This is so crazy to hear about exploding head syndrome as it's something I've experienced and always tributed it to childhood trauma. Mine too is from my father and although I no longer I hear him yelling my name, I still often hear a door slam that wakes me into a defensive fight or flight state of mind.
Everything you just described was legit things that I have been experiencing but I get freaked out by the doctor so I don't go and seek help. I'm always scared they will just be like " you have cancer kid" ...I was misdiagnosed with cancer a few years ago and after that I've been unable to trust the doctors. I love your videos man. You are such a good dude. I like how you stay humble and speak truth.
I think you should give it another chance. It makes sense that after a major scare like that that you don't want to go back, but I do think you should try.
@@beaub152 you're totally right. I'm just scared lol they started giving me surgeries and medications only to find out from another pathologist that I infact do not have cancer. My story is long and I totally fear hospitals with all my heart.
From your description, the symptoms of "exploding head syndrome" sound similar to hypnagogic hallucinations, which are visual/auditory/tactile hallucinations that occur during the transition of sleep stages, usually from stage 1 to stage 2 (aka falling asleep). These can be associated with stress, sleep deprivation, certain medications, or certain medical conditions. By itself, hypnagogic hallucination is harmless, but obviously if it's induced by medications/medical conditions they should be evaluated and changed/treated accordingly. Given your sleep symptoms and possible TBI, if you haven't, establishing with a neurologist may not be a bad idea. These comments are based on limited information presented in the video and by no means constitute medical advises. best wishes, C.T. MD, PhD
Yeah, I was thinking maybe its apart of a fight or flight response as well to me. From his description. Due to seeing combat maybe its similar to why dogs sleep with an eye open because it's something primal. Maybe this is similar to what these people and our man here is experiencing. Because Ive had similar experiences but instead of noise it feels like ive jumped off a building and I get an intense falling feeling before I pass out. Maybe this is apart of these hypnagogic hallucinations you were speaking of but what if we approach it from the side of its a fight-ir-flight ideal. How would that alter the decision to the diagnosis within the medical community?
This is not server as war but my dog went missing and as a fall to sleep I snap awake instantly and fearful that my dog died and then it takes awhile to settle down
Dude this happened to me. I lay down to sleep, and as I was falling asleep I heard a LOUD crash and saw what appeared to be a lightning strike! It was crazy. The hospital did jack for me bout it. Sucks man. Semper Fi brother 🤠👍🏻
@@CivDiv yeah it really caught me off guard. I work as a RN so I immediately thought I was having a cerebral event or a stroke. I got to the hospital and the brain scan thankfully found nothing. It really sucks. I have Tinnitus, EHS and hearing aides. I’m 38 and it gets annoying asking coworkers to repeat what they said because I cannot hear sometimes. Semper Fi
Had this happen to me a few times randomly, never been in the military. honestly thought the others in my house where deaf for not hearing the sound for a while until i did some reaearch. I did fall from a wall when i was young and bust my head so maybe thats why its happening for me.
It also happens to me but just fev times a year, it is incredible how loud it can be. I also see wierd shit when i wake up in the middle of the night like dark semitransparent silluets standing next to me or floating above me. It is most likely caused by fall from a roof of a shack when I was a kid.
Hey man, I had this for many years and it was indeed scary. Hard to tell someone about it when they've never experienced it. Eventually it went away for me and it never appeared again for many years now. What helped me was starting with pullups and do more yoga/ stretching. Pullups help a LOT to release tension around the upper area of your head/ back. From what I understand, exploding head syndrom can come when a certain bone is locked in the area under your head. When it finally releases, it causes a little sound which the person believes was an explosion during half sleep. Look if doing pullups regularly will help you but make sure to make to them in a very clean form (not jerking around but real, slow clean reps). Also try to stretch more because your fascia might be to tight/ shortened which also causes stress on your back.
Hey man, you are definitely a hero with balls of steel. I am very happy for people like you, doing the right thing. I hope everything health related will be sorted out for you without many struggles as we all know how health care sucks in the US.
I have a lot of the same things as you, it is hard to try to function normally. Congratulations on quitting alcohol! That is huge!! And thank you for sharing this. It takes a lot of bravery to admit faults- especially on the internet.
I've experienced exploding head syndrome like only once or twice in my life in the form of just my dad yelling at me or a door slamming, it sucks. Thing was, I didn't find it scary, it was just an annoyance because I was just about to fall asleep. Hope you're doing well Civ Div!
You've got a healthy laundry list, but it sounds like you've made some meaningful progress in identifying and addressing a lot of it. I hope the process didn't and won't adversely impact or defer too many productive years of your life. Thanks as always for sharing these perspectives for those of us who haven't lived your experiences. [EDIT: the rest is just a personal rant about institutional irresponsibility. Anyone should feel free to skip it] The VA is big and achieves a lot, but there's so much that it just doesn't have the resources to address as well. I worked in social services for a few years, and sometimes interfaced with a few local veteran assistance nonprofits. Eventually, I reached a point where, just like with most social services issues, whenever I saw a private charity providing well-received aid to veterans, all I could think was "politicians will vote to send soldiers in, but they won't vote to fund the total costs of care afterwards." Just like companies that pay unsustainable wages that force some of their employees to seek healthcare/welfare assistance from the government. No one wants to own externalities that negatively affect their bottom line. From friends of mine who were ejected 50 feet from an armored vehicle, to an uneventful but hard few years of landing hard on your feet or butt/back from training different things (fast rope, parachuting), to really mundane stuff like simply carrying 200 lbs of squad support weapon and ammo, the common thread I've seen to their and your experiences is that in war or peacetime, the military puts immovable demands on the individual, often beyond the limit of a healthy, sustainable, 70-80 year life but within the unsustainable 20-50 year life. Even when it's hard to diagnose or label, all that mental and physical stress and abuse accumulates and has lasting effects. I get that training is a structured, controlled method of inflicting micro trauma to acclimate the human animal to high-stress, traumatic situations in a fashion that helps prevent succumbing to greater real trauma in real combat situations. Anyone who trains fitness and athletics is doing the same thing, to varying lesser degrees. The more you sweat, the less you bleed. But it inevitably incurs smaller long-term (decades long) costs in exchange for short-term (years long) performance gains. Modern militaries have become very good at this. But the way many militaries (incl the US) are organized, the long-term health costs to the individual soldier are often considered an externality that is irrelevant to the mission, and no one is given primary responsibility, authority, or otherwise ownership of addressing these long-term costs to a SUFFICIENT degree to permit a significant number of veterans to live rich, full lives after they complete their service. A lot of people, soldiers in particular, internalize these issues as their own responsibility or fault. It's appropriate for the individual to take ownership of their personal share of the choices they make and the consequences. But it's also the larger institution's responsibility to own up to its role in burning out the minds and bodies of the willing young people fed into its system. The military as an institution is sophisticated enough to know what it's doing to people, to conduct studies on soldier psych and physical health. It's been documented from soldiers' journals in the 19th century to clinical studies throughout the 20th century. Now it's the 21st century, and I find it disingenuous for the most well-funded military in the world to continue to brush off this responsibility. For so many people who work as cogs in this system to say "I was only doing my job; I'm not responsible for what happens to vets after they leave my system," well, I wonder where we've recently heard other people say "I was only doing my job" in the context of the Ukraine Russia war? So our political and military decisionmakers are willing to pick a fight, but they're not willing to pay the total, lifetime cost of ownership for a lot of veterans to address and mitigate the personal health consequences of their service.
Dude no way... I never heard about this syndrome and this is EXACTLY something I have, you literally described something I have and I just thought I was the only one.
Hey brother I can relate on the vertigo. Docs thought it was BPPV too for years for me but after seeing a neurologist he said it was PPPD and treatable with an SSRI. I was pretty hesitant since I prefer being all natural for remedies but it has been a life charger. It more or less just tones down the dizzy signals a bit and helps a lot with the chronic anxiety that comes along with vertigo. It's what helped me get back to normal living. It helped a lot with driving too. I also started having really bad anxiety that I was going to have a vertigo while driving on the highway. It helped immensely there too. God bless you brother and semper fi!
If your looking for neurogenic effects I might suggest this pigs brain derived treatment they use for TBI’s in Europe or psilocybin however that leans a little towards the psychedelic
This is EXACTLY, to a "T", why I couldn't get into work today. Migraine headache, ringing in the ears (LOUDER than usual), virtigo/dizziness, sensitivity to bright light/incoming traffic headlights, loss of appetite and willingness to hydrate. I were only able to drive down the street to the gas station to top-off until I got what I call "the spins" before I made the command decision for the safety of myself and others turn around to go back home and crawl back into bed. These struggles are real, and at times can be terrifying, if you do not know your limitations that can possibly even turn into panic/anxiety attacks that can leave you absolutely paralyzed and paranoid. The frustrating part about it is that it comes and goes randomly and with VERY little warning and even less certainty. EXCELLENT video, and very VERY well said!
really opened my eyes about some stuff since my dad was a veteran from the SAS and he was in africa, south america, middle east, falklands etc and he has injuries from things like helicopters and hearing damage, machete injuries from hostiles in africa and he struggles to sleep some nights! great video dude you are awesome
I can't believe this video has just diagnosed something I never knew I had but I wondered for many years what it was. Unbelievable. I also feel some sort of JOLT through my head. I have PTSD also
OMFG, I've been having cymbals go "CRASH!" now and then when I've been falling asleep for the past 5-ish years and I had no idea what it was. I figured it was connected to my tinnitus, but it seems like it's actually this "Exploding Head Syndrome". Thanks for talking about it, now I finally know what it is. xD
I'm glad someone else has shared their experience with this. I always thought I was crazy and never sought medical treatment. I still remember the first time I heard it, I was about to drift away and I heard a loud roar from either a lion or another animal. It woke me up so fast and I was freaked the hell out. It doesn't just happen when you're going to sleep, I hear people yelling my name when they aren't there. I'll hear cars that don't exist. It is so odd to live with it.
