What Do Phantom Noises And Jerking Of The Body Indicate?

Posted on Sat, 10 Feb 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 Answered on

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : I have had 3 instances since 5 PM where I get a loud noise in my head and then it makes my whole body jerk in reaction to the noise ? Don't know what to do !

Answered by Dr. Vasudha (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:

Consult neuro physician/Reassess all causative probabilities.

Detailed Answer:

Hi,

Your symptoms suggest a medical condition called episodic cranial sensory shock/Exploding head syndrome. Where a person suddenly hears a bomb like a loud noise in the head.

It's exact cause & mechanism is not exactly known. But it's not that harmful as it sounds. It suddenly appears & lasts for short period.

Scientists have started working on the condition & the picture would be clear soon. It's observed causes are -mild seizures involving the temporal lobe of brain/ear problems/ sleep disturbances/withdrawal of antidepressant medicines.

*You give a history of 3 health conditions which need to be reviewed ( Bipolar personality/sleep apnea /deafness)& medications/ dosage to be changed as per need.

Please discuss it with respective experts treating you.

* Most of the times psychotherapy & counselling reduce & control the problem.

* For acute conditions few specified drugs are known to affect the problem. You need to consult a Neurophysician earliest for selecting one, that's suitable for you.

Also rest assured that the condition is mostly short-lived, it is not harmful health.

Hope I have answered your query.

Take care

Regards,
Dr Vasudha Jayant Athavale, General & Family Physician

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar