Home / Exploding Head Syndrome
Posted on November 6, 2007 in Conditions and Diseases
Exploding head syndrome is a mysterious medical condition that causes the sufferer to occasionally experience a loud noise as if from within his/her own head. It is usually described as an explosion, roar or a ringing noise.
It most commonly occurs in the twilight stage as the individual is falling asleep and less commonly awakening. This is not the result of a dream and can happen during the day as well. Although perceived as tremendously loud, the event is normally painless. In many cases a sudden stab of pain in the head is reported
It is considered not so dangerous, but it is sometimes distressing to experience. Sufferers often feel a sense of fear and anxiety after an attack, accompanied by an increased heart rate.
Exploding head syndrome can be confused with other headache syndromes. But exploding head is normally painless. Headache syndromes can cause great pain.
It is not known how many people have exploding head syndrome. It may be more common in women than in men. It can begin at any stage. It has even been reported that it may occur as early as less than 10 years of age. The average age when it first appears is 58 years.
Causes of Exploding Head Syndrome
The cause of Exploding Head Syndrome is unknown and can be confused with headaches. Parents with children suffering from the condition may confuse it with a nightmare or other trauma.
A flash of light may come along with the sound. A muscle twitch or jerk may also occur. The condition may happen or develop at any time. The number of attacks varies. They can happen very rarely. They can also occur many times in one night. Some people report having a cluster of attacks over several nights. It may occur in a space of days or weeks followed by months of remission.
Treatment of Exploding Head Syndrome
There is some evidence that the medicine clomipramine may help in treating exploding head symptoms. But, if it occurs repeatedly, immediately consult your doctor. Check out carefully whether it is associated with any other disorders you are suffering from such as inadequate sleep, stress, anxiety and take the necessary steps.
Please note that EHS does not, in fact, cause the head to explode.
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May 6th, 2008 at 2:18 am
I experienced this for the first time the night of May 4, 2008. Just as I was falling asleep. While the noise was very loud and startled me, at first I felt a great peace and relaxed as though a great weight had been lifted from me. Then my heartrate sped up and I started to feel anxious as I realized I had no clue what had happened or why. And I didn’t know if it was serious. I happen to be under a great deal of stress and can probably ascertain without any great effort that stress is what brought this on. I had never heard of it before today. I would certainly like to know more about it.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I have had this, it seems to happen when im falling asleep maybe an hour into sleep, I wake up after a large sudden jerk a very loud and frightnening popping / bang inside my head, not very painful but you can feel it. It wakes me in a panic and heart is beating very fast. It has never happened before this year, so far as far as I remember 3 times this year, most times I am so exhausted when the event occurs or after I fall back to sleep so it may have happened more times. I can recall one time it happening where it lightly woke me and feeling scared but very quickly falling back to sleep. Before this started to occur I have regularly start to wake lightly seeing very frightening hallucinations, they can shock me greatly but I have taught myself to tell me they are not real, when I do this they disappear very quickly.
I have suffered one of these today and saw that these hallucinations can be linked to exploding head syndrome, I think propable caused by fatigue as I get up early and sometimes stay up late, it is becoming a problem for me.
Anyone had experiences with this disorder?
