Hearing a Loud Sound When Trying to Drift Off / Get to Sleep — Is This Exploding Head Syndrome?

Hi Dr. Nagler,

I am now 15 months into tinnitus and have been noticing that I sometimes develop other auditory dysfunctions alongside - dysacusis last December and paracusis (auditory hallucination) when stressed out and sleepless.

The past several nights, I have been hearing some loud sound when trying to drift off/get back to sleep in the middle of the night. Sometimes it is a buzz, sometimes I think it is my own voice amplified, sometimes it is like a snort, sometimes it feels like a mild vibration from a smartphone, and sometimes it is like a semi-loud thud from something that fell. It only lasts between 1 and 2 seconds and only happens when I try to go back to sleep.

I have read about exploding head syndrome and some sounds I have been hearing might qualify. It is just that the past successive nights, I wake up 3AM and then try to get back to sleep when I hear the sound. Recently, it has been repetitive - a few minutes of trying to sleep and then I hear it and won't sleep anymore.

My tinnitus has been manageable as of late but having this new symptom affects my sleep. And sleep deprivation makes my tinnitus worse in the day.

At this point I am not sure what this new symptom is and whether it is still related to my tinnitus or not.

Thank you very much in advance.


Best regards,
Albert

 

Hello @AlbertJ -

Thank you for your inquiry.

I am away taking care of a family matter. I should be back in Atlanta by next week and will respond then. I apologize for not being able to get to it sooner.

Regards -

Stephen M. Nagler, M.D.

 

Hello again @AlbertJ -

What you describe might indeed be a variation of exploding head syndrome - but in your reading I am sure that you have come across the fact that other than being a distraction, exploding head syndrome is (like tinnitus) completely benign. In other words (again like tinnitus) it is a nuisance rather than a danger. Now I do not mean to minimize the effect that either of these phenomena can have upon you. (My own tinnitus "nuisance" put me in bed for the better part of a year!) All I mean to say is that the biggest problem exploding head syndrome can cause is your own concern about it.

Hope this helps.

Stephen M. Nagler, M.D.