I think I have it too. And I think it's stress related. Also had sleep paralysis from time to time and it's definitely not the same. The way its described in this video makes me wonder if it's either trauma-induced in childhood or due to ptsd. Maybe both. See the defend the tunnels video. In the start. Check out those eyes. It's fear (fear is good) anyways... We while watching the eyes we hear the bangs. Also when you'd lie down to sleep... Yeah to me it makes sense if it's related to the loud bangs OP describes. But I wonder what happened in the end of that nugget story. Oh yeah and btw I'm not diagnosing anyone here, I've just had my speculations myself about the fight/flight response during sleep time especially when super sleep deprived.
What about the rest of OP's symptoms in rest of video? I just watched the rest and that also sounds similar. And of course I'm still guessing stress related on those as well apart from brain injury. Alcohol and/or nicotine could potentially play an indirect role acting as a stressor in the form of inflammation. Pneumonia? Maybe due to lowered immune system because of stress, who knows.
I have exploding head syndrome as well, and i didn't even know there was a name for it until I watched this video. The sounds i experience are sometimes gunshots, someone yelling, or glass breaking. I did experience sleep paralysis in my teens and i did experience trauma as a child but i always attributed it to my epilepsy. These events didn't get bad until i started to have seizures when i was 16. I did a sleep study and found out that i don't sleep how you're "supposed to". My body goes straight into R.E.M sleep and skips the other stages. This results in auditory hallucinations right before bed and sometimes visual as well as extremely vivid dreams almost every night. Apparently i have many of the symptoms of narcolepsy according to my neurologist but because i don't suffer from sleep attacks like many narcoleptics i have yet to be diagnosed. I have insomnia as well and migraines which i assume are contributing factors, and possibly symptoms of my epilepsy. All i know is the brain is weird man.
@@Netbase2000 Yes, i can generally steer the direction of the dream however once i'm aware i tend to wake up. I've had a lot of false awakenings an at time loops.
I suffer from exploding head syndrome as well. In my experience it usually happens when I am at the brink of falling asleep (though sometimes a little while before I am asleep), but it only happens while laying on my back. The sound can resemble anything from a bomb going off right by me, a jet plane taking off right over my head, a massive crowd of people applauding, or something akin to the sound of a roaring lion, but intensely amplified. Sometimes it even starts low, then gradually builds up in intensity until it meets its crescendo, and ends with a bang. It also brings on something like a flash of light, or twirling colors as well, but those are not as common. Not really debilitating though, but it for sure jolts me right the fuck up!
Ever since I was a kid I had nightmares and night terrors when lying on my back. I always slept on my side until about 10 years ago. Also I always slept better when I shared a bed with my girlfriend. Due to complex PTSD I often wake up with a massive jolt of adrenaline, which is so unpleasant I feel nauseous and instantly anxious. So many of us suffer in silence.
Amen! I'm almost a week now. The hardest part I find is filling up all the new free time. Struggling to find new hobbies and stay busy. I found that when you get bored, that's when the thoughts of temptation are strongest because your guard is down and they have more time in your mind to convince you to relapse
I'm on 2 1/2 years now, and I also work at a bar so I figured out how to maneuver around the booze, I get my socializing while working so I'm not isolated, I really would never go back to that life, life is so much better without, stay strong!
Bro!!! Same her on the gut issue! I was in Dubai, but same thing, shitting my brains out for 3 months of my deployment, took a couple cipro (antibiotic) stopped shitting, then had 2 years of constipation, bloated, just issues… then I went to Brazil, stayed for a year… just a total change of diet and no stress, stomach was fixed… came back to America, slowly issues came back… went to Africa for 2 years… picked up some new issues so the guts at 50/50… rebuilding a proper gut biome is difficult
You have a lot of great things going on for you : smart dude, growing, obviously mature and still in the process of it, which by all means is a compliment because this process never stops, you either keep learning about yourself and life, or you're dead ( litteraly or figuratively ). You're in great shape, which is a huge positive boosts regarding everything you're experiencing physically and mentally. My two cents : I think you still owe a couple of visits to specialists ( seems like you presume you have this or that for a couple of things, it's best to meet what causes your issues than to presume ), and you're an excellent candidate for relaxation methods and meditation. You know I managed to hear silence again for a moment ( I got tinnitus ) during meditation even though mine is due to physical damages too. You're on the right path. ;)
I've got exploding head syndrome as well and I believe it to be trauma based from numerous sources, and induced by stress in life. The hissing hearing loss (Tinnitus) is also very common for military and law enforcement who have been around loud gun shots and explosions for a decent portion of their lives, both are very annoying to say the least.
With all the celebrations and recognition we have in Australia for our returned soldiers- we can never thank you enough for all you do and give. I have watched your go pro videos - I would last 5 minutes !!
I know exactly what you mean. I still have it. I'm not a veteran, but I am a victim of severe child abuse. Both physical and emotional abuse. I've had it for as long as I can remember. Mine is never voices, just explosions. And mine tent to happen during stressful times. I was diagnosed with CPTSD and exploding head syndrome. CPTSD is Complicated-PTSD. Night terrors are frequent, and vertigo happens, but much less than the explosive head effects. I saw many different doctors, psychologists, therapists, counselors, and even pastors. Because I held in everything that happened to me, my body was telling me that I was killing myself. You have to confront these issues. It never goes away, but it absolutely helps to make it happen less. I was booted from the US Army during bootcamp, because the drill instructors yelling at us, very quickly began to have an effect on me. I was having trouble sleeping, even though I was really tired, and when I was able to sleep, I was waking up drenched in sweat and screaming and crying. Everyone could tell that something was wrong, and I couldn't do anything about it. It was then that the affects of the many years of abuse began to surface and affect me. I wasn't punished by my drill instructors, or the military. On the contrary, the military was extremely sensitive about it, and incredibly helpful at helping me confront it. And yes, I was unbelievably disappointed in myself, and very angry that what my parents did to me was ruining my life, just as my adult life was beginning. Be sure to look into CPTSD, and see if any of it has any similarity. Because it was exactly what I was going through.
I worked in law enforcement for 4 years. I have since resigned. I had an incident of exploding head syndrome. I had just worked an 17 hour shift after being the first one to respond to a murder scene one of many that I had been to in the years that I worked in law enforcement. I ended up getting home and woke up to what sounded like a shotgun going off In my room. I cleared my entire apartment cause it sounded so real. My ears had rung so bad my brain made it seem so real.
Hey Civ Div, I love your content and hearing your insight and perspective on the conflict in Ukraine. I was really curious to hear what exploding head syndrome was, but realized as you were describing it that I have suffered from the same exact thing for years. Just as I'm falling asleep I will hear crashing sounds or people yelling. It's very interesting, I didn't realize this was an uncommon thing.
First and foremost, it is crazy how similar our problems are dude! From the EHS, nightmares, hearing damage, bloating, etc it is exactly the same, and i totally feel the struggle. I am 21 , military uni student, and despite never even receiving proper training i have almost the same issues, down to the point my fucked ear is the left one as well. I have genetically ingerited insomnia, my father learned to live with it, being an engertic man in his 50s despite sleeping 3-4 hours each day, however it truly is a genetical curse, my aunt for exmaple couldn’t take it anymore in her mid fifties and took her own life recently. I came here to learn how you cope with ehs, since you are a man i massively repect, i even made my student’s conference assignment about the state and escalation of the Donetsk war last year based on your reports, prior the Russian-Ukranian war broke out, but hearing your story gave me confidence to share my story with the world, since my family, peers, etc don’t really understand it, or either think i am trying to get cookie points for being a victim. So, insomnia started making my life harder since the age of 12-13, and combined with supressed anxiety, frequent EHS, and the byproduct of the lack of sleep i experience eversince, constant strees with random peaks, regardless having what a man could ever ask for, a loving and beautiful soulmate,a promising carreer, cheap rent, and relatively good relation with my family, i feel like utter shit 24/7. Each day i wake up more exhausted and tired than as i somehow managed to force myself to sleep, with the constant torment of ehs, nightmares, and sudden night terrors. Sadly anything bellow benzos does not help to put me to sleep, and make my ever racing brain to calm just enough i can doze off. I have tried several psychologists, psychiatrists, therapies, anything you can think of but nothing has managed to even ease my struggle. I hate to speak about my problems, because i dont want to burden anybody with my sobstory, plus i dont think anybody who hasn’t experienced insomnia would truly understand the severity of the case. Still going to uni after being awake for the whole night and catching 3 hours of sleep prior to that, and trying to pass of as a functioning human being can be cumbersome to say the least hahaha. Worst part about ehs and insomnia is the scientific plain of it is barely understood, thus no real treatment (at least no that worked for me) exists, yet it poses such a constant inconvinience that makes you feel like a tortured zombie, despite just being barely a young adult. I am sorry for anybody who reas through my cringe ass sobstory, and even more so for the unlikely fool who shares the same problems as i/we do. It is tough, but apart from trying to solve our problems, all we have is faith, that someday it will be easier, and no matter how hard it seems, don’t give up guys.
I have hearing loss, tinnitus (non stop high pitched “weeeeeee”, can’t sleep, BPPV, migraines, and kidney stones which eventually killed a kidney which then caused high blood pressure. I was a rifleman and mortar gunner in the 101st Airborne. Not wartime. I feel your pain.
0811 here. I can confirm tinnitus sucks. I broke my L5 in the Corps, I’m 100% p&t, and the bastards still said my hearing damage wasn’t caused by running a 155mm towed gun 😂
Thank you for your service, Civ. As someone who developed PTSD at an early age, and as a result prevented me from joining the Marine Corps, I can relate; I too have occasional bouts of exploding head syndrome. In fact, it occurred last night, when I tried to sleep. I experienced a loud banging and what I thought was a fight, but when I got up, all was quiet and calm. It was all in my head.
I got my tinnitus as a teen when I fell asleep against a bigass speaker (ikr?) at a rave, couldn't hear anything the next day. Ever since then it's been a constant hiss. I don't really notice it except if it's really quiet, then it ca get deafening. For half my life I too had sleep paralysis. I never saw any hallucinations, it was always just waking up before my muscles. It often had a nightmare component to it and I had to fight to not fall back asleep. Fortunately it diminished over the years and now that I'm middle aged, it's gone. I also have a sort of tinnitus of the eyes, HPPD. I'm constantly seeing colorful dots or a subtle haze.
