Exploding Head Syndrome: Causes & Effects

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon known as Exploding Head Syndrome, a type of parasomnia characterized by the perception of loud noises occurring as one falls asleep or wakes up. Participants share personal experiences and observations related to this syndrome, exploring its causes and effects, as well as related phenomena.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes Exploding Head Syndrome as a rare event where individuals hear loud noises in their head, often accompanied by feelings of fear or distress.
  • Another participant shares their experience of hearing loud noises while falling asleep, likening them to falling bookshelves, but notes that the sound seems to originate from outside their head.
  • A different participant mentions experiencing a sensation similar to a head impact before falling asleep, characterized by shock without pain, and notes that it occurs more often during daytime naps.
  • One participant reports experiencing bright flashes of light and a banging sound from the TV while drifting off to sleep, suggesting a possible connection to static discharge from the television.
  • Another participant echoes the previous experience of bright flashes of light and the TV noise, reinforcing the observation without additional context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of experiences related to loud noises and sensations while falling asleep, with some similarities noted. However, there is no consensus on whether these experiences align with Exploding Head Syndrome, as individual interpretations and descriptions vary significantly.

Contextual Notes

Participants' experiences may depend on personal definitions and interpretations of the phenomena discussed. The relationship between the described experiences and Exploding Head Syndrome remains unclear.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in sleep disorders, personal accounts of parasomnia, or those seeking to understand the nuances of auditory experiences during sleep may find this discussion relevant.

Evo
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I've noticed a number of threads asking about sleep paralysis, and especially loud noises when falling asleep. I found this article and thought others might be interested.

http://www.livescience.com/health/sleep-disorders-top10-100208-1.html

The "loud noises" is a disorder called "Exploding Head Syndrome".

Exploding head syndrome is a rare and relatively undocumented parasomnia event in which the subject experiences a loud bang in their head similar to a bomb exploding, a gun going off, a clash of cymbals or any other form of loud, indecipherable noise that seems to originate from inside the head. Contrary to the name, exploding head syndrome has no elements of pain, swelling or any other physical trait associated with it. They may be perceived as having bright flashes of light accompanying them, or result in shortness of breath, though this is likely caused by the increased heart rate of the subject after experiencing it. It most often occurs just before deep sleep, and sometimes upon coming out of deep sleep.

Attacks can increase or decrease with time, and can disappear for long stretches at a time, or entirely, of their own volition. Subjects often feel fear or distress after the incident.

http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=explodingheadsyndrome
 
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I've heard about this. I, too, hear very loud noises from time to time when I sleep, or as I fall asleep. I always thought it was just part of a dream but I never remember the context of the dream.

Typically the noises are like falling book shelves.

But I wouldn't say the noise comes from "inside my head"; it seems to have its origin from somewhere nearby. So I don't think this phenomenon is what I experience.
 
I wonder if it is related to what I experience occasionally. Just before falling asleep I have a feeling as if I banged my head on something - no pain, just the shock, as if my head has been shaken. Interestingly, it happens rather when I have an occasion to doze during a day, rarely when I go to bed at night.
 
I get the bright white flash of light sometimes when I am drifiting off to sleep, and the TV makes a kind of banging sound... Like someone flicked the corner of the TV hard.

weird.
 
Gaius Baltar said:
I get the bright white flash of light sometimes when I am drifiting off to sleep, and the TV makes a kind of banging sound... Like someone flicked the corner of the TV hard.

weird.
The tv noise could be a discharge of static, my tv does that all of the time.