• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Cicadapocalypse May Have Peculiar Effect On People With Tinnitus

May 24, 2024 by Deborah Bloomfield

Trillions of cicadas are set to erupt across parts of the US this spring, bringing a deluge of high-pitched buzzing to the Midwest and the Southeast. One group of people that could be unexpectedly impacted by the so-called “cicadapocalypse” will be those with tinnitus, a condition that involves hearing an unwanted ringing, buzzing, or whooshing noise in the ear.

Scientists studying auditory perception have recently said 2024’s cicada invasion may potentially help some people with tinnitus. However, for others with the condition, the storm of buzzing insects might make their symptoms worse. 

Advertisement

“In the 2004 and the 2021 cicada emergence in Maryland and the eastern U.S., there were several reports of individuals stating that their tinnitus was masked by the sounds of the cicadas,” Fatima Husain, a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of Illinois, said in a statement.

“In masking, what happens is that the external sound (the cicadas) is loud enough and of sufficient breadth of frequencies that it reduces all or some part of your tinnitus, such that the tinnitus becomes soft or inaudible. This effect is temporary: once the external sounds go away, the masking itself ends. This is the same idea behind popular sound generators in hearing aids or smartphone apps,” Professor Husain explained.

However, she hastened to add: “The loud sounds of the cicadas may also exacerbate tinnitus. So you need to check how the sounds make you feel.”



Advertisement

The cicadas’ orchestra of sound is driven by the desire to attract mates. Male cicadas produce their distinctive buzzing noise using specialized structures on their thoraxes called tymbals with the aim of wooing females. Females also make sounds, but they use their wings to make a clicking sound. 

En-masse, the insects can create a hell of a lot of noise, with nearby swarms reaching up to 90 to 110 decibels – that’s about the same as a loud motorbike or a bulldozer.

Cicadas spend most of their life underground, with groups known as broods only emerging once every 13 or 17 years. This year will be particularly dramatic as two broods of cicadas are about to synchronize their awakening for the first time in 221 years: Brood XIX, which has a 13-year life cycle, and Brood XIII, which has a 17-year life cycle.

The two broods are set to emerge across parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Virginia. The awakening is expected to begin in many states in May, lasting through late June.

Advertisement

“If you need to be outside near where the cicadas are buzzing, and the sounds are really loud, you should consider wearing foam ear plugs or earphones of your choice. If you have hyperacusis or tinnitus, check to see if the sounds actually bother you,” said Husain

“Maybe you find the sounds to be not as bothersome as you imagined or in cases of tinnitus, there might even be masking effects. If however, you find them bothersome, please use hearing protection,” she added.

“The hotter the day, the louder the sounds will be, which is another reason to seek air-conditioned comfort. But rest assured, the sounds will subside in about six weeks.”

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Chinese businessman gets 2 years in prison for exporting U.S. marine tech to China
  2. MLB roundup: Brewers end Cards’ win streak at 17
  3. Biggest Loch Ness Monster Search In Half A Century To Begin In August
  4. Brand New Species Of Delightful Sea Creature Discovered Off The British Coast

Source Link: Cicadapocalypse May Have Peculiar Effect On People With Tinnitus

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • For Only The Second Recorded Time, Two Novae Are Visible With The Naked Eye At Once
  • Long-Lost Ancient Egyptian City Ruled By Cobra Goddess Discovered In Nile Delta
  • Much Maligned Norwegian Lemming Is One Of The Newest Mammal Species On Earth
  • Where Are The Real Geographical Centers Of All The Continents?
  • New Species Of South African Rain Frog Discovered, And It’s Absolutely Fuming About It
  • Love Cheese But Hate Nightmares? Bad News, It Looks Like The Two Really Are Related
  • Project Hail Mary Trailer First Look: What Would Happen If The Sun Got Darker?
  • Newly Discovered Cell Structure Might Hold Key To Understanding Devastating Genetic Disorders
  • What Is Kakeya’s Needle Problem, And Why Do We Want To Solve It?
  • “I Wasn’t Prepared For The Sheer Number Of Them”: Cave Of Mummified Never-Before-Seen Eyeless Invertebrates Amazes Scientists
  • Asteroid Day At 10: How The World Is More Prepared Than Ever To Face Celestial Threats
  • What Happened When A New Zealand Man Fell Butt-First Onto A Powerful Air Hose
  • Ancient DNA Confirms Women’s Unexpected Status In One Of The Oldest Known Neolithic Settlements
  • Earth’s Weather Satellites Catch Cloud Changes… On Venus
  • Scientists Find Common Factors In People Who Have “Out-Of-Body” Experiences
  • Shocking Photos Reveal Extent Of Overfishing’s Impact On “Shrinking” Cod
  • Direct Fusion Drive Could Take Us To Sedna During Its Closest Approach In 11,000 Years
  • Earth’s Energy Imbalance Is More Than Double What It Should Be – And We Don’t Know Why
  • We May Have Misjudged A Fundamental Fact About The Cambrian Explosion
  • The Shoebill Is A Bird So Bizarre That Some People Don’t Even Believe It’s Real
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version