Exploding Head Syndrome

What Is Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS)?

Exploding head syndrome is a type of sleep disorder that occurs suddenly, either when you are beginning to fall asleep or when you wake up in the middle of the night. This sleep disorder is characterized by hearing a loud noise or crashing sound in your head, which is not real or heard by anyone else. Along with the sound, EHS can also cause the patient to see flashes of light and experience muscle spasms. Unlike the name suggests, these episodes are not painful.

Causes Of Exploding Head Syndrome

Exploding head syndrome is classified as a parasomnia, which is an undesired event that happens while sleeping. These are a specific type of sleep behavior referred to as a disruptive sleep-related disorder. Parasomnias can often be passed down genetically through families.

The exact cause of this sleep problem is not known, although researchers have developed theories. Possible causes of this condition include a brief increase in the activity of your brain’s sensory neurons, damage in your inner ear structures, or abnormal processes in your brain during the sleep-wake transition. Other causes may be due to the beginning of a migraine, or side effects from suddenly stopping anxiety or depression medications, such as SSRIs and benzodiazepines.

Symptoms Of Exploding Head Syndrome

In addition to the loud sounds heard during the episode, exploding head syndrome can cause other symptoms as well. These include feeling frightened or anxious after the episode, experiencing muscle spasms while the episode is occurring, having difficulty falling back to sleep, trouble breathing, rapid heartbeat, or waking up sweating.

These episodes vary in frequency depending on the individual who is experiencing them. Some patients report having several episodes in one night, while others have episodes several nights in a row followed by a lapse in episodes that can last for weeks or months.

Testing For Exploding Head Syndrome

To determine if you are experiencing exploding head syndrome, a sleep specialist will ask you about your episodes to see if they meet the criteria for the condition. According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, a patient must meet these three criteria in order to be diagnosed with exploding head syndrome.

The criteria are that you wake up suddenly to a loud noise or explosion in your head, your experience is intense and you feel frightened after the episode, and you don’t experience any physical pain during or after the episode. The sleep specialist will also ask whether you saw any flashes of light or experienced muscle spasms during the episode.

The sleep specialist may also order certain tests in order to rule out any other sleep conditions. These tests include a polysomnogram, which measures your brain and body activity while you sleep. This test records your brain waves, heart rate, eye movements, and breathing during sleep. Other tests that may be ordered include an MRI and an electroencephalogram (EEG), as these can measure the electrical activity of your brain.

Your doctor will also be able to rule out other possible conditions by obtaining your full medical history and asking questions such as if you or other family members have any known sleep disorders, or if you have a history of headaches or psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Treatment For Exploding Head Syndrome

Exploding head syndrome typically does not require any treatment. The condition is harmless and does not create any feelings of pain in the patient, so it is not dangerous nor is it a sign of another serious condition. Due to this, there are no FDA approved medications made to specifically treat exploding head syndrome.

However, your doctor may still choose to prescribe medication that is used to treat other conditions. Medications that are proven to be helpful for managing exploding head syndrome include the antiseizure medicine topiramate, the heart disease drug nifedipine, the antidepressant amitriptyline and a drug for obsessive-compulsive disorder, clomipramine.

How Gwinnett Sleep Can Help

Gwinnett Sleep offers services that can help diagnose any factors that may be causing exploding head syndrome. We provide consultations, conduct sleep studies (known as polysomnography), and offer a variety of tests as well as a CPAP clinic. If you suspect that you may have exploding head syndrome, you should get tested as soon as possible so you can determine if treatment is necessary. Learn more about our services here, or schedule an appointment to talk to our doctors.

FAQs

Exploding Head Syndrome While Awake

Whether you’ve been dealing with sleep disturbances for years or recently began experiencing troubling symptoms, the sleep disorder called exploding head syndrome (EHS) can be extremely frightening and disruptive. While the cause is still largely unknown, and little medical research has been conducted on it, current theories offer some insight into what may trigger EHS episodes – find out more here.

What is exploding head syndrome?

Exploding head syndrome was initially described in 1876; however, it was not officially classified as a sleep disorder until 2005. EHS is considered parasomnia, a disruptive type of sleep disorder in the same category as sleepwalking and sleep terrors.

While it may sound like the title of a sci-fi movie, exploding head syndrome is an actual medical condition that causes loud noises in your head when falling asleep or waking up. These noises range from scary imaginary explosions to claps, bangs, roars, screeches, gunfire sounds, and more. Even if this phenomenon isn’t as widely discussed as other sleep conditions, such as narcolepsy or insomnia, many people suffer from it but don’t know its name.