Hey Civ Div! Great video as usual! You have some of the best combat footage out there! Would love to get on board and help you with editing and producing videos. Sorry you have to go through effects of war even well after the fact. I suffer with anxiety and PTSD among other things as well (not combat related) so I can understand to some extent. Keep up the great videos man! I love your work.
Man, you remind me of a friend, he was a lot like you, very strong person... I'm happy to see you talking about these things, the nightmares and anxiety I can relate with, I know it's bad when you're in it, it's worse when you're alone. Please remember to pray.
I have the same exact thing! (The exploding head syndrome) It's not too bad right now but for a few years it was taking me so long to be able to sleep because of this! I didn't even know there was a name for this, I told my doctor about this many times but she never really said anything about it. She doesn't even seems to know what it is.
Btw I had 2 or 3 years of IV opioids addiction and it started when I quit consuming. I was assuming it was because of all these times of horrible withdrawal or even maybe I got some brain damage from IVing? I still don't know...
You don't need to explain yourself bro. Just be a good leader and keep going bud. Thanks for stepping up. I hats off mate to you. I got you a few rounds 🍻 its cool your channel is awesome. Curious did you ever go to high education using your benefits? Take a break when you need from war and stay alert and alive your a good man. People can learn from you. When you write a book send me the link I'd like to read your views of the world. Get some rest I heard about the losses this week. Take a good rest and get your mind and rest together
@@CivDiv my boys in there too. You guys astounding to me. I won't say names online whoses who but he knows you as well. Just stay sharp and frosty. You can't help anyone unless you help yourself be one. The fact your aware of all these aliments is good. I am a disability vet and I lived in Ukraine 8 years off and on. I salute what your doing for free peoples. If you do return and need just a couple good recovery days with good people in the rear write me I will give you good spots. They have the best Tacos in Europe in Kyiv. My boy owns the restaurant. Best sushi there too Nordic Sushi. Don't want take to much of your time. But just wanted to say thanks brotha
Yeah it happens to me maybe like 1 time per week as soon as i'm falling asleep i suddenly wake up in a spasm like a jump scare often i did heard something.
1:12 Omg I have that, every single night. Sometimes it feels so real I question it, if other family members are awake I tend to go ask them if they called my name. Never knew what it was, didn't really bother searching it up, but I'm very glad I just found out what it is from Civ Div, thank you.
This is crazy. I'm 52 and have had this my whole life. Never really thought anything of it. I thought it was just normal. Can't say that it has ever really bothered me and I don't think I need to seek help for it. I just find it really interesting that it's "a thing". Anyway, thanks for sharing brother and keep up the great content. 👍
I have leukemia, crohns, osteonecrosis, kidney failure stg3, ankylosing spondylitis, and more. I have spent 2017 in coma, had to learn to walk 3 times and been revived 6 times. Stay positive, stay happy don't dwell on bullshit life if a fight against death and away go for the win! Semper Fidelis me fratres in armis!!
Civ man thanks for opening up I deal with mental health issues since 15 I'm 19 now at 16 i was diagnosed with wpw a heart disease I've been just going day by day
I'm happy you're talking about your life difficulties, I think it helps dealing with them. It's best to split it out than keep it to yourself. Stay strong champ! I hope you get better.
hey man, i know it might be one of the smaller things in this vid, but it's really nice to hear about your recovery from alcohol dependency. i'm still struggling with it (not military, just life shit), but i think your advice is pretty solid, and it's giving me another reason and help to stop.
CivDiv thank you so much for this video. I never heard of this until now. Nearly every time I try and fall asleep I hear something at the edge of my hearing that will snap me out of my "sleep mode". It is never loud, but definitely loud enough to where I can hear it. I have to fall asleep with some kind stacked background noise to sleep. TV and a window unit for example.
Hey bro I've experienced vertigo before from heat exhaustion. It's insane and so disruptive. Praying for you and your health man, your channel has always been interesting and you've always been a down to earth guy.
We appreciate you so much mate, an invaluable source of information and entertainment! Having finished the video now, congrats on sobriety, and get that gut checked up, cheers! Godspeed
Thank you for your service. I wouldn't know but it sounds like a lot of tough shit to deal with. Wish you a speedy recovery with what your dealing with, god bless
Mind is a complex thing. Neurons are connected like spiderwebs. Conscious and unconscious habits are built throughout those connections and repetition. Some of us might have some bad alleys in our minds. It doesn't mean we cannot build new stronger and better roads. Props for not victimizing yourself. That just leads to building more roads towards self destrcution. Keep on kicking butt, man!
I had this when I was a young kid and I can remember the noises so vividly. Kinda crazy that I forgot all about the EHS until you brought it up. I never got treatment for it when I was young cause I think I was to scared and too young to be able to communicate what was going on to my parents. Thank God I can only remember like 3-4 episodes of it and im pretty sure it didnt last long. I couldnt imagine growing up with it. I really hope you get all that taken care of so you can sleep in peace bro, you really deserve it.
I’m dealing with the same and have ptsd but never mentioned this because I thought it was part of the problem but now after your story I need to mention this to my therapist so this video helped
I am suddenly waking up for imaginary loud noises or falling from very high and hitting the ground sometimes. Until I watched this video I didn’t even know what the heck it was. Keep doing your thang Civ Div I enjoy watching your videos💯
I have this too. Usually it sounds like a trumpet or something. Sometimes it's someone yelling my name. Freaky stuff. I get sleep paralysis too, which has some interesting... features. If there's sunlight when I wake up in paralysis, I usually see moving nasty bugs right next to my face, or crawling towards my face, and I can't move. I think the last time I snapped out of it by punching the bed. Then if it's dark but still with some light, I've seen some weird creatures. The most memorable was a giant kind of fetid green cartoon pig, and I tried to laugh at it to show I wasn't scared, and it screamed at me in response, making a noise about as loud as exploding head
I haven't personally looked into the studies regarding this, however I recall the sleep neuroscientist Matthew Walker mentioning that the cause of auditory hallucinations as you fall asleep is from a phenomenon where neurons from all regions of the brain fire simultaneously. Hypnagogic hallucinations are also a lesser discussed symptom of narcolepsy, as I learnt when I was diagnosed. When I do dream they're always mundane, and my nightmares are macabre hellscapes, no inbetween. I used to lucid dream but now I avoid doing so as I lost the ability to control the narrative, and the more lucid I became the less control I had over my body in the dream world. I really need to stop letting the fear of those dreams control me, as I haven't fallen asleep and woken up at the same time consistently for about a third of my life. Best of wishes to you, seeing how someone with similar hardships can persevere is inspirational.
I sleep heavy but yet lightly and wake easily if that makes any sense, didn't start until halfway through my Army enlistment. Even my cat just moving around on the bed will jolt me awake into instant fight mode sometimes. Some weeks I'll get a total of 2 to 4 hours a sleep a night, other weeks i'll get 8 to 10 hours a night, random at best. Got mild tinnitus, comes and goes, never really considered it detrimental, name of the game being around boomsticks, explosions, and loud guitar amplifiers and sound equipment lol. Hearing will cut out and i'll get a ringing in my ears, sometimes the "white noise" tone. Having a fan on in the background usually helps when it does come around. Have had at least one Concussion, but never a TBI thankfully. The one thing I do even remotely lament/ complain about is my Toxic Exposure Injury, the worst and only thing that's negatively affected my life and required serious changes in order to stay functional to the level i'm accustomed to. My gut is wrecked due to it, total Gluten intolerance and bloating with occasional fluid buildup around my Gallbladder, a confirmed Mitochondrial dysfunction, and mild Autonomic Nervous imbalance. Guarantee you have systemic exposure injury bro. Cigs are my only vice lol, fvckit lol i'll do what i want hahaha. Happy Turkeyday brother.
i've had sleep paralysis (like 4-5 times a week in some of my teen years), have tinnitus and have had on and off exploding head syndrome for the last 3/4 years. haven't been remotely close to doing military stuff, i guess i just listened to loud music, went to a few concerts (like 5-6, not a huge career of hearing damage) and had similar "screaming mad father" experiences in my childhood. What i wanted to say to you is that it gets better with time. well, not really, but i've noticed that whenever i go through anxious times ALL my symptoms worsen a lot. i've dealt with some shit and faced some traumas, had some experiences that made me grow (partly thanks to psychedelics have to admit, even tho some experiences were... nightmarish... still highly recommend) and changed a lot as a person. started feeling that what i was doing with my life was more in line with what i really felt. i've distanced myself from bad people, learned to have self respect and all that; IN SHORT: my anxiety levels dropped in general, and since then i've had REALLY rare occasions of paralysis, exploding head like once in 2 months or less, and the tinnitus kinda doesn't matter when i'm not nervous and i'm focusing on other stuff. it's like when you're living in the moment and you simply don't register the sound, it doesn't matter. it's a bit annoying while falling asleep but yeah, you learn to deal with that in your ways. struggling a bit less with alcohol too :P anyway you sound very insightful and intelligent, i hope you sort your shit because you deserve it my man.
Oh shit I have had this waking up phenomenon happen many times and I always assumed it was something that happens to everyone sometimes. For me it's usually a loud bang, someone yelling for help, someone yelling a name, or sometimes a loud crack. It also often causes a bright white flash in my vision simultaneous with the sound which is also the split second I jolt awake. I don't really have a history of that much trauma in my opinion, and I don't have Schizophrenia. Still, very strange. Interesting to hear it's not a universal thing.
Me too! I had never heard of it until a few months ago, but I have had 2 head injuries with concussions in my past. About a year ago I would wake up in the morning and hear loud "wooshes" kind of like when you stick your fingers in your ear, in both ears, or the sound as you are putting in ear plugs. It'll happen a few times over 30 min or so in the morning. Sometimes when I am awoken at night I'll hear a real loud SCREAM or SQUEAL.
