Table of contents:
- What is exploding head syndrome?
- What are the symptoms?
- Causes and people at risk for this condition
- How is exploding head syndrome treated?
Hearing the medical term exploding head syndrome will make you cringe. However, don't get it wrong. This condition does not describe your head exploding like a popping balloon, but rather a disturbance that often appears during sleep. Curious? Check out the explanation further in the following review.
What is exploding head syndrome?
Exploding head syndrome is also known as Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS). This condition is a sleep disorder that causes a person to hear a loud banging sound such as a bomb or firecracker exploding, a loud collision, gunshot, or the sound of lightning striking inside the head.
This loud sound usually appears when you are asleep. As a result, you will wake up with a start as you search for the origin of the sound. Even though it was just a hallucination, the sound that appeared was very real. In most cases, EHS makes it difficult for a person to fall back to sleep because of severe anxiety and fear.
What are the symptoms?
Bursting head syndrome is not a type of headache. The reason is, this condition does not cause pain or tension in the head. Apart from hearing loud noises that are annoying, some people who experience EHS also experience several symptoms, such as:
- Seeing the flash of light along with a loud sound
- Heart rate faster
- Muscle twitching
- Fear and depression
- Causes confusion
This syndrome can occur only once while you sleep. However, it can also recur in a short time and will go away on its own.
Causes and people at risk for this condition
Until now, it is not certain what causes exploding head syndrome. However, researchers agree that this condition is possible if:
- Are stressed and have an anxiety disorder
- There is a shift in the middle ear
- The occurrence of small seizures in certain parts of the brain
- Have other sleep disorders, sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome
- Side effects from using certain drugs, such as benzodiazepines or selective serotonin inhibitors
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Genetic problems due to chromosome mutations
- There is a delay in certain nerve activity in the brainstem when you begin to fall asleep
Bursting head syndrome can happen to anyone. It's just that it is more likely to occur in people over 50 years of age and who are still studying for college. Children under 10 years of age have it very rarely.
How is exploding head syndrome treated?
The symptoms of EHS almost mimic other illnesses, such as cluster headaches, nocturnal epilepsy, thunderclap headaches, and PTSD. For this reason, doctors need to know the patient's medical history, related to diet, emotional condition, and symptoms.
You may be asked to take polysomnographic testing to evaluate various things that happen to your body while you sleep. Including knowing neurological activity with electroencephalogram. If the doctor has made a diagnosis, the treatments you will do include:
- Giving antidepressant drugs, such as clomipramine. This drug is very commonly used for EHS where anxiety and depression are suspected.
- Relaxation therapy or meditation exercises from yoga
- Learn to manage stress, such as reading a book, listening to music, or taking a warm bath before bed
- Making changes to your sleep routine, such as going to bed early and getting up early and getting enough sleep for 6 or 8 hours per day.
