The Weird Reason A Teen Lost His Hearing

An 18-year-old in China temporarily lost his hearing after listening to cicadas for more than four hours while camping in a forest.

The teen, identified as Wang, was camping in Ningbo when hundreds of cicadas became especially loud around noon. He stayed in the forest until evening, when he started experiencing ringing and a feeling of fullness in his ears.

Once the cicadas quieted down, Wang realized something was seriously wrong. He couldn’t hear birds chirping or even notifications on his phone.

Worried he might lose his hearing permanently, he went to the hospital. Doctors discovered swelling in both ears and prescribed medication to reduce it. They also told him to stay away from loud noises for two weeks. Luckily, his hearing completely returned.

Doctors say people often assume sounds from nature can’t damage their ears, but that’s not always true. A single cicada usually produces around 70 decibels, which generally isn’t dangerous. But hundreds of cicadas together can exceed 85 decibels, where prolonged exposure can potentially damage hearing.

Doctors explained that loud noise can temporarily cause swelling in delicate cells inside the ear. Those cells can recover with rest, but severe damage can be permanent and irreversible.
The main takeaway is when you can’t hear your phone notifications, the there’s a problem!
Lana Backman