Never knew there was a name for this but I experienced exactly what you described as exploding head syndrome almost every night for 6 months after I had covid. For me it is always the same sound, like the white noise static from a TV which suddenly blasts for half a second or so at the very moment I'm falling asleep. Luckily it has almost completely stopped happening now, only had it once or twice in the last 3 months. Thanks for this video! Can finally name the phenomenon which neither the doctor nor psychiatrist I saw could.
u can get tinitus even without being exsposed to load noices i got it randomly when i was 14 and it was a constant high pitch noice in my ear i thought it would go away after a few hours or so but it didnt a few months went by and it was still there it drove me mad i got to a point where i wanted to end my life because i couldnt bare it no more i did my research on it and it said it should go away by a week or so but if it didnt it means id have it forever but after 3 half months i woke up and it was gone i was so relieved. having a constant loud pitch squicking noice in your ear 24/7 can really make u go crazy its normally only common in elderly or people working around loud machines or guns your one true fighter thanks for sharing your personal life with us
I had this after I got concussion one week later. I was lying, almost sleeping, and then instant flashbang right in my ear, I even felt small pain. I actually jumped from my bed and my grandma looked at me. Because it was really dark (I was in a countryside at this time) she looked like "horrifying home-guest" meme. I wasn't sleeping that night and my jaw was clicking like mule. But this was the only time that I've experienced it. Thanks, now I know the name of it at least :)
Had that for a while and it just randomly stopped happening a few months ago, I definitely recommend getting a polysomnography (sleep study) and then getting a specialist to check it out because it may help you.
Having served over 20 and was able to retire mostly intact everything you described is shared by most veterans. Most certainly prior infantry. When leaving the service you loose the day to day grind and everything you never had time to think about comes crashing down. Exploding Head is mostly brought on by stress, drugs, and bad sleep protocol. Tinnitus is a forever, sorry to say it will continue to get worse, it really sucks the worst at night in a quiet room. We knew burn pits were bad back in Desert Storm, but really it's easiest way to get rid of trash, just need better placement and procedures. Focus on family, friends, and personal health. Remember all decisions have lead to different directions. Semper Fi Devil Dog.
Man I am so happy that I found you throgh my search about some gopro expierence videos from the ukraine. First at all I want to congrats you to be sober about that time, keep going
I've had a lot of head exploding, usually manifesting in either in loud terrifying shrieks or explosions. either wakes me up of happens while im falling asleep. congrats with 4 months sober, happy for you!
I’m glad you made this video because I hear gun shots right in my ear when I’m going to bed I don’t know if it’s trauma or what but thank you love the videos keep it up. Ps we need more Ukraine videos ❤
I used to try to induce sleep paralysis to experiment with OBE's. Once I figured out how to do it, it would happen every time I slept without my control. As paralysis would set in, I'd hear a ringing buzz saw sound that grew louder and louder and became painfully loud. Extremely loud. It'd get to a point where I couldn't take it anymore, and then it would just pop or snap, and I'd find myself in a dream basically. Two different times, after going through the paralysis, the extremely loud sound, and then the pop, I'd still be paralyzed in bed but my room was full of people talking. Didn't see them, just heard voices, but couldn't pick out anything that was being said. Absolutely terrifying. One time, while enduring this brutally loud sound, I had the feeling that my body was bending in half backwards. When it felt like the back of my head was about to touch my heels, it popped. I "opened" my eyes and my room was full of glowing blue children, maybe around 10-15 of them. Freaked me out really bad and I forced myself to wake up. I don't know if this is related to exploding head syndrome, but the sounds I'd hear were VERY loud and would last maybe 10-15 seconds. I remember thinking at the time it was exploding head syndrome, because that's what it felt like, but from what I'm seeing now, most people seem to hear one very loud noise that comes and goes quickly. I have no personal or family history of mental illness, no drug or alcohol use at the time besides tobacco.
Wierdly, ive begun to experience this recently. It has happened kind of frequently, like every 4 or 5 days, for the past year. Before that, nothing at all. It scared the shit out of me the first time it happened as it sounded like a very loud snare being hit with the might of Poseidon himself. After that i have gotten used to it and only feel a bit annoyed as it wakes me up. Its very different from the occasional "falling down the escalator in front of your crush at the mall"-dreams. I have ADHD and have recently been diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD, which i found being a very reasonable cause for what i now know is called Exploding Head Syndrome. Also, thank you for being you
I have never heard of EHS before. As an old Infantryman (20 yrs Army) I also have a severe hearing loss with tinitus. I have learned over the years to totally ignore it. Its there all the time but I only hear it if I listen for it. It used to dive me nuts. Just found your channel and subbed.
You have put a name to something I experience. It only happens to me once or twice a month, and only one time per night, but I will just about to nod off and BANG I will hear something that will jump start me to full wakefulness. Often its some kind of loud nondescript "bang". I have even got out of bed sometimes to check it wasnt the front door. For what its worth I think its a symptom of mild PTSD. I havent served but Ive had an "interesting" life. Intuitively this seems to nestle right in there with other aspects of hypervigilance, brought on by emotional stress and trauma. I doubt its a manifestation of something like schizophrenia. Its much more likely to be the result of the life you have led, where there have been prolonged periods where you have had enforced vigilance and prolonged states of elevated stress. Whatever the cause, I hope you are well and thank you for your service.
I get this a handful of times I year. So random. The last one sounded so vividly like a shotgun blast to the point I jumped out of bed READY. I also have bad tinnitus as well. I’m sure you’ve heard this, but my advice is to keep a fan going at night. Doesn’t make it go away obviously, but it helps in tuning it out.
I've had severe tinnitus 50 years, you think it can't get worse but believe me it can and will if you don't take all precautions to keep your ears from any harmful noises even those that don't bother other people. Protect both ears even the one you aren't concerned with because the ringing will get louder and it can become debilitating. Enjoying all your videos.
You are an awesome dude bro. Sorry that u have to deal with all that shit. Stay frosty and do what you have to do brother. Stay safe out there bro. Congratulations on the 4 months sober bro. I'm 5 years into being clean from Opiates. Regardless you are good dude
Tinnitus can get better, I would suggest you still wear ear pro in both ears. Good on you for quitting smoking and drinking, two of the major plights of humanity dealt with.
I’ve got all the same stuff, to fight the tinnitus I just wear headphones when I can. Listening to some sort of sound usually helps. I want to thank you for talking about it. I’ve got a lot of this stuff but I can’t talk about it because of the military and flying. If they know I have any one of these they wouldn’t let me fly.
every once in a while when I'm trying to fall asleep just like you explained, I hear what sounds like someone whisper my name and I wake up, but unlike you it's super super rare, it's probably only happened less than 10 times in my whole life, I've always assumed It was just an auditory part of my dream waking me up and it probably is.
I do have this too and I've never talked to a doctor about this. Not a veteran or anything but I hear a really loud bang right when I'm on the verge of falling asleep. Alot of my friends have this too which worries me now. I don't have it always though, like 1 - 2 times a month maybe.
I have explosing head syndrome too and I've never been a soldier and/or close to a combat zone. It's always when I'm about to wake up in the morning when the dream is very clear. I simply get shot in the head in my dream and it wakes me up. I doesn't happen all that often, maybe once a year.
I’ve just got it about two years ago I personally think it’s stress induced I’m older I jump straight up out of a sound sleep. Anyway doesn’t hurt so I just deal with it like you do. Love your content young man I’m 65. Keep doing what your doing They have an exercise for your vertigo look it up online I have to do them for a few days and my vertigo goes away
My uncle worked as an aircraft mechanic back in the 70s through 90s and got tinnitus from constantly being around plane engines and not taking his hearing seriously. He said it can get significantly worse over the years and it was pretty severe for him once he retired from his work. Im telling you this because you mentioned not caring about protecting hearing in one of your ears thats “toast” but trust me, that grasshopper sound is a lot more pleasant than loud ringing. I’d recommend wearing ear protection in both ears no matter what to prevent your tinnitus from getting any worse
I have it. It was strange. One day about five years ago I read about EHS. It's exactly like you described. For me, it's a loud, very realistic explosion. However, once I learned what it was, it stopped! Haven't had a disturbance since. I doubt it's cured, but I think it can go into remission. Keep the faith, brother.
I, too, got this syndrome as a result of processing and severe exhaustion of the nervous system. Yes, sometimes it feels like an explosion in your ear or someone kicking down your door with all their might. But what helps from innocuous remedies is vitamin magnesium near bedtime or glycine before going to sleep. But I have also gone through strong sedatives and neuroleptics, which are addictive, because these nightly explosions in the head were so strong that they caused neurotic conditions and worse. But the situation has greatly improved after I had a fever with Covid and my body sort of readjusted and got better. And it's enough to take vitamins to get a good night's sleep.
This is so crazy to hear about exploding head syndrome as it's something I've experienced and always tributed it to childhood trauma. Mine too is from my father and although I no longer I hear him yelling my name, I still often hear a door slam that wakes me into a defensive fight or flight state of mind.
door slams are pretty pog imo
@@cslantz4020 what’s pog?
You can have it without trauma, if you have fucked up sleep from drinking or whatever you can have it.
Just recently started happening to me, Its always explosions
there is a book called The body keeps the score. Might help.
Everything you just described was legit things that I have been experiencing but I get freaked out by the doctor so I don't go and seek help. I'm always scared they will just be like " you have cancer kid" ...I was misdiagnosed with cancer a few years ago and after that I've been unable to trust the doctors. I love your videos man. You are such a good dude. I like how you stay humble and speak truth.
Yikes, misdiagnosed with cancer... can't even imagine the emotional rollercoaster you must have gone through
I think you should give it another chance. It makes sense that after a major scare like that that you don't want to go back, but I do think you should try.
@@beaub152 you're totally right. I'm just scared lol they started giving me surgeries and medications only to find out from another pathologist that I infact do not have cancer. My story is long and I totally fear hospitals with all my heart.
Those doctors should lose their jobs
From your description, the symptoms of "exploding head syndrome" sound similar to hypnagogic hallucinations, which are visual/auditory/tactile hallucinations that occur during the transition of sleep stages, usually from stage 1 to stage 2 (aka falling asleep). These can be associated with stress, sleep deprivation, certain medications, or certain medical conditions. By itself, hypnagogic hallucination is harmless, but obviously if it's induced by medications/medical conditions they should be evaluated and changed/treated accordingly.
Given your sleep symptoms and possible TBI, if you haven't, establishing with a neurologist may not be a bad idea.