October 8th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Ok here goes my story, I have this problem when i’m actually awake and lie down to go to sleep sometimes its within the hour of trying to sleep yet can also be when i have awoke and go back to sleep again, I will be lying there to go to sleep and after about maybee half an hour I either hear a swishin sound and my head feels a little tingley or i can be a throbbing in my head and with each throb I get the swishing throbbing noice and all I think is “oh no, it’s happening again” and I have learned to let myself go with it instead of fight it, not that it helps a great deal but it does seem to help a little. I also know at that time that i will instantly fall to sleep within like 5 seconds and i’m awake going into sleep if you understand that lol, anyway I also know that this dream i am going into is going to be an unpleasent one, either someone in the room throwing me around and my room is the same and me screaming to my hubby to wake me up but knowing i’m asleep or sometimes it can be easier to try and think of the dream you want knowing you are going to sleep now and that may help stop the nasty dreams and trigger off the good dreams, it is a hard thing to deal with, I have had this for a good few years now prob started when i was about 35 when i got the noise in my head and would hear like someone sawing and i couldnt open my eyes and was stuck there thinking someone was sawing my bed, like nasty thins, ghosts i suppose you can call them, or demons , whatever, sounds nuts but not sure how else to explain it! These used to terrify me but as you learn to decide what you are going to dream of when it starts and try to sway your dream it does help, try it, when you hear the noise and think “ohh boy, here we go again” think of something nice or just try to relax and dont figght it , it will get easier and you can deal with it without medication, i am living proof, its just all about self controll and it may take practise like me but you CAN do it, please respond if you need help and i’ll advise you as best i can, i’m not a doc but am proof that you can help yourself and have nice sleep not all the time but most of the time, i would like to know if anyone experiences this ;like me, kind regards, and good luck, angie x
November 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am
i had this for the first time last night (1 nov 08)it really scared me i had just gone to bed and it felt like someone shot me in the head but there was no pain my heart started to beat fast and i couldnt remember nothing for abouut 30 seconds, i do have neurofibromasis witch effect the neveous system could it be linked ??
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
i have been having this for over a year sometimes up to 5/6 times in one night, before I actually drop off. I rarely go a night without one and the more I get the less I sleep worying about it.I have been to my doctors several times and the first time I think he thought I was crazy, I found information on the web and went back with details of exploding head syndrome and suggested it may be my ears blocked so he gave me nose drops. I have since found out it could be due to blocked eustacian tube, but again lots of symptoms and lots of causes and not much hope for a cure. I think some of it is due to extreme fatigue.I now sleep propped up to nearly sitting position and play something with earphones on as it happens when i lie down snd am quiet.Its some consolation that I am not the only one in the world with it!!!
January 6th, 2009 at 2:55 am
I have two of these in the past two nights. I was barely asleep when I heard this horrific bang and I woke up and realized that the noise was inside my head. It woke me with such a jolt that my heart was pounding furiously. It was a pretty alarming experience. I had a middle ear infection in October and have had vertigo ever since. I am certain this is connected to it.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
My mother has this. She takes Tylenol PM every night to go to sleep and doesn’t hear it. She tried going witihout Tylenol PM last night and heard it. I worry that she is taking sleep aids everynight, but the Dr. says it won’t hurt her. After hearing how distressed she is after a disturbed sleep, I think Tylenol PM might be better.
February 15th, 2009 at 4:28 am
I thought it was just me. No idea that other people have had this. It is totally painless, but I think your description understates how uncomfortable this is. It sounds like a gun going off, but just incomprehensibly loud. I suspect it’s the movement of some component of the ear. I become anxious afterwards, and my heart certainly races, but it’s more from the shock of the very, very loud noise.
I can’t wait to tell people I have “Exploding Head Syndrome.” That’s got to be the best name for a malady ever thought up.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I’ve been experiencing EHS for quite a few years. Primarily after I started working night shift. Usually happens, I think, right at the moment that my body slips into sleep. The most common feeling I get is one like electricity zapping through my head. An extremely loud buzz, and I can feel it. Sometimes I’ll jump up startled thinking a freight train is crashing through my bedroom. Frightening but never painful.
My speculation is, is that my mind and body are falling asleep separately and one fights the other off trying to stay awake. I had coffee last night at work, then took sleep aid to fall asleep. I feel like this is some sort of imbalance with the mind and body. It happened about five times last night.
It’s annoying and fascinating at the same time. Just the fact that I get to tell people that I suffer from EXPLODING HEAD SYNDROME makes it all worth while.
April 19th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I’m not sure if this is the same thing but at night i randomly get a very loud ringing that overwhelms all other senses then I can hear loud obtrusive voices that are saying jibberish
April 20th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I have had many experiences with this disorder. At first I thought my house was haunted or something. I am 46 now – it started when I was 40 or so.
The noise I hear is so loud and frightening I wake up, and sometimes go to my window and look out thinking a car has crashed. I have heard the sounds of waves crashing against rocks also.
