cause for it (like wax in the ear). But it is the patient who experiences the symptom that makes the diagnosis. It can be associated with hearing loss, but even an audiogram doesn't diagnose it.

Yes, an ENT can diagnose tinnitus. What they can't do is objectively observe the symptoms. They are relying on the patient's report for that. The patient can report that they experience ringing but it's the ENT who rules out things that are not tinnitus. It's called a diagnosis of exclusion.

It can take days, weeks, months, or years depending on the body/ brain. Because of Apples policies I can’t direct you anywhere. You’ll just have to look up tinnitus success stories online. There are several people who can direct you how to heal this issue.

melodye128 wrote:

There are several people who can direct you how to heal this issue.

Yes, they're called "otolaryngologists" or "ENTs". If you have insurance, your insurance provider probably has a website that will allow you to search for one in your area covered by your policy. Or, you may need a referral from your primary care physician.

It took several weeks of my avoiding using any form of headphone or airpod, before it started to ease off. Although it has eased off, it has not gone away completely. Sometimes, when I am sitting quietly, or lying in bed, I can hear it again, although it is not as loud as before. I don't know why, but I find that lying on my left side, when in bed, reduces it. And deep breathing exercises do help, if I have trouble getting off to sleep. During the day time, when I am moving about, I am hardly ever aware of it. I make sure I get plenty of exercise and fresh air, and, apart from doing a few stretches at home, I go for a walk every day, no matter what the weather is like. Have got my annual appointment with the audiologist in a few weeks time, so it will be interesting to find out if there have been any physical changes.

I think it depends on your age. You lose you hearing as you get older. Younger folks have more tiny nerve endings in their ear so if they experience tinnitus it can wear off like going to a rock concert ringing in your ears.. The older you are the more likely the tinnitus will stick around. I am not a physician but just from reading about it seems thats how it works. At first it was driving me crazy because I thought the noise was from outside. I was walking around trying to figure out where the sound was coming from around my house... it took a few weeks to realize it was coming from inside my head!!!

Sorry, no. That’s not what I meant. ENT’s can help with checking your hearing and seeing if there’s an ear wax problem etc but are not trained to heal tinnitus. There are people online though that have. Unfortunately I’m not allowed to give that info here because of Apple's policies.