These comments are based on limited information presented in the video and by no means constitute medical advises.
best wishes,
C.T. MD, PhD
^^^^^^^^
Yeah, I was thinking maybe its apart of a fight or flight response as well to me. From his description. Due to seeing combat maybe its similar to why dogs sleep with an eye open because it's something primal. Maybe this is similar to what these people and our man here is experiencing. Because Ive had similar experiences but instead of noise it feels like ive jumped off a building and I get an intense falling feeling before I pass out.
Maybe this is apart of these hypnagogic hallucinations you were speaking of but what if we approach it from the side of its a fight-ir-flight ideal. How would that alter the decision to the diagnosis within the medical community?
Thanks Wikipedia
This is not server as war but my dog went missing and as a fall to sleep I snap awake instantly and fearful that my dog died and then it takes awhile to settle down
You should put the link of your source, it would be more easier: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
Dude this happened to me. I lay down to sleep, and as I was falling asleep I heard a LOUD crash and saw what appeared to be a lightning strike! It was crazy. The hospital did jack for me bout it. Sucks man. Semper Fi brother 🤠👍🏻
Isn’t it crazy?!? Sometimes I get flashes as well if it’s really loud, but usually no visual effects idk why
@@CivDiv yeah it really caught me off guard. I work as a RN so I immediately thought I was having a cerebral event or a stroke. I got to the hospital and the brain scan thankfully found nothing. It really sucks. I have Tinnitus, EHS and hearing aides. I’m 38 and it gets annoying asking coworkers to repeat what they said because I cannot hear sometimes. Semper Fi
Had this happen to me a few times randomly, never been in the military. honestly thought the others in my house where deaf for not hearing the sound for a while until i did some reaearch.
I did fall from a wall when i was young and bust my head so maybe thats why its happening for me.
It also happens to me but just fev times a year, it is incredible how loud it can be. I also see wierd shit when i wake up in the middle of the night like dark semitransparent silluets standing next to me or floating above me. It is most likely caused by fall from a roof of a shack when I was a kid.
Hey man, I had this for many years and it was indeed scary. Hard to tell someone about it when they've never experienced it. Eventually it went away for me and it never appeared again for many years now. What helped me was starting with pullups and do more yoga/ stretching. Pullups help a LOT to release tension around the upper area of your head/ back. From what I understand, exploding head syndrom can come when a certain bone is locked in the area under your head. When it finally releases, it causes a little sound which the person believes was an explosion during half sleep. Look if doing pullups regularly will help you but make sure to make to them in a very clean form (not jerking around but real, slow clean reps). Also try to stretch more because your fascia might be to tight/ shortened which also causes stress on your back.
Hey man, you are definitely a hero with balls of steel. I am very happy for people like you, doing the right thing. I hope everything health related will be sorted out for you without many struggles as we all know how health care sucks in the US.
Just wanted to say thanks for serving man, and wish you the best
I have a lot of the same things as you, it is hard to try to function normally. Congratulations on quitting alcohol! That is huge!! And thank you for sharing this. It takes a lot of bravery to admit faults- especially on the internet.
I've experienced exploding head syndrome like only once or twice in my life in the form of just my dad yelling at me or a door slamming, it sucks. Thing was, I didn't find it scary, it was just an annoyance because I was just about to fall asleep. Hope you're doing well Civ Div!
You've got a healthy laundry list, but it sounds like you've made some meaningful progress in identifying and addressing a lot of it. I hope the process didn't and won't adversely impact or defer too many productive years of your life. Thanks as always for sharing these perspectives for those of us who haven't lived your experiences.
[EDIT: the rest is just a personal rant about institutional irresponsibility. Anyone should feel free to skip it]
The VA is big and achieves a lot, but there's so much that it just doesn't have the resources to address as well. I worked in social services for a few years, and sometimes interfaced with a few local veteran assistance nonprofits. Eventually, I reached a point where, just like with most social services issues, whenever I saw a private charity providing well-received aid to veterans, all I could think was "politicians will vote to send soldiers in, but they won't vote to fund the total costs of care afterwards." Just like companies that pay unsustainable wages that force some of their employees to seek healthcare/welfare assistance from the government. No one wants to own externalities that negatively affect their bottom line.
From friends of mine who were ejected 50 feet from an armored vehicle, to an uneventful but hard few years of landing hard on your feet or butt/back from training different things (fast rope, parachuting), to really mundane stuff like simply carrying 200 lbs of squad support weapon and ammo, the common thread I've seen to their and your experiences is that in war or peacetime, the military puts immovable demands on the individual, often beyond the limit of a healthy, sustainable, 70-80 year life but within the unsustainable 20-50 year life. Even when it's hard to diagnose or label, all that mental and physical stress and abuse accumulates and has lasting effects.
I get that training is a structured, controlled method of inflicting micro trauma to acclimate the human animal to high-stress, traumatic situations in a fashion that helps prevent succumbing to greater real trauma in real combat situations. Anyone who trains fitness and athletics is doing the same thing, to varying lesser degrees. The more you sweat, the less you bleed. But it inevitably incurs smaller long-term (decades long) costs in exchange for short-term (years long) performance gains.
Modern militaries have become very good at this. But the way many militaries (incl the US) are organized, the long-term health costs to the individual soldier are often considered an externality that is irrelevant to the mission, and no one is given primary responsibility, authority, or otherwise ownership of addressing these long-term costs to a SUFFICIENT degree to permit a significant number of veterans to live rich, full lives after they complete their service.
A lot of people, soldiers in particular, internalize these issues as their own responsibility or fault. It's appropriate for the individual to take ownership of their personal share of the choices they make and the consequences.
But it's also the larger institution's responsibility to own up to its role in burning out the minds and bodies of the willing young people fed into its system.
The military as an institution is sophisticated enough to know what it's doing to people, to conduct studies on soldier psych and physical health. It's been documented from soldiers' journals in the 19th century to clinical studies throughout the 20th century. Now it's the 21st century, and I find it disingenuous for the most well-funded military in the world to continue to brush off this responsibility. For so many people who work as cogs in this system to say "I was only doing my job; I'm not responsible for what happens to vets after they leave my system," well, I wonder where we've recently heard other people say "I was only doing my job" in the context of the Ukraine Russia war?
So our political and military decisionmakers are willing to pick a fight, but they're not willing to pay the total, lifetime cost of ownership for a lot of veterans to address and mitigate the personal health consequences of their service.
Sounds right to me sir.
Dude no way... I never heard about this syndrome and this is EXACTLY something I have, you literally described something I have and I just thought I was the only one.
Hey brother I can relate on the vertigo. Docs thought it was BPPV too for years for me but after seeing a neurologist he said it was PPPD and treatable with an SSRI. I was pretty hesitant since I prefer being all natural for remedies but it has been a life charger. It more or less just tones down the dizzy signals a bit and helps a lot with the chronic anxiety that comes along with vertigo. It's what helped me get back to normal living. It helped a lot with driving too. I also started having really bad anxiety that I was going to have a vertigo while driving on the highway. It helped immensely there too. God bless you brother and semper fi!
So good to hear that man! That must’ve been great to find a way to cure it, Maybe I’ll check out a different doc as well
If your looking for neurogenic effects I might suggest this pigs brain derived treatment they use for TBI’s in Europe or psilocybin however that leans a little towards the psychedelic
This is EXACTLY, to a "T", why I couldn't get into work today. Migraine headache, ringing in the ears (LOUDER than usual), virtigo/dizziness, sensitivity to bright light/incoming traffic headlights, loss of appetite and willingness to hydrate. I were only able to drive down the street to the gas station to top-off until I got what I call "the spins" before I made the command decision for the safety of myself and others turn around to go back home and crawl back into bed. These struggles are real, and at times can be terrifying, if you do not know your limitations that can possibly even turn into panic/anxiety attacks that can leave you absolutely paralyzed and paranoid.
The frustrating part about it is that it comes and goes randomly and with VERY little warning and even less certainty.
EXCELLENT video, and very VERY well said!
take care bro
really opened my eyes about some stuff since my dad was a veteran from the SAS and he was in africa, south america, middle east, falklands etc and he has injuries from things like helicopters and hearing damage, machete injuries from hostiles in africa and he struggles to sleep some nights! great video dude you are awesome
Your dad is a badass. Please interview him and just let him talk. He's seen and done some shit
@@NotOnDrugs you should really do that, imagine the stories no one heard. Would be amazin to hear
@@bogdi.w4607 he definitely needs to. For real.
I can't believe this video has just diagnosed something I never knew I had but I wondered for many years what it was. Unbelievable. I also feel some sort of JOLT through my head.
I have PTSD also
OMFG, I've been having cymbals go "CRASH!" now and then when I've been falling asleep for the past 5-ish years and I had no idea what it was. I figured it was connected to my tinnitus, but it seems like it's actually this "Exploding Head Syndrome". Thanks for talking about it, now I finally know what it is. xD
I'm glad someone else has shared their experience with this. I always thought I was crazy and never sought medical treatment. I still remember the first time I heard it, I was about to drift away and I heard a loud roar from either a lion or another animal. It woke me up so fast and I was freaked the hell out. It doesn't just happen when you're going to sleep, I hear people yelling my name when they aren't there. I'll hear cars that don't exist. It is so odd to live with it.
I think I have it too. And I think it's stress related.
Also had sleep paralysis from time to time and it's definitely not the same.
The way its described in this video makes me wonder if it's either trauma-induced in childhood or due to ptsd. Maybe both.
See the defend the tunnels video. In the start. Check out those eyes. It's fear (fear is good) anyways... We while watching the eyes we hear the bangs. Also when you'd lie down to sleep... Yeah to me it makes sense if it's related to the loud bangs OP describes. But I wonder what happened in the end of that nugget story.
Oh yeah and btw I'm not diagnosing anyone here, I've just had my speculations myself about the fight/flight response during sleep time especially when super sleep deprived.
What about the rest of OP's symptoms in rest of video? I just watched the rest and that also sounds similar. And of course I'm still guessing stress related on those as well apart from brain injury.
Alcohol and/or nicotine could potentially play an indirect role acting as a stressor in the form of inflammation.
Pneumonia? Maybe due to lowered immune system because of stress, who knows.
Sorry bro . We all have something left from war. Just keep living.
