The name of this condition sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Without thinking deeper, you’d think someone’s head explodes for some reason, like their mind was blown away or something like that! You’re probably curious, so let’s get started.
Exploding head syndrome is a type of sleep disorder classified under parasomnias wherein people “hear” loud noises like explosions for a short period of time when falling asleep or when waking up.
Often times, the noise they hear are frightening sounds like roars, lighting strikes or such. However, it can happen only rarely and is believed to not be a serious health concern as of now.
Waking up after an exploding head syndrome episode is similar to how we suddenly wake up from a horrible nightmare.
Although they can hear loud noises, it is often like a hallucination since there are no actual noises in their environment. There are also no real, physical pain detected when the syndrome “attacks”.
There are reported cases of people with exploding head syndrome to experience a “flash of light” when falling asleep or waking up.
Usually, people with exploding head syndrome does not get diagnosed since they choose to ignore the syndrome due to its rare occurrence.
Due to insufficient details to support the study of exploding head syndrome, majority of its nature still remains unknown and a strange thing to wonder about for some people.
Risks
As of the moment, health experts still have little to no information about this syndrome, leaving us unaware of its true dangers if there are any.
But for now, exploding head syndrome is not considered a serious health concern.
If there are any possible risks, it’s only theories and not proven facts since most people do not get diagnosed. Here’s a few “possible risks” that the exploding head syndrome may possess.
- Heart attack
- The biggest, possible risk that a potential one time occurrence from an exploding head syndrome episode is a heart attack that can trigger other problems as well.
People with a weak heart or can be easily surprised may be in danger of a heart attack when they suddenly hear a loud, exploding sound during their vulnerable state.
We are most vulnerable in mind and body during sleep and suddenly hearing a loud sound can increase the heart beat and can also lead to sudden death during sleep or after waking.
- The biggest, possible risk that a potential one time occurrence from an exploding head syndrome episode is a heart attack that can trigger other problems as well.
- Disrupted sleep
- Suddenly waking up because you heard a loud explosion in your head can disrupt your sleep.
But since this syndrome happens so rarely, one night of disrupted sleep can easily be recovered.
- Suddenly waking up because you heard a loud explosion in your head can disrupt your sleep.
- Trigger paranoia
- Experiencing something strange and unexplained can trigger paranoia, which is what fear and anxiety is all about.
The person may not be able to sleep well, in fear of hearing the “loud sounds” again.
It can also make them anxious throughout the day, thinking that something “paranormal” is happening to them.
- Experiencing something strange and unexplained can trigger paranoia, which is what fear and anxiety is all about.
- Impaired hearing
- There is a possibility that a person with exploding head syndrome might be prone to hearing loss or damage their hearing abilities due to the “loud sound” only they can hear.
But once again, there are not enough evidence to support these possible risks and so we can safely declare that the exploding head syndrome is not an alarming condition for now.
Symptoms
What exactly is the kind of noise that people with exploding head syndrome can hear? Since the condition is still mysterious, it’s natural to be curious about it.
The syndrome attacks on different times but not often enough for us to understand it. Apparently, more women have been reported to have EHS, but it’s not for certain as many people go undiagnosed.
EHS among children is also rarely observed, leaving us to conclude that it is more common to occur among adults.
Gathering all the information I can find, let me describe the sounds or symptoms that people with exploding head syndrome possess.
Noise — what do they hear?
The sound described are often the same, it’s a “loud explosive” sound, you can come up with any form of explosion sound and they will all sound quite the same.
But rarely, there are some that reportedly hear “loud thunder roars” or “violent lightning strikes” that made them think they were in the middle of a storm and left them panicking for minutes until they calmed down.
Some could also hear loud banging of musical instruments or gunshots, fireworks, all the disruptive noise that can shake you off can possibly be heard by people with EHS.
Visual — what do they see?
There are a few people that stated they saw a flash of light for a brief moment before hearing the loud sound.
Apparently, they can experience visual disturbances like perceiving visual static and lightning which somehow explains why it they can hear sounds similar to those visual images.
Reactions — what do they feel?
Each time they experience an exploding head syndrome episode, patients often react strongly and emotionally to the sound and visual disturbances that they heard and saw for brief seconds during sleep.
There are also that say they experience unusual heat or strange feelings in their torso or a feeling of electrical tinglings that climb to their head before they hear the loud sounds.
Observations also revealed that it heightens arousal in people but it also causes people to experience distress, confusion, myoclonic jerks, tachycardia, sweating and feeling that they “died” for a moment.
They may have thought that they stopped breathing during the moment they experienced the visual disturbances and heard the loud sounds.
Causes
As of now, there are only “theories” of what can potentially cause the exploding head syndrome and some of them are also theories that is not even supported by science.
Few believe that the exploding head syndrome is a neurological issue that is yet to be understood. Some also think that it’s caused by stress, fear, trauma and anxiety.
The most common theory that majority can somehow agree with is that it is possibly caused by a dysfunctional reticular formation in the brain stem which is responsible for transition between waking and sleeping.
