One Weird Health Problem Keeping People Awake at Night

Crying babies, noisy neighbors, work-related stress, uncomfortable beds, and too much caffeine. These are some of the more common reasons people can’t sleep at night, but did you know that some people are kept awake by…

Exploding Head Syndrome


What is Exploding Head Syndrome?

The Huffington Post describes the condition as follows:

People who experience exploding head syndrome typically hear a loud bang sound like cymbals crashing, a bomb exploding or a gunshot when no such noise has actually occurred.


Naturally, these loud noises can make it difficult to sleep, but is 
Exploding Head Syndrome dangerous?

According to the American Sleep Association:

As exploding head syndrome is not dangerous, and does not have a drastic effect on sleep, many individuals do seek help for their symptoms. It will first be necessary to consult with a doctor regarding your sleep and medical history to ensure that what the individual is experiencing is actually exploding head syndrome and not something else. Similar experiences have been known to be brought on by certain medications or drugs.

Who has Exploding Head Syndrome?

According to the American Sleep Association:

People over the age of 50 are most likely to experience exploding head syndrome. Women are at a higher rate of experiencing it than men. It has been reported in people as young as 10 years old.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

Feeling pissy? Get more sleep…

This is another one of those conclusions that seems obvious, but hadn’t necessarily been thoroughly analyzed until now. Not getting enough sleep can make you feel grumpy.

Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and Harvard Medical School conducted a study of the effects of sleep-deprivation on the brain’s control over emotions. The researcher’s studied 26 adults aged 30 and under; the participants were divided into two groups, one group stayed awake for 35 hours, the other group was allowed to sleep normally. the participants were shown a series of images, some of which were disturbing, while researchers monitored their brain activity. The researchers found that the sleep-deprived participants became aversive and experienced a decrease in prefrontal lobe activity, the area of the brain that controls emotions.

One of the researchers, Matthew Walker, said, “Sleep appears to restore our emotional brain circuits, and in doing so prepares us for the next day’s challenges and social interactions. Most importantly, this study demonstrates the dangers of not sleeping enough.”

For more information about the study, check out the most recent issue of Current Biology, where the study is published. More information is also available via Fox News and the USA Today.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.