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Peacefully transitioning to sleep
For as long as I can remember I have experienced "hypnic jerks we experience occasionally just before we fall asleep", only for me it was every time I fall asleep. It's only recently that I learned there is a name for my experience - EHS Exploding Head Syndrome. I have only mentioned it once to someone, who mocked me so I never mentioned it again, I always found falling asleep disconcerting as the loud bang in my head would jerk me awake. I worried that it was something bad and kept it to myself.
Edited to add: I also have tinnitus, the result of a head injury as a toddler, consequently I have never know 'quiet' inside my head. I thought the EHS and tinnitus were related.
In 2022, I read a few articles and reflections from people researching the brain around how it refreshes as we sleep and how that best works if the head is horizontal during sleep, so I began my own experiment, could I improve my transition to sleep without clinical interventions.
2024 - I no longer sleep with a pillow, I still have pillows on my bed as they are great for sitting up and reading a book. However once I turn out the light the pillows are discarded and I sleep with my entire body horizontal rather than have my head elevated, even a little. I sleep mostly on either side or, infrequently on my back.
I am not sure exactly when the loud bangs in my head diminished, maybe 8 - 12 months of sleeping without a pillow, what I can say is that falling asleep is now a gentle experience and I will continue to sleep without a pillow. I would not have it any other way, it is such a relief.
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Wow, I'm full of admiration for a person who methodically trials several ways to rid himself/herself of a condition that can almost be debilitating. Well done!! And, I am happy it worked for you. Thanks for posting about your experience.
I only get the restless leg problem, or the explosive jerks if it's the whole body, when I am very tired and have not slept well for several days. I use the first jerk as a sign that I am ready to sleep, at which I turn onto either side from the supine position I adopt routinely when I first enter the bed. A few times, very few so far, I have gone on to have several more jerks over the next ten minutes or so, but they subside and I fall asleep.
I can't imagine how hard it must be for some to get a good night's sleep. This forum is heavily populated with people whose nocturnal marathons are the stuff of legend.
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3 ReactionsInteresting. I have full-on hypnagogic hallucinations which almost always manifest as something scary--a person standing by my bed, me falling into a hole, the sound of someone breaking into the house. Occasionally, though, the hallucinations are pleasant such as someone stroking my hair or even performing a sex act on me. Sometimes I just see random geometric patterns or hear strange sounds that aren't really there. By the time these things happen, though, I'm at the point where I can't pull myself out of them and reawaken so I have to just go with it. It happens about 2-3x a week.
(I gotta say it...I just HAVE to...!) I hope the one experience comprises at least one of those weekly episodes. 😀
That has to be very scary.
I’ve had some experience with the feeling that you are stuck in on position and screaming in your sleep for someone to just pull you up out of the position in bed .
It’s so frightening.
I don’t sleep 💤 well as it is , have a dozen chronic health issues for 10 years now .
Not getting good sleep ( I even take sleep med for long time ) is so bad for our overall mental health and physical health. 🙏😵💫🥲
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1 ReactionHypnagogic hallucinations are part of a triad of symptoms that are narcolepsy related. A sleep neurologist ((specialist) may be able to help with the hallucinations. I just recently figured out my Restless leg syndrome was partially a side effect of wellbutrin which I had been on for years. I’m off the Wellbutrin and off the 6 tabs of carbidopa-levodopa a day I was on for RLS. It’s still present but I am managing it with tylenol and a heating pad. My cervical pain after fusion is much better now with a very flat travel size pillow and gel ice pack. It’s amazing how much we can help ourselves with research and self experimentation, trial and error measures!
I find it so strange that most doctors never suggest an easy solution. I have found a heating pad helpful for so many problems. It helps aches and pains, it’s calming for sleeplessness, and you mention restless legs. When I suggest to friends they look at me like I’m crazy, but if they try it they always thank me for the suggestion. Pills are not always the best answer, and they always have side effects.
Mayo Clinic Q and A: Understanding ‘exploding head syndrome’ - cannot post the link, search on the article title.
@matainz, I noticed that you wished to post a URL to a Mayo Clinic News Network article with your post. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe.
Allow me to post it for you:
= Mayo Clinic Q and A: Understanding ‘exploding head syndrome’ https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-understanding-exploding-head-syndrome/
What did you find helpful in the article? Has this happened to you?
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2 ReactionsThanks for your assistance Colleen.
I wanted to post the URL as I wrote about my experience of resolving EHS for myself.
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