'Exploding head syndrome' occurs more frequently than previously believed

A disorder known as 'exploding head syndrome' has been found to be far more common among young people than previously believed, affecting nearly 1 in 5 of those studied.

The condition causes individuals in the process of falling asleep to be jarred by loud, yet nonexistent, exploding sounds.

Though the actual effect is far less extreme than the bursting open of one's cranium implied by the name, it does come with a number of potentially serious consequences.

In addition to the general loss of sleep that results, some believe that they're suffering a brain hemorrhage or seizure.The actual cause is likely a glitch in how the brain shuts down as it enters sleep mode.

It's theorized that while it switches off the visual and auditory neurons, those linked to sound end up firing simultaneously, resulting in a booming noise.

Prior to this study, which was performed at Washington State University and involved over 200 students, experts thought the syndrome was a rare one that occurred primarily in people over 50.

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