I have exploding head syndrome as well, and i didn't even know there was a name for it until I watched this video. The sounds i experience are sometimes gunshots, someone yelling, or glass breaking. I did experience sleep paralysis in my teens and i did experience trauma as a child but i always attributed it to my epilepsy. These events didn't get bad until i started to have seizures when i was 16. I did a sleep study and found out that i don't sleep how you're "supposed to". My body goes straight into R.E.M sleep and skips the other stages. This results in auditory hallucinations right before bed and sometimes visual as well as extremely vivid dreams almost every night. Apparently i have many of the symptoms of narcolepsy according to my neurologist but because i don't suffer from sleep attacks like many narcoleptics i have yet to be diagnosed. I have insomnia as well and migraines which i assume are contributing factors, and possibly symptoms of my epilepsy. All i know is the brain is weird man.
These hallucinations are very normal, just the reoccuring sound and pattern are not. Have you tried lucid dreaming? The "WILD" practise could work.
@@Netbase2000 Yes, i can generally steer the direction of the dream however once i'm aware i tend to wake up. I've had a lot of false awakenings an at time loops.
I suffer from exploding head syndrome as well. In my experience it usually happens when I am at the brink of falling asleep (though sometimes a little while before I am asleep), but it only happens while laying on my back. The sound can resemble anything from a bomb going off right by me, a jet plane taking off right over my head, a massive crowd of people applauding, or something akin to the sound of a roaring lion, but intensely amplified. Sometimes it even starts low, then gradually builds up in intensity until it meets its crescendo, and ends with a bang. It also brings on something like a flash of light, or twirling colors as well, but those are not as common. Not really debilitating though, but it for sure jolts me right the fuck up!
Ever since I was a kid I had nightmares and night terrors when lying on my back. I always slept on my side until about 10 years ago. Also I always slept better when I shared a bed with my girlfriend. Due to complex PTSD I often wake up with a massive jolt of adrenaline, which is so unpleasant I feel nauseous and instantly anxious. So many of us suffer in silence.
YES, it's something about laying on my back that causes it.
Much respect to you all and who served.
Congratulations on the 4 months sober! The longer you go the better it gets, stay strong!
I've gotta quit drinking too... someday soon hooefully
Amen! I'm almost a week now. The hardest part I find is filling up all the new free time. Struggling to find new hobbies and stay busy. I found that when you get bored, that's when the thoughts of temptation are strongest because your guard is down and they have more time in your mind to convince you to relapse
I echo this. No personal experience, but so many friends, and just want to add my congrats.
I'm on 2 1/2 years now, and I also work at a bar so I figured out how to maneuver around the booze, I get my socializing while working so I'm not isolated, I really would never go back to that life, life is so much better without, stay strong!
Bro!!! Same her on the gut issue! I was in Dubai, but same thing, shitting my brains out for 3 months of my deployment, took a couple cipro (antibiotic) stopped shitting, then had 2 years of constipation, bloated, just issues… then I went to Brazil, stayed for a year… just a total change of diet and no stress, stomach was fixed… came back to America, slowly issues came back… went to Africa for 2 years… picked up some new issues so the guts at 50/50… rebuilding a proper gut biome is difficult
Thank you for the sacrifices you have made for others. You are a good person and don’t ever forget that.
You have a lot of great things going on for you : smart dude, growing, obviously mature and still in the process of it, which by all means is a compliment because this process never stops, you either keep learning about yourself and life, or you're dead ( litteraly or figuratively ).
You're in great shape, which is a huge positive boosts regarding everything you're experiencing physically and mentally.
My two cents : I think you still owe a couple of visits to specialists ( seems like you presume you have this or that for a couple of things, it's best to meet what causes your issues than to presume ), and you're an excellent candidate for relaxation methods and meditation.
You know I managed to hear silence again for a moment ( I got tinnitus ) during meditation even though mine is due to physical damages too. You're on the right path. ;)
Absolutely!
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY 💪🏻❤️🔥
ABI and TBI both need a lot more attention and understanding by both society and the medical community.
I've got exploding head syndrome as well and I believe it to be trauma based from numerous sources, and induced by stress in life. The hissing hearing loss (Tinnitus) is also very common for military and law enforcement who have been around loud gun shots and explosions for a decent portion of their lives, both are very annoying to say the least.
With all the celebrations and recognition we have in Australia for our returned soldiers- we can never thank you enough for all you do and give. I have watched your go pro videos - I would last 5 minutes !!
I know exactly what you mean. I still have it.
I'm not a veteran, but I am a victim of severe child abuse.
Both physical and emotional abuse. I've had it for as long as I can remember.
Mine is never voices, just explosions. And mine tent to happen during stressful times.
I was diagnosed with CPTSD and exploding head syndrome.
CPTSD is Complicated-PTSD.
Night terrors are frequent, and vertigo happens, but much less than the explosive head effects.
I saw many different doctors, psychologists, therapists, counselors, and even pastors.
Because I held in everything that happened to me, my body was telling me that I was killing myself. You have to confront these issues. It never goes away, but it absolutely helps to make it happen less.
I was booted from the US Army during bootcamp, because the drill instructors yelling at us, very quickly began to have an effect on me.
I was having trouble sleeping, even though I was really tired, and when I was able to sleep, I was waking up drenched in sweat and screaming and crying.
Everyone could tell that something was wrong, and I couldn't do anything about it.
It was then that the affects of the many years of abuse began to surface and affect me.
I wasn't punished by my drill instructors, or the military. On the contrary, the military was extremely sensitive about it, and incredibly helpful at helping me confront it.
And yes, I was unbelievably disappointed in myself, and very angry that what my parents did to me was ruining my life, just as my adult life was beginning.
Be sure to look into CPTSD, and see if any of it has any similarity. Because it was exactly what I was going through.
I worked in law enforcement for 4 years. I have since resigned. I had an incident of exploding head syndrome. I had just worked an 17 hour shift after being the first one to respond to a murder scene one of many that I had been to in the years that I worked in law enforcement. I ended up getting home and woke up to what sounded like a shotgun going off In my room. I cleared my entire apartment cause it sounded so real. My ears had rung so bad my brain made it seem so real.
Hey Civ Div, I love your content and hearing your insight and perspective on the conflict in Ukraine. I was really curious to hear what exploding head syndrome was, but realized as you were describing it that I have suffered from the same exact thing for years. Just as I'm falling asleep I will hear crashing sounds or people yelling. It's very interesting, I didn't realize this was an uncommon thing.
I enjoy a humble, hard working HERO. So many people claim to be this, however many are not.
First and foremost, it is crazy how similar our problems are dude! From the EHS, nightmares, hearing damage, bloating, etc it is exactly the same, and i totally feel the struggle. I am 21 , military uni student, and despite never even receiving proper training i have almost the same issues, down to the point my fucked ear is the left one as well. I have genetically ingerited insomnia, my father learned to live with it, being an engertic man in his 50s despite sleeping 3-4 hours each day, however it truly is a genetical curse, my aunt for exmaple couldn’t take it anymore in her mid fifties and took her own life recently. I came here to learn how you cope with ehs, since you are a man i massively repect, i even made my student’s conference assignment about the state and escalation of the Donetsk war last year based on your reports, prior the Russian-Ukranian war broke out, but hearing your story gave me confidence to share my story with the world, since my family, peers, etc don’t really understand it, or either think i am trying to get cookie points for being a victim.
So, insomnia started making my life harder since the age of 12-13, and combined with supressed anxiety, frequent EHS, and the byproduct of the lack of sleep i experience eversince, constant strees with random peaks, regardless having what a man could ever ask for, a loving and beautiful soulmate,a promising carreer, cheap rent, and relatively good relation with my family, i feel like utter shit 24/7. Each day i wake up more exhausted and tired than as i somehow managed to force myself to sleep, with the constant torment of ehs, nightmares, and sudden night terrors. Sadly anything bellow benzos does not help to put me to sleep, and make my ever racing brain to calm just enough i can doze off. I have tried several psychologists, psychiatrists, therapies, anything you can think of but nothing has managed to even ease my struggle.
I hate to speak about my problems, because i dont want to burden anybody with my sobstory, plus i dont think anybody who hasn’t experienced insomnia would truly understand the severity of the case.
Still going to uni after being awake for the whole night and catching 3 hours of sleep prior to that, and trying to pass of as a functioning human being can be cumbersome to say the least hahaha.
Worst part about ehs and insomnia is the scientific plain of it is barely understood, thus no real treatment (at least no that worked for me) exists, yet it poses such a constant inconvinience that makes you feel like a tortured zombie, despite just being barely a young adult.
I am sorry for anybody who reas through my cringe ass sobstory, and even more so for the unlikely fool who shares the same problems as i/we do. It is tough, but apart from trying to solve our problems, all we have is faith, that someday it will be easier, and no matter how hard it seems, don’t give up guys.
I have hearing loss, tinnitus (non stop high pitched “weeeeeee”, can’t sleep, BPPV, migraines, and kidney stones which eventually killed a kidney which then caused high blood pressure. I was a rifleman and mortar gunner in the 101st Airborne. Not wartime. I feel your pain.
Tinnitus sucks. I've had it since I was 12, honestly just try do avoid high stress and drink water lots.
God that sounds awful, hope I gave a good explanation of the ones we suffer in common
0811 here. I can confirm tinnitus sucks. I broke my L5 in the Corps, I’m 100% p&t, and the bastards still said my hearing damage wasn’t caused by running a 155mm towed gun 😂
Psilocybin can potentially help cure tinnitus and migraines.
Thank you for your service, Civ. As someone who developed PTSD at an early age, and as a result prevented me from joining the Marine Corps, I can relate; I too have occasional bouts of exploding head syndrome. In fact, it occurred last night, when I tried to sleep. I experienced a loud banging and what I thought was a fight, but when I got up, all was quiet and calm. It was all in my head.
I've had exploding head syndrome and sleep paralysis since childhood, and also tinnitus, completely feel you rn man
I got my tinnitus as a teen when I fell asleep against a bigass speaker (ikr?) at a rave, couldn't hear anything the next day. Ever since then it's been a constant hiss. I don't really notice it except if it's really quiet, then it ca get deafening.
For half my life I too had sleep paralysis. I never saw any hallucinations, it was always just waking up before my muscles. It often had a nightmare component to it and I had to fight to not fall back asleep. Fortunately it diminished over the years and now that I'm middle aged, it's gone.