Experts say, “These events occur during the wake-sleep/sleep-wake transition period and generally last less than a second. Events are often accompanied by flashes of light and patient distress, but there is no significant associated pain.”

While it sounds painful, it’s good to understand that other than disturbing sleep and perhaps causing emotional distress, the jarring noises aren’t real and do not cause physical harm to the person experiencing them or anyone nearby.

Thankfully, the prevalence of EHS is relatively low. About 10 percent of people may experience this at least once in their lifetime. However, some encounter the symptoms sporadically.

Symptoms of exploding head syndrome

While there aren’t many symptoms, the ones that occur can be frightening and confusing, especially when experiencing them for the first time.

To become diagnosed with exploding head syndrome, someone must meet all of the following criteria, according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders.

Complaints of loud noises or sensations that mimic the effects of an explosion in the head during transition periods between sleep and wakefulness.

Feelings of intense arousal, and possibly fright, following these episodes.

No significant physical pain during or following the episodes.

Others may encounter flashes of light and twitching muscles. Overall, the experience only lasts about one second, although people might feel like it was longer. Although there are hypothesized causes, there is no single known cause for this sleep disorder.

Can exploding head syndrome occur while awake?

Simply put, no, exploding head syndrome does not occur while awake. Because these episodes happen during the transition between sleeping and waking, to many, it seems as if they experience EHS while awake. The symptoms of the sleep disorder are what rouse people to wake up, often startled and confused.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever woken up to a loud noise that seems to be coming from inside your head, you may have experienced exploding head syndrome. Although it can be frightening, especially if you’ve never experienced it before, exploding head syndrome is not harmful. If you’re experiencing sleep problems or disorders, contact the caring team at Gwinnett Sleep to help. They will work with you to find a solution so you can get the restful night’s sleep you deserve.

How to Stop Exploding Head Syndrome ?

Do you experience loud explosions in your head just as you are fading off to sleep? Are these episodes accompanied by flashes of light and intense fear? If yes, then you may have exploding head syndrome (EHS). While researchers hypothesize why this strange sleep disorder occurs, there is no simple explanation as to why about 10% of the population experience it at one point in their lives. This unexplained phenomenon can be highly distressing for those affected. But the good news is that there are steps you can take to help stop EHS from occurring and get some much-needed restful sleep.

How to know if you have exploding head syndrome

Exploding head syndrome is a type of sleep disorder that occurs suddenly, either when you are beginning to fall asleep or when you wake up in the middle of the night. This sleep disorder is characterized by hearing a loud noise or crashing sound in your head, which is not authentic or heard by anyone else. Along with the sound, EHS can also cause the patient to see flashes of light and experience muscle spasms. Unlike the name suggests, these episodes are not painful.

According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, the following criteria are symptoms someone must experience to be diagnosed with exploding head syndrome.

Complaints of loud noises or sensations that mimic the effects of an explosion in the head during transition periods between sleep and wakefulness.
Feelings of intense arousal, and possibly fright, following these episodes.
No significant physical pain during or following the episodes.

Fortunately, the entire episode only lasts one to two seconds, even though it can seem long to those who encounter them.

If you think you may have exploding head syndrome, please seek a diagnosis with a licensed sleep specialist; do not simply assume this is what you are experiencing. Other medical conditions have these same symptoms.

Available treatments for exploding head syndrome

As stated previously, a direct cause has not yet been connected to exploding head syndrome; however, there are a few theories researchers believe may be true, such as:

A temporary increase in the activity of your brain’s sensory neurons
Damage or dysfunction in your inner ear structures
Abnormal attention processing in your brain during the sleep-wake transition
An aura that occurs before a migraine
Side effects from suddenly stopping selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

While the FDA has officially approved nothing, some sleep specialists prescribe a few different medications known to treat the symptoms of EHS. These are topiramate, nifedipine, amitriptyline, and clomipramine, which are all used to treat other conditions.

ConclusionAs an alternative or in addition to medication, people with EHS can do some things at home to help stop the disorder. Practice de-stressing techniques such as yoga, meditation, baths, or reading before bed. Keeping good sleep habits may also help reduce or stop the symptoms.

Ultimately, speaking to a sleep specialist before attempting any at-home remedy is wise. Be 100% sure EHS is what is going on and not something else more dire.

Conclusion

Exploding head syndrome may not have one specific cause, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any possible treatments to try to stop it from happening. If you regularly experience EHS or have only had it a few times and are worried, the best option is to consult a sleep specialist who can help you create a treatment plan. At Gwinnett Sleep, our specialists are dedicated to helping our patients get the rest they need and deserve. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you treat your sleep disorder.