What It's Like To Have Exploding Head Syndrome: Linked To Sleep Paralysis In Some People | TIME

If you've ever heard a sudden loud noise in your sleep that turns out to be imaginary, you're not losing your mind. In fact, you're among the roughly 10-15% of people who have experienced Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS).

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What It's Like To Have Exploding Head Syndrome: Linked To Sleep Paralysis In Some People | TIME

[sydnibates]

For me, it felt and sounded like a sonic boom. I️ could feel it in my body. Like I️ was stunned. Bizzare.

[xsamsungg]

I always hear a loud buzz sound and it feels like electricity goes straight to my brain. I wouldn't say it's painful but it's very unpleasant.

[Dox_Nif]

last night i literally screamed i thought we were getting nuked and i saw a flash of light. it threw me into a bad anxiety attack because it sounded so real. i couldn’t believe it.

[froggy]

It’s even more scary when you hear screaming

[shelliedoyle]

This isn't funny, especially when it happens twice in one night, the second time I was actually scared to go back to sleep. Sound made me wake up quickly and startled, then shortness of breath followed by panic and rapid heart beat, and worse thing was the sound and flash seemed to come from near my bedroom door, so wanting to get out of the room during panic was not an option! I live alone btw

[drainyourlife]

the thing is, when my EHS happens, it takes me a while to get up. i feel like i know when i'm having it, because i would feel myself drift off to sleep but i would also feel almost paranoid.

[eziiikwe]

Has anyone only experienced a loud ringing noise? For me, when I'm about to fall asleep I hear the typical sound of the ac and fan. Then there's the low ringing when you're in a fairly quiet room. But then all of the noise drops for a second, then it turns really loud and the ringing is twice as harsh. It's like if there was a dial and someone turned it down briefly then put it all the way up. I also can't move/talk at this point and my heart rate increases(because of me being scared haha). I was just curious. I finally found out what I may be experiencing, but I want to do more research first. :D

[ltterstoyu]

I have been experiencing this for around 2 years now. When I fall asleep at night, right before I am fully asleep, there will be a sound that goes from very quiet and slowly 'ramps up' and finishes with a big sharp electrical sound. When the sound happens, there is a sudden flash of light (similar to the thunder and lightning others have described) and then it sounds like a computer shut-down

I had the most intense one last night. It happened around 5 AM before I woke up and it again started quietly and ramped up to deafening electrical noise. It felt like it lasted for 2-3 minutes. There was no imagery associated with it, but the best way I could describe it is 'if this happened in real life, I would have been holding my ears and running for shelter' as if a sonic boom / nuclear bomb had just landed. I remember telling myself 'don't move, it's okay, stay calm and keep breathing' as if the world was ending.

I am laughing writing about it because I am so relieved I'm not the only one!

[RobertoLicardie]

Had a lucid dream about 4 days ago. Today, right after my am classes, I took a nap around 2pm. I had a very lucid dream, then I woke up, Only to realize I had a sleep paralysis. I didn't freak out because I knew what it was and the best thing to do was to go back to sleep - so I did. As I was falling asleep, my ears started ringing. Like when it's completely silent. That ringing kept increasing rapidly. Eventually, it came to an end but it triggered a loud sound. It sounded like an explosion... And my left ear felt the echo it caused. Anyways, whilst the Ringing was increasing, I could feel neural slashes inside my head. very weird, not sure how to explain myself. The best I could say is they were slashes that were very physical.... But in the back of my brain.

[harleyspeedthrust]

I get both exploding head syndrome and sleep paralysis, often at the same time. In fact I am here because I just had two episodes again. The creepy part is that they often occur in a nested dream, so I'm trying to wake up into something that's actually still a dream. I usually can't wake up when I get the episodes, and when I try to move, the noise gets much louder (and I find that I can't move). Although I would much rather take these ehs combined sleep paralysis attacks over the ones with demons. Those are legitimately scary as hell

Edit: by far the most terrifying attack I had was when I was awake, I was facing the wall with my eyes open trying to get some sleep. I heard some woman in the room and I was freaked out, I thought she was evil and I told her. Her voice suddenly changed and it had a deeper and inhuman quality to it. Then these loud alarms started going off, and when I turned to look at her she was gone. Hell I wasn't even paralyzed

[nyeisagriffin-turner]

I'm 27. I've been feeling with this for a long time. Well over 13 years. And to be honest, I've learned to live with it. There are nights where I'll hear knocking at the door and I wake up asking who is it lol but I fall right back to sleep because I'm used to it. I've heard everything from a bomb to a piano and all of the above.

[kingfreak]

i’ve heard the music beautiful melodies then it gets extremely loud right before a static /AC type sound comes ringing, i normally wake myself up at this point bc i know sleep paralysis is on the way. Crazy.

[davidlape]

This has happened to me a few times and scared the hell out of me. Sounded almost like a gunshot.

[asjavlogs]

The only time I get this is when I sleep early then when I try to sleep again that’s when it happens anyone else gets that too

[azulan]

I get them after going to sleep while extremely tired (after waking up in the middle of the night) and I have to be lying on my back. I used to be afraid and force my eyes open when it happens but now I love it and hope I have them as often as possible. If you keep calm and accept EHS when it happens you start to float and can hallucinate. Its only scary if you're afraid of it. Only downside of EHS is it doesn't last long enough ;)

[rext]

I got mine today for the first time sounded like a sharp thunder

[aliajohnson]

Finally, this is exactly what I have. As I’m falling asleep I hear sound like a gun in a gun range. And it wakes me up for a second then I fall back asleep. I feel better knowing others go through this and that it’s harmless

[MetalowyChleb]

Woke up this night to a woman scream. I was terrified it was so Realistic. I discovered that i have EHS around 3 years ago when i watched a short on youtube about it, but for 7 years i thought there was something next to me making the noises to my ear and escaping when i wake up

[abel]

Bad actors if you have it, it scares you awake

[destinyesports]

I think I had the most creepiest exploding head syndrome. So it happened to me one night when I just fell asleep and I was riding my bike and then I was going towards space and all of a sudden this loud scream came out of no where, it was hurting my ears. Then I just thought it wasn't a big deal so I fell back asleep again. Then I had another exploding head syndrome where I was like in the 1870s and there was alot of people and a man with a hammer kept banging my head and beating me then after guess what! The really loud scream came back again then I woke up. Take a note I couls not move or barely wake up. And it happened 2 times in one night!