Do you have exploding head syndrome?

Insomnia is probably one of the most common sleep issues known, but it is far from the only sleep issue out there. Such is the case for people with the little-known exploding head syndrome, a condition that is just starting to be investigated by experts around the country.

Just what happens to people with exploding head syndrome? Probably not what you think. This condition actually has nothing to do with a violent cranial injury but has more to do with the sound that can be attributed to an explosion. People with exploding head syndrome find themselves suddenly woken from a deep sleep–or jerked awake just as they are nodding off–as the result of a loud noise within their head.

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“The sound is terrifying — super loud, like someone has broken in,” Raymond, a 38-year-old arts administrator from Seattle, told NBC News. “But when I get up to look around, nothing’s amiss and everything’s quiet.”

According to the American Sleep Association, exploding head syndrome occurs most often in people over the age of 50, though it has been reported in individuals as young as ten years of age. The condition is characterized by “a loud bang in [the] 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.”

The Association indicates that, contrary to the name, exploding head syndrome has no elements of pain, swelling or any other physical trait associated with it, though patients may report bright flashes of light accompanying the sound, or shortness of breath, though this is likely caused by the increased heart rate of the subject after the experience.

At this time, experts believe exploding head syndrome is linked to stress or extreme fatigue which may result in minute seizures in the brain or sudden changes of fluid within the inner ear.

“It’s a provocative and understudied phenomenon,” Brian Sharpless, a professor of psychology at Washington State University, said in a statement. “I’ve worked with some individuals who have it seven times a night, so it can lead to bad clinical consequences as well. Some people start to become anxious when they go into their bedroom or when they try to go to sleep. Daytime sleepiness can be another problem.”

For those who struggle to understand exploding head syndrome, it is often compared to another common issue people have when falling asleep–the hypnogogic jerk.

This is a muscle spasm that occurs just as the body is entering sleep and is often jarring enough to wake the person back up. Better known as a body twitch, the hypnogogic jerk is another unexplained sleep phenomenon, one that is similar to exploding head syndrome but a physical manifestation rather than one of sound.

Is there a cure for exploding head syndrome?

Unlike the hypnogogic jerk, there is some hope for individuals who want to alleviate exploding head syndrome. Because the condition is associated with stress or fatigue, pre-sleep relaxation routines are some of the most effective ways to treat this sleep disorder.

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Experts recommend meditation, yoga, a hot bath, or listening to relaxing music prior to sleep. As a general rule of healthy sleep, the body should be allowed to wind down before being put completely to rest. This cool down can help release tension and ultimate de-stress the brain.

In extreme cases, antidepressants are prescribed to help people with exploding head syndrome decrease their anxiety and fatigue.