Hearing a non-existent boom sounds terrifying, but many people suffer from this phenomenon. FOX's Alex Hein reports: This is Housecall for Health. Exploding head syndrome sounds like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, but in reality, it's a very real medical condition that thousands of people suffer from. Patients diagnosed with the condition can sense the sound of an object crashing to the ground or the sight of a bright flash of light, even though no such events really occurred. You see, for these patients, no actual explosions take place when the person experiences a symptom, but rather it's a sensory sleep disorder. For example, when a person with exploding head syndrome is either falling asleep or waking up, they may hear a thunderously loud noise, but no such noise has actually occurred. This recent study, covered by Live Science, suggests that up to 13.5 percent of people experience the phenomenon at some point during their lives. Theories about what causes these sensations revolve around the reticular formation part of the brain. That same area is thought to be involved in sleep paralysis as well. For more on this story, check FOXNewsHealth.com. Houscall for Health, I'm Alex Hein, FOX News. Follow Alex Hein on Twitter: @Ahlex3889