There seems to be a remission period I go through where I have no effects for a few months.
April 27th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
i have been having these experiences for years, however, recently i realized that after hearing the noises (varied) i find myself being conscious and aware of my surroundings but not being able to respond. i am familiar with the explanation of your brain being awake before your body. i haven’t come across anyone with symptom in relation to the “exploding head syndrome”. i would just like to know if that is just part of it.
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 am
I had a couple this last week just gone, OMG it is freaky. I thought there was a bomb or something, it is nuts!
May 5th, 2009 at 6:26 am
I have had this since before i was 10 years old, Im a teenager now
Not like most people though, I really love having it
Sometimes the noises (clashing/banging) get really loud though, as if im listening to my mp3 on full, at these times i just open my eyes and they go away
It happens when im just about asleep
Why i love it is because the sounds are not often the ringing/explosive sounds most people get, this might sound strange but i hear band music, like an orchestra or sometimes solo instruments
like a piano playing a nice tune
I can also force myself to hear it if I’ve had it before that same night
May 8th, 2009 at 3:19 am
SO that’s what this crap is?!?! Gosh, I got it when I was 12 last year. It was a very loud and annoying bee-boop sound like some sort of alien space-ship and I saw bright lights. It was weird. I wasn’t abducted by aliens. I opened my eyes and saw my pillow, but it seemed cloudy and distant and I could hear myself saying, “No,” over and over again faintly. after what seemed like ages, it faded away and I was once again in control of my own body. Weird… Since then, it has happened 4 other times. Once twice in one night! I do not like it! One time it happened when I was awake!
June 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
My mother just told me she had this last night . She was frightened to death. She thought she was dying. her vision went blurry and she stared at the clock until she could see it again.She went to the doctors the next day and to the optometrist, they think she could of had a mini stroke and are sending her for a M.R.I. After reading some other peoples experiences I sure hope they are right and can blow it off as an MP3 player or something cool! Mom never had an MP3 player before! Pls just don’t be what the doctor thinks and all you young people – be careful and don’t be so fast to brush this off. look into it further!
June 13th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I have heard very loud noises during the night; doors slamming, heavy objects sliding off my roof, loud footsteps walking up the stairs and down the hallway. Once, while driving, I heard a very, very loud noise that sounded like a heavy load of steel had fallen from above somewhere. I immediately jumped in my seat and pulled to the side of the road and waited for pedestrians to react, or for police sirens to go off. There was nothing.
I think it is all stress-related and due to sleep deprivation since I have suffered from insomnia for 40 years! It is not harmful, just adrenaline producing!!!
September 11th, 2009 at 11:31 am
In the last few months I have also been waking to a loud ‘banging’ noise in the small hours of the morning which causes quite a shock and does cause heart palpitations! I am glad to find this site and to hear that other people have been experiencing this, and I am still not sure as to the possible causes. I was under extreme stress last year, which may still be causing some physiological side-effects, but at the same time, I do wonder about more spiritual interpretations of this. I would like to add to ‘Phyl’ that your situation does sound like you have a real psychic ability! The mystery continues…
September 19th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I have it every now and then, right before I fall asleep. I also hear what sounds like electricity in my brain, just before I nod off. It’s almost like I’m hearing my brain “functioning.” I’m thinking it’s something that is there all the time, but you only become aware of it during that half asleep and half awake state. Who knows. I told my doctor about it, and she thought I was nuts. It’s good to know other people experience this. I also have sleep-paralysis every now and then (coinciding with the hallucination that I’m actually floating around the room), and also have the sensation of my heart racing or vibrating really fast. Verrrrry Strange!!!
