I recently found out that I have exploding head syndrome (EHS).
While I've had exploding head syndrome all my life, I didn't know what it was called until yesterday, when it was briefly discussed in a podcast I listened to.
From Wikipedia:
Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is an abnormal sensory perception during sleep in which a person experiences unreal noises that are loud and of short duration when falling asleep or waking up. The noise may be frightening, typically occurs only occasionally, and is not a serious health concern. People may also experience a flash of light. Pain is typically absent. Despite the name, the sufferer's head does not actually explode.
I've never bothered to research my EHS symptoms because I wasn't even aware that it was a real medical condition. At least once a month, I violently jolt awake to the sound of a loud bang or mechanical buzzing noise while I'm drifting off to sleep. It always scares me when this happens, but I usually end up falling right to sleep afterward.
Although it may cause momentary discomfort, EHS is harmless. EHS is not known to have a specific cause, but possible explanations include "ear problems, temporal lobe seizures, nerve dysfunction, or specific genetic changes" (Wikipedia).
I don't enjoy my exploding head syndrome, but at least this condition has a pretty awesome name.
