Waking Up to ‘Exploding Head Syndrome’ Can Be Shocking!

Yes, it is a real thing. But it's not exactly what you think. It's not like Spontaneous Combustion or anything like that. It's more of a sleep disorder.

Admission: I suffer from Sleep Apnea due to a car accident when I was 14. I hit my nose on the steering wheel, and even though my nose didn't break it did enough damage to close my left nasal septum by over 30 percent. So when I see anything about sleep disorders, it gets my attention.

I've seen several articles lately about this "Exploding Head Syndrome," so I had to look into it. The study on this was done at Washington State University. They claim that one in every five college students has experienced this phenomena at least once.

I am pretty sure I have had it before, too. It sounds like a nightmare in a way - it jolts you out of your slumber like a burst of energy. Wikipedia says it occurs between sleep stages and can last for seconds or even minutes.

It has been treated with anti-depressants, sedatives and in some cases even stimulants.  Often, it goes away by itself.

The one conclusion I came to is that science doesn't have a solid answer for it yet. But at least they are starting to acknowledge it's a problem. In the old days, they probably would have just drilled a hole in your skull to release the demons.