October 6th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Oct 5 2009
I am a 55 yr old female and I awoke from sleep about 4:00 am D.S.T.My experience started with trying to fall back asleep laying on my side. I hade the sounds start like waves from the ocean and thought this is pleasant. THen the sound got louder and louder and more forceful until it crashed in my brain. THen I had like nerve tingles all over my body radiate up to my back. I wasn’t in pain either but worried about heart attack or stroke. I also had mild case of heart burn. It was very scary and I thought I was going to die that night.I don’t want to experience again. I was wondering if it was a panic attack. My friend at work showed me this web site.I will go to doctor and rule out anything.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I hope others don’t have to suffer this
October 15th, 2009 at 6:02 am
I am a 52 yr old male & I have got the surprise of my life i do not want. For the past 2 weeks now i have been experiencing this explosion just as i am falling asleep. Yes it is scary 4 me 2 even think about like getting shot and not wanting to go back to sleep. I shared this with my neighbor and he says he has heard of it to, I will share a short story with you. A man in the passenger seat riding down the highway with his wife, all of a sudden he jumps in thte back seat the wife asked what in the world are you doing? He replies I just got shot. Now as I understand it that is exactly the way I fell it happens to me. Plz any suggestions I can surely use them. Feel free to share
O I found this web-site you may want to check out I cannot afford it! shamlesly.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:54 am
33 year old female, been having these since I was 5. Sometimes mine can be painful AND scary. Yes there is the noise and body sensations, but what about the feelings of “otherness” You all get that too?
November 7th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I believe my daughter just had an episode like this. She is 8 yrs old. She had fallen asleep and my younger had turned the light on in their bedroom. The next thing I know, my 8-year-old breathes a quick few breaths and wakes up crying hysterically. She was trying to tell me that she made a big…..made a big…..she couldn’t think of what she wanted to say for about 30 seconds. She was saying she made a big mistake, and had heard a loud banging noise. Her heart was beating really fast and she was so scared. She had never cried with fear like that before. Then she was saying that I didn’t give her her medicine. I said, “Medicine for what?” and then she cried, “The medicine FOR MY HEAD!!” I don’t give her any medicine for her head. She occasionally gets headaches, but that’s it. I managed to calm her down, with me thinking it was a bad dream. After reading this page, I’m thinking otherwise….oh no, I hope this is a one-time episode. I was terrified for her!!! I sure hope it doesn’t happen again.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I am so relieved there is a medical explanation for what I have been experiencing and that its not somebody with a vendeta against me!! It was only through watching Doc Martin on TV last night that I found out about this syndrome – It didn’t occur to go to the docs as didn’t realise nobody else could hear the BANG! I’ve experienced it several times in the past year, I’ve rang the police and had them at the door because I thought I was being burgled, I’ve had the neighbours around as I thought somebody threw fireworks and bricks at my window, I’ve peered through the curtains thinking somebody was breaking in etc etc!!! I feel so stupid now knowing the noise was in my head! I’m a mother of two very young boys and am VERY tired. I can now relax if it happens again! Thanks Doc Martin. LOL.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
For the past couple of years I have suffered from this condition, although I had never heard of it until it was mentioned on the tv. Just as I am dropping off to sleep I am woken by a loud explosive noise which I often thought was coming from the next door house or from the street. Sometimes even that there was someone in the house! Occasionally, I wondered if I had snored violently, but it didn’t seem likely as I appeared to be lying quietly. My partner,obviously, has never heard it, (thought he was a bit deaf!!) and because it only happens occasionally, I haven’t been too worried although it is sometimes acompanied by a slight panicky feeling. It has happened during the day when at an exersize class lying relaxing on the mats. Looking round, no one else seemed to notice the noise, which at the time I thought very strange.
It is interesting that this complaint is suffered a lot by people with sleep disorders. I suffer bouts of insomnia on a regular basis.
Very interesting to read of other sufferers. We aren’t alone!!!
Now I know about the condition I shan’t worry about it too much. Just another irritation of life to contend with.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I’m not quite sure if this EHS is what I am suffering from but I’m hearing all kinds of loud noises when I am dropping off to sleep or when I’m somewhere between being awak and being asleep, its so strange, sometimes its just a bang, sometimes something much more sinister and scary like someone running up the stairs, or smashing a window, or shouting, I’m finding it very hard to enjoy gong to bed now knowing that this might happen, I have also become so tired lately it must be affecting my sleep….I’m only 30 yrs old!!!