Is exploding head syndrome a mental illness?
Is exploding head syndrome a mental illness?
You hear a loud noise or explosion in your head. The sound isn’t real or heard by others. It happens as you’re falling asleep or when waking up during the night. EHS is harmless and not a sign of another serious health condition.
Can anxiety cause exploding head syndrome?
Possible causes of exploding head syndrome include other sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, and high levels of stress or anxiety. A person should speak with a doctor or a sleep specialist if their symptoms significantly affect their quality of sleep or cause emotional distress.
How do you get rid of exploding head syndrome?
Clomipramine, an antidepressant, is a common treatment for exploding head syndrome. Calcium channel blockers may also help. See your doctor if you think you need medicine for it.
Is exploding head syndrome schizophrenic?
No. Exploding head syndrome, also known as episodic cranial sensory shock, isn’t considered a mental health illness. It’s a sleep disorder. Specifically, the condition is a type of parasomnia — that’s any condition that involves undesirable or involuntary physical events during the sleep cycle.
Is exploding head syndrome a seizure?
Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded.
Can you have exploding head syndrome once?
That’s how Niels Nielsen describes what it’s like to live with “exploding head syndrome” – an unpleasant and sometimes terrifying sensation. Others describe it as like a bomb going off next to their head as they fall asleep. Sometimes it occurs just once in a lifetime, for others it happens multiple times a night.
Can exploding head syndrome happen while awake?
Although they’re only hallucinations, which are imagined, the noises in exploding head syndrome feel very realistic at the time they occur. These noises may jolt you awake and keep you from falling back to sleep. It might happen only once, or you may have recurring experiences.
Can exploding head syndrome cause paralysis?
Brian Sharpless of Argosy University, Northern Virginia explored that exploding head syndrome is actually linked to isolated sleep paralysis, that is another parasomnia in which a sufferer can’t move or speak when falling asleep or awakening.
Why did I hear a pop in my head?
Exploding head syndrome is a condition that happens during your sleep. The most common symptom includes hearing a loud noise as you fall asleep or when you wake up. Despite its scary-sounding name, exploding head syndrome usually isn’t a serious health problem.
Is exploding head syndrome hereditary?
Some EHS cases involve two or more members of the same family, but a genetic link has not officially been established. The frequency of episodes varies by patient. Some experience multiple episodes over the course of one night.
Is exploding head syndrome genetic?
What is exploding head syndrome and how is it treated?
Exploding head syndrome is a condition that happens during your sleep. The most common symptom includes hearing a loud noise as you fall asleep or when you wake up. Despite its scary-sounding name, exploding head syndrome usually isn’t a serious health problem.
Are the noises in exploding head syndrome real?
Although they’re only hallucinations, which are imagined, the noises in exploding head syndrome feel very realistic at the time they occur. These noises may jolt you awake and keep you from falling back to sleep.
How can a sleep diary help with exploding head syndrome?
If you do have sleep problems, a sleep diary could help to chart your sleeping patterns. Usually, there aren’t tests for exploding head syndrome. But your doctor may want you to do an overnight sleep study if you have sleep problems. It tracks your heartbeat, breathing, and brainwaves while you sleep. It also records how your body moves.
What is the prevalence of exploding head syndrome?
Despite the distressing nature of EHS, relatively little is known about the prevalence and underlying cause of the condition. Some scientists have estimated that EHS may affect 10% of the population. Females tend to be more at risk than males and the average age of onset is 50 years old. What Causes Exploding Head Syndrome?