If the specified brain stem is not working as it should, then hallucinations might actually occur when waking and sleeping.
It’s also possible that the components of your middle ear shifting during the night is causing the problem.
Minor seizures affecting the temporal lobe, ear dysfunctions, unstable sleep pattern, sleep deprivation, antidepressant discontinuation syndrome and PTSD can also possibly cause exploding head syndrome.
Diagnosis
How exploding head syndrome is diagnosed comes only in few methods. But usually, it only involves a polysomnography or a “sleep study” and other physical examinations to see what may be “wrong” with your body.
Since the condition is still a mystery, anyone who is experiencing this type of syndrome is highly encouraged to see a doctor. Together, we can understand the nature behind the unexplained syndrome.
(Related: “How to Do a Sleep Study?”)
Treatment
Since this condition is still covered with many questions, treatment is also not known. However, doctors have prescribed medication only for treating the symptoms but not the condition itself.
Your medication will depend and be different depending on your age and if you are also experiencing other complicated symptoms. After seeing a doctor, only then will you learn the best treatment for you.
There are helpful tips that can ease or lower the chance of an EHS episode and here are those tips:
- Meditation
- Doing yoga and other relaxing therapy can help you sleep better and reduce the possibility of an EHS attack.
- Managing stress
- The better your mood, the better your sleep can be
- Psychotherapy
- Talking to a health expert and other counselors that you know you can trust can also help get your mind off the problem, distraction can work in this type of health problem
- Proper sleep routine
- Following a correct sleeping pattern and sleeping on time with enough hours and not too much sleep can also improve your sleeping time
- Healthy diet and exercise
- Your diet and physical activities can also affect your sleep at night, the healthier you are, the lesser risks of sleeping problems
For some people, simply finding out that this condition is generally not harmful and not a reason to be overly concerned is enough to improve symptoms.
Epidemiology
Apparently, it is still unknown who is most often affected by this syndrome due to lack of material to study and evidence.
Only one study found that 14% of undergrads reported at least one episode over the course of their lives, the rate being higher than those who have sleep paralysis.
One of the reports have been published around 1876 and the condition was described as “sensory discharges” among patients.
The earliest records of written reports about EHS was done by a French philosopher named Rene Descartes in 1961.
In 1920 however, the phrase “snapping of the brain” was used by Robert Armstrong-Jones to describe EHS. He is a British physician and psychiatrist, making his phrase credible.
After many years, finally, the name “exploding head syndrome” was created back in 1989 by a British neurologist named John M.S Pearce.
As of today, Peter Goadsby and Brian Sharpless have recently proposed to rename the exploding head syndrome into “episode cranial sensory shock” since it “describes the symptoms more accurately”, they said.
“What If” Theories
In the earlier sections, it has been mentioned that the exploding head syndrome also have “supernatural theories” and here’s some of them that I personally came up with which might capture your interest.
- Glimpse of the Future
- What if the non-existent, “imaginary” noise and visual disturbances that people with EHS hear and see is actually just a hint of what happens to them or someone close in the future?
- Parallel World Phenomenon
- What if there is truly an alternate world, where there is another version of you?
And what you hear and see through exploding head syndrome, is a sneak peek of what’s happening to your other self?
- What if there is truly an alternate world, where there is another version of you?
- A Scene from the Past
- What if the reason why you hear those noises is because it left a scar to your past self? What if you are a reincarnation, and the episodes of your exploding head syndrome are memories?
For example, hearing lightning strike and seeing lightning images during an EHS episode is a sign that you were hurt by lighting before, or worse, potentially caused your death before.
What if you are hearing loud fireworks because it’s the last thing you heard during the final moments of your past life?
But this theory can be easily discredited as episodes of EHS can contain different sounds each time, which is what makes it even more complicated!
- What if the reason why you hear those noises is because it left a scar to your past self? What if you are a reincarnation, and the episodes of your exploding head syndrome are memories?
Please keep in mind that these are “just for fun theories” and should not be taken seriously. But hopefully, it made your reading enjoyable.
Related Questions
Is Exploding Head Syndrome dangerous?
No, exploding head syndrome currently does not pose any threat to our life or health as of the moment.
The chances of being affected by it as well are low, making it a rare syndrome or attacks rarely for those who have it.
Does sleep paralysis feel like stroke?
No, sleep paralysis is quite different from stroke. A stroke usually causes a person to lose consciousness, become numb or lose awareness.
During a sleep paralysis episode, an individual may still feel their senses, their awareness are left intact. There are times when patients feel a heavy pressure on them, which most stroke victims don’t feel.
This is why most stroke victims are not even aware that they are having a stroke while sleep paralysis patients are aware that they might be having another attack.
What is the noise I hear when it is silent?
The noise you hear when there is no sound at all is known as “Tinnitus”. Often described as a ringing noise inside the ears but it can also sound like clicking, hissing or roaring.
It may also be the “deafening, ringing” noise that you hear and may cause you rarely hear “voices” among the silence.
