Exploding Head Syndrome Might Not Be As Bad As You Think

Exploding Head Syndrome sounds pretty awful, but it's not as bad as you think.

You might hear the name Exploding Head Syndrome and think one of two things: it's an elaborate way of saying you're hungover, or it's a special effect in a horror film.

Well, it's neither, as it's actually a sleep syndrome involving loud sounds.

Like any syndrome, the sounds and associated symptoms vary in severity but, thankfully, no heads explode.

So, have you ever heard a loud noise in your head?

If you answered yes, you could have this scarily named syndrome, which according to the Cleveland Clinic, 'is a sleep disorder. Although it sounds painful, you feel no pain. You hear a loud noise or explosion in your head. The sound isn't real or heard by others'.

The syndrome can occur as you're falling asleep or can wake you up in the middle of the night.

However, that's largely the extent of it, with the clinic adding that the syndrome 'is harmless and not a sign of another serious health condition. It usually doesn’t require treatment'.

The syndrome, according to studies, is more common in females, and episodes vary from person to person.

One individual could hear several loud sounds a night, while others have a week or month-long gap between theirs, with most episodes lasting a second.

Professor Brian Sharpless went into further detail about the condition on the BBC's Science Focus podcast.

"When Exploding Head Syndrome occurs, people are really in a state of deep relaxation that happens right before sleep," he explained.

If you're wondering what an episode feels like, one user on BoredPanda recounted their experience, saying: "I started hearing noises, it sounded like pure static, electricity and it got louder and louder till I heard a loud exploding like doorbell-bang.

"So loud, I wanted to scream. But I could not. My body was not moving. I felt a terrible pain in my head, along with electricity in my arms back, and legs."

With the condition having some startling side effects and research suggesting that some 16% of college students might suffer from the condition, there's still little understanding as to why it occurs.

Some people with the condition have said they felt stressed or tired when they notice symptoms emerge, but nothing conclusive is a trigger.

This means that there's also little treatment for the odd condition, but given that symptoms tend to only last a few seconds many with the syndrome can cope.

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Topics: Health, Life, Science

Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.