I also have a sort of tinnitus of the eyes, HPPD. I'm constantly seeing colorful dots or a subtle haze.
@@VikingTeddy
I feel you bro, I have had some bad tinnitus ever since I was a kid, and I have “visual snow”.
All love for you my friend thank you for your service!!❤️
Hey Civ Div! Great video as usual! You have some of the best combat footage out there! Would love to get on board and help you with editing and producing videos. Sorry you have to go through effects of war even well after the fact. I suffer with anxiety and PTSD among other things as well (not combat related) so I can understand to some extent. Keep up the great videos man! I love your work.
Thanks so much man! Editing is getting tiring, maybe we can talk on ig?
@@CivDiv editing sucks ballz. Semper Gumby, bro. I’m sitting in the VA pharmacy right now 😂
Man, you remind me of a friend, he was a lot like you, very strong person...
I'm happy to see you talking about these things, the nightmares and anxiety I can relate with, I know it's bad when you're in it, it's worse when you're alone. Please remember to pray.
I have the same exact thing! (The exploding head syndrome)
It's not too bad right now but for a few years it was taking me so long to be able to sleep because of this!
I didn't even know there was a name for this, I told my doctor about this many times but she never really said anything about it. She doesn't even seems to know what it is.
Btw I had 2 or 3 years of IV opioids addiction and it started when I quit consuming.
I was assuming it was because of all these times of horrible withdrawal or even maybe I got some brain damage from IVing? I still don't know...
U got that... to keep us free thank you my brother 🙏
You don't need to explain yourself bro. Just be a good leader and keep going bud. Thanks for stepping up. I hats off mate to you. I got you a few rounds 🍻 its cool your channel is awesome. Curious did you ever go to high education using your benefits? Take a break when you need from war and stay alert and alive your a good man. People can learn from you. When you write a book send me the link I'd like to read your views of the world. Get some rest I heard about the losses this week. Take a good rest and get your mind and rest together
Thanks for the kind words bro
@@CivDiv my boys in there too. You guys astounding to me. I won't say names online whoses who but he knows you as well. Just stay sharp and frosty. You can't help anyone unless you help yourself be one. The fact your aware of all these aliments is good. I am a disability vet and I lived in Ukraine 8 years off and on. I salute what your doing for free peoples. If you do return and need just a couple good recovery days with good people in the rear write me I will give you good spots. They have the best Tacos in Europe in Kyiv. My boy owns the restaurant. Best sushi there too Nordic Sushi. Don't want take to much of your time. But just wanted to say thanks brotha
I’ve been getting that exploding head syndrome a lot. I didn’t know it was a thing until I watched this. Thanks for sharing
Yeah it happens to me maybe like 1 time per week as soon as i'm falling asleep i suddenly wake up in a spasm like a jump scare often i did heard something.
I didn't even know that was a thing...
1:12 Omg I have that, every single night. Sometimes it feels so real I question it, if other family members are awake I tend to go ask them if they called my name. Never knew what it was, didn't really bother searching it up, but I'm very glad I just found out what it is from Civ Div, thank you.
Love you brother! Semper Fi, stay safe, keep being the leader you are!
Thanks for your service man. ✌️
This is crazy. I'm 52 and have had this my whole life. Never really thought anything of it. I thought it was just normal. Can't say that it has ever really bothered me and I don't think I need to seek help for it. I just find it really interesting that it's "a thing". Anyway, thanks for sharing brother and keep up the great content. 👍
I have leukemia, crohns, osteonecrosis, kidney failure stg3, ankylosing spondylitis, and more. I have spent 2017 in coma, had to learn to walk 3 times and been revived 6 times. Stay positive, stay happy don't dwell on bullshit life if a fight against death and away go for the win! Semper Fidelis me fratres in armis!!
Civ man thanks for opening up I deal with mental health issues since 15 I'm 19 now at 16 i was diagnosed with wpw a heart disease I've been just going day by day
I'm happy you're talking about your life difficulties, I think it helps dealing with them. It's best to split it out than keep it to yourself.
Stay strong champ! I hope you get better.
hey man, i know it might be one of the smaller things in this vid, but it's really nice to hear about your recovery from alcohol dependency. i'm still struggling with it (not military, just life shit), but i think your advice is pretty solid, and it's giving me another reason and help to stop.
CivDiv thank you so much for this video. I never heard of this until now. Nearly every time I try and fall asleep I hear something at the edge of my hearing that will snap me out of my "sleep mode". It is never loud, but definitely loud enough to where I can hear it. I have to fall asleep with some kind stacked background noise to sleep. TV and a window unit for example.
Hey bro I've experienced vertigo before from heat exhaustion. It's insane and so disruptive. Praying for you and your health man, your channel has always been interesting and you've always been a down to earth guy.
I love you❤🇺🇸 thank you for being my hero and being selfless. Be safe.
I have a similar problem where I, jolt awake I have ptsd …
We appreciate you so much mate, an invaluable source of information and entertainment! Having finished the video now, congrats on sobriety, and get that gut checked up, cheers!
Godspeed
Thank you for your service. I wouldn't know but it sounds like a lot of tough shit to deal with. Wish you a speedy recovery with what your dealing with, god bless
Mind is a complex thing. Neurons are connected like spiderwebs. Conscious and unconscious habits are built throughout those connections and repetition.
Some of us might have some bad alleys in our minds. It doesn't mean we cannot build new stronger and better roads.
Props for not victimizing yourself. That just leads to building more roads towards self destrcution. Keep on kicking butt, man!
I had this when I was a young kid and I can remember the noises so vividly. Kinda crazy that I forgot all about the EHS until you brought it up. I never got treatment for it when I was young cause I think I was to scared and too young to be able to communicate what was going on to my parents. Thank God I can only remember like 3-4 episodes of it and im pretty sure it didnt last long. I couldnt imagine growing up with it. I really hope you get all that taken care of so you can sleep in peace bro, you really deserve it.
I’m dealing with the same and have ptsd but never mentioned this because I thought it was part of the problem but now after your story I need to mention this to my therapist so this video helped
I am suddenly waking up for imaginary loud noises or falling from very high and hitting the ground sometimes. Until I watched this video I didn’t even know what the heck it was. Keep doing your thang Civ Div I enjoy watching your videos💯
I have this too. Usually it sounds like a trumpet or something. Sometimes it's someone yelling my name. Freaky stuff. I get sleep paralysis too, which has some interesting... features. If there's sunlight when I wake up in paralysis, I usually see moving nasty bugs right next to my face, or crawling towards my face, and I can't move. I think the last time I snapped out of it by punching the bed. Then if it's dark but still with some light, I've seen some weird creatures. The most memorable was a giant kind of fetid green cartoon pig, and I tried to laugh at it to show I wasn't scared, and it screamed at me in response, making a noise about as loud as exploding head
I haven't personally looked into the studies regarding this, however I recall the sleep neuroscientist Matthew Walker mentioning that the cause of auditory hallucinations as you fall asleep is from a phenomenon where neurons from all regions of the brain fire simultaneously. Hypnagogic hallucinations are also a lesser discussed symptom of narcolepsy, as I learnt when I was diagnosed. When I do dream they're always mundane, and my nightmares are macabre hellscapes, no inbetween. I used to lucid dream but now I avoid doing so as I lost the ability to control the narrative, and the more lucid I became the less control I had over my body in the dream world. I really need to stop letting the fear of those dreams control me, as I haven't fallen asleep and woken up at the same time consistently for about a third of my life. Best of wishes to you, seeing how someone with similar hardships can persevere is inspirational.
I sleep heavy but yet lightly and wake easily if that makes any sense, didn't start until halfway through my Army enlistment. Even my cat just moving around on the bed will jolt me awake into instant fight mode sometimes. Some weeks I'll get a total of 2 to 4 hours a sleep a night, other weeks i'll get 8 to 10 hours a night, random at best.
Got mild tinnitus, comes and goes, never really considered it detrimental, name of the game being around boomsticks, explosions, and loud guitar amplifiers and sound equipment lol. Hearing will cut out and i'll get a ringing in my ears, sometimes the "white noise" tone. Having a fan on in the background usually helps when it does come around.
Have had at least one Concussion, but never a TBI thankfully.
The one thing I do even remotely lament/ complain about is my Toxic Exposure Injury, the worst and only thing that's negatively affected my life and required serious changes in order to stay functional to the level i'm accustomed to. My gut is wrecked due to it, total Gluten intolerance and bloating with occasional fluid buildup around my Gallbladder, a confirmed Mitochondrial dysfunction, and mild Autonomic Nervous imbalance. Guarantee you have systemic exposure injury bro.
Cigs are my only vice lol, fvckit lol i'll do what i want hahaha.
Happy Turkeyday brother.
i've had sleep paralysis (like 4-5 times a week in some of my teen years), have tinnitus and have had on and off exploding head syndrome for the last 3/4 years. haven't been remotely close to doing military stuff, i guess i just listened to loud music, went to a few concerts (like 5-6, not a huge career of hearing damage) and had similar "screaming mad father" experiences in my childhood.
What i wanted to say to you is that it gets better with time. well, not really, but i've noticed that whenever i go through anxious times ALL my symptoms worsen a lot. i've dealt with some shit and faced some traumas, had some experiences that made me grow (partly thanks to psychedelics have to admit, even tho some experiences were... nightmarish... still highly recommend) and changed a lot as a person.
started feeling that what i was doing with my life was more in line with what i really felt. i've distanced myself from bad people, learned to have self respect and all that;
IN SHORT: my anxiety levels dropped in general, and since then i've had REALLY rare occasions of paralysis, exploding head like once in 2 months or less, and the tinnitus kinda doesn't matter when i'm not nervous and i'm focusing on other stuff. it's like when you're living in the moment and you simply don't register the sound, it doesn't matter. it's a bit annoying while falling asleep but yeah, you learn to deal with that in your ways.
struggling a bit less with alcohol too :P
anyway you sound very insightful and intelligent, i hope you sort your shit because you deserve it my man.
