1 in 5 young people experience it too.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: If you’ve ever heard a resounding “boom” in the middle of the night as you were trying to drift off to sleep, you may have experienced the medical condition known as “exploding head syndrome.”
It’s estimated between 10 to 20 percent of the population have had episodes pertaining to exploding head syndrome where they are woken up by an abrupt, seemingly loud noise, only to find it is imaginary.
Prior to a recent study at Washington State University that was published in the journal “Sleep Medicine Reviews,” it was believed the condition only occurred in people over the age of 50. However, the investigation found that one in five young people had experienced it as well. The study was the largest of its kind with 211 students interviewed.
The study’s author, Dr. Brian Sharpless, explained to the Daily Mail that the disorder tends to come as a person is falling asleep, and doctors suspect it stems from problems with the brain shutting down.
According to Sharpless, when the brain goes to sleep, it’s like a computer shutting down, with motor, sound and visual brain cells turning off in stages. With exploding head syndome, instead of shutting down properly, the brain cells responsible for sound are thought to fire all at once, creating a blast of energy that the brain interprets as a loud noise.
While exploding head syndrome might sound amusing, Sharpless said it is actually extremely frightening and can lead to panic disorder, depression, depression, and catastrophizing, where patients misinterpret symptoms as signs of more serious conditions such as stroke or a heart attack.
There is currently no treatment for exploding head syndrome but researchers are trialing drugs that seem promising.
Sharpless stated many people are simply relieved to get a diagnosis and learn they are not alone.
“There’s the possibility that just being able to recognize it and not be afraid of it can make it better,” he added.