So, you know that meme you see on Facebook?
Something like, “I have a cough and I Googled my symptoms and turns out I either have a cold or six months to live.” It’s funny because we’ve all done it! And it’s so rarely something we actually need to worry about. But yet, we still do it.
Well the other day, I Googled something I was dealing with and the results spit out a page full of the same answer – all from reputable sources, totally accurate (presumably) and shockingly hilarious. But, also, brought me some relief.
First, some back story.
I am a wife and a mom. I have three adorable girls, and I work full-time as a manager in a busy call center. My husband and I work alternate shifts so someone is always home with our kiddos. I blog. I’ve just started as a consultant for a great book company, and I try as hard as I can to do something memorable with my kids as often as our calendar and our wallet allows. I also have chronic fatigue syndrome. What that all boils down to is this: I’m tired. Always tired. Never not tired.
One night as I was just drifting off to sleep, I heard a loud noise in my house! It startled me awake. I was convinced someone was in my house. My heart was pounding. I got up and looked around and listened very quietly for a long time. After a while, I realized the house was completely quiet and no one else (not the three kids, two dogs or husband) had stirred. So eventually