Oh shit I have had this waking up phenomenon happen many times and I always assumed it was something that happens to everyone sometimes. For me it's usually a loud bang, someone yelling for help, someone yelling a name, or sometimes a loud crack. It also often causes a bright white flash in my vision simultaneous with the sound which is also the split second I jolt awake. I don't really have a history of that much trauma in my opinion, and I don't have Schizophrenia. Still, very strange. Interesting to hear it's not a universal thing.
Me too! I had never heard of it until a few months ago, but I have had 2 head injuries with concussions in my past. About a year ago I would wake up in the morning and hear loud "wooshes" kind of like when you stick your fingers in your ear, in both ears, or the sound as you are putting in ear plugs. It'll happen a few times over 30 min or so in the morning. Sometimes when I am awoken at night I'll hear a real loud SCREAM or SQUEAL.
Never knew there was a name for this but I experienced exactly what you described as exploding head syndrome almost every night for 6 months after I had covid. For me it is always the same sound, like the white noise static from a TV which suddenly blasts for half a second or so at the very moment I'm falling asleep. Luckily it has almost completely stopped happening now, only had it once or twice in the last 3 months. Thanks for this video! Can finally name the phenomenon which neither the doctor nor psychiatrist I saw could.
u can get tinitus even without being exsposed to load noices i got it randomly when i was 14 and it was a constant high pitch noice in my ear i thought it would go away after a few hours or so but it didnt a few months went by and it was still there it drove me mad i got to a point where i wanted to end my life because i couldnt bare it no more i did my research on it and it said it should go away by a week or so but if it didnt it means id have it forever but after 3 half months i woke up and it was gone i was so relieved. having a constant loud pitch squicking noice in your ear 24/7 can really make u go crazy its normally only common in elderly or people working around loud machines or guns your one true fighter thanks for sharing your personal life with us
I had this after I got concussion one week later. I was lying, almost sleeping, and then instant flashbang right in my ear, I even felt small pain. I actually jumped from my bed and my grandma looked at me. Because it was really dark (I was in a countryside at this time) she looked like "horrifying home-guest" meme. I wasn't sleeping that night and my jaw was clicking like mule. But this was the only time that I've experienced it. Thanks, now I know the name of it at least :)
Had that for a while and it just randomly stopped happening a few months ago, I definitely recommend getting a polysomnography (sleep study) and then getting a specialist to check it out because it may help you.
Having served over 20 and was able to retire mostly intact everything you described is shared by most veterans. Most certainly prior infantry. When leaving the service you loose the day to day grind and everything you never had time to think about comes crashing down. Exploding Head is mostly brought on by stress, drugs, and bad sleep protocol. Tinnitus is a forever, sorry to say it will continue to get worse, it really sucks the worst at night in a quiet room. We knew burn pits were bad back in Desert Storm, but really it's easiest way to get rid of trash, just need better placement and procedures. Focus on family, friends, and personal health. Remember all decisions have lead to different directions. Semper Fi Devil Dog.
Man I am so happy that I found you throgh my search about some gopro expierence videos from the ukraine. First at all I want to congrats you to be sober about that time, keep going
Mad love & respect, Civ!
I've had a lot of head exploding, usually manifesting in either in loud terrifying shrieks or explosions. either wakes me up of happens while im falling asleep. congrats with 4 months sober, happy for you!
I’m glad you made this video because I hear gun shots right in my ear when I’m going to bed I don’t know if it’s trauma or what but thank you love the videos keep it up. Ps we need more Ukraine videos ❤
I used to try to induce sleep paralysis to experiment with OBE's. Once I figured out how to do it, it would happen every time I slept without my control. As paralysis would set in, I'd hear a ringing buzz saw sound that grew louder and louder and became painfully loud. Extremely loud. It'd get to a point where I couldn't take it anymore, and then it would just pop or snap, and I'd find myself in a dream basically. Two different times, after going through the paralysis, the extremely loud sound, and then the pop, I'd still be paralyzed in bed but my room was full of people talking. Didn't see them, just heard voices, but couldn't pick out anything that was being said. Absolutely terrifying. One time, while enduring this brutally loud sound, I had the feeling that my body was bending in half backwards. When it felt like the back of my head was about to touch my heels, it popped. I "opened" my eyes and my room was full of glowing blue children, maybe around 10-15 of them. Freaked me out really bad and I forced myself to wake up.
I don't know if this is related to exploding head syndrome, but the sounds I'd hear were VERY loud and would last maybe 10-15 seconds. I remember thinking at the time it was exploding head syndrome, because that's what it felt like, but from what I'm seeing now, most people seem to hear one very loud noise that comes and goes quickly. I have no personal or family history of mental illness, no drug or alcohol use at the time besides tobacco.
Wierdly, ive begun to experience this recently. It has happened kind of frequently, like every 4 or 5 days, for the past year. Before that, nothing at all.
It scared the shit out of me the first time it happened as it sounded like a very loud snare being hit with the might of Poseidon himself. After that i have gotten used to it and only feel a bit annoyed as it wakes me up.
Its very different from the occasional "falling down the escalator in front of your crush at the mall"-dreams.
I have ADHD and have recently been diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD, which i found being a very reasonable cause for what i now know is called Exploding Head Syndrome.
Also, thank you for being you
I relate so much! Thanks for sharing.
I have never heard of EHS before. As an old Infantryman (20 yrs Army) I also have a severe hearing loss with tinitus. I have learned over the years to totally ignore it. Its there all the time but I only hear it if I listen for it. It used to dive me nuts. Just found your channel and subbed.
You have put a name to something I experience.
It only happens to me once or twice a month, and only one time per night, but I will just about to nod off and BANG I will hear something that will jump start me to full wakefulness. Often its some kind of loud nondescript "bang". I have even got out of bed sometimes to check it wasnt the front door.
For what its worth I think its a symptom of mild PTSD. I havent served but Ive had an "interesting" life. Intuitively this seems to nestle right in there with other aspects of hypervigilance, brought on by emotional stress and trauma.
I doubt its a manifestation of something like schizophrenia. Its much more likely to be the result of the life you have led, where there have been prolonged periods where you have had enforced vigilance and prolonged states of elevated stress.
Whatever the cause, I hope you are well and thank you for your service.
Fascinatingggg, so many of us have this apparently, glad I made this video and found other likeminded people lol
Congrats on being 4 months sober bro!! Thats a big accomplishment. Good shit man keep it up and I love your videos.
I get this a handful of times I year. So random. The last one sounded so vividly like a shotgun blast to the point I jumped out of bed READY. I also have bad tinnitus as well. I’m sure you’ve heard this, but my advice is to keep a fan going at night. Doesn’t make it go away obviously, but it helps in tuning it out.
I've had severe tinnitus 50 years, you think it can't get worse but believe me it can and will if you don't take all precautions to keep your ears from any harmful noises even those that don't bother other people. Protect both ears even the one you aren't concerned with because the ringing will get louder and it can become debilitating. Enjoying all your videos.
I have something similar on occasion, but instead of the loud crash waking me up, it's a very sudden, intense feeling of falling which jolts me awake
You are an awesome dude bro. Sorry that u have to deal with all that shit. Stay frosty and do what you have to do brother. Stay safe out there bro. Congratulations on the 4 months sober bro. I'm 5 years into being clean from Opiates. Regardless you are good dude
Tinnitus can get better, I would suggest you still wear ear pro in both ears. Good on you for quitting smoking and drinking, two of the major plights of humanity dealt with.
I’ve got all the same stuff, to fight the tinnitus I just wear headphones when I can. Listening to some sort of sound usually helps. I want to thank you for talking about it. I’ve got a lot of this stuff but I can’t talk about it because of the military and flying. If they know I have any one of these they wouldn’t let me fly.
every once in a while when I'm trying to fall asleep just like you explained, I hear what sounds like someone whisper my name and I wake up, but unlike you it's super super rare, it's probably only happened less than 10 times in my whole life, I've always assumed It was just an auditory part of my dream waking me up and it probably is.
I do have this too and I've never talked to a doctor about this.
Not a veteran or anything but I hear a really loud bang right when I'm on the verge of falling asleep.
Alot of my friends have this too which worries me now.
I don't have it always though, like 1 - 2 times a month maybe.
I have explosing head syndrome too and I've never been a soldier and/or close to a combat zone. It's always when I'm about to wake up in the morning when the dream is very clear. I simply get shot in the head in my dream and it wakes me up. I doesn't happen all that often, maybe once a year.
Man, that was interesting, thank you so much for sharing!
I’ve just got it about two years ago I personally think it’s stress induced I’m older I jump straight up out of a sound sleep. Anyway doesn’t hurt so I just deal with it like you do. Love your content young man I’m 65. Keep doing what your doing They have an exercise for your vertigo look it up online I have to do them for a few days and my vertigo goes away
Sometimes I dream about being on a trampoline and jumping and then falling infinitely and it wakes me up
damn bro, glad to hear things are getting better for you, I have sleeping paralysis, it's not fun
i just thought i was crazy, glad to know and hope you are doing well !
My uncle worked as an aircraft mechanic back in the 70s through 90s and got tinnitus from constantly being around plane engines and not taking his hearing seriously. He said it can get significantly worse over the years and it was pretty severe for him once he retired from his work.
Im telling you this because you mentioned not caring about protecting hearing in one of your ears thats “toast” but trust me, that grasshopper sound is a lot more pleasant than loud ringing. I’d recommend wearing ear protection in both ears no matter what to prevent your tinnitus from getting any worse
congratulations on being sober!! keep going
I have it. It was strange. One day about five years ago I read about EHS. It's exactly like you described. For me, it's a loud, very realistic explosion. However, once I learned what it was, it stopped! Haven't had a disturbance since. I doubt it's cured, but I think it can go into remission. Keep the faith, brother.
Very simular issues here man. Thanks for sharing
I, too, got this syndrome as a result of processing and severe exhaustion of the nervous system. Yes, sometimes it feels like an explosion in your ear or someone kicking down your door with all their might. But what helps from innocuous remedies is vitamin magnesium near bedtime or glycine before going to sleep. But I have also gone through strong sedatives and neuroleptics, which are addictive, because these nightly explosions in the head were so strong that they caused neurotic conditions and worse.
But the situation has greatly improved after I had a fever with Covid and my body sort of readjusted and got better. And it's enough to take vitamins to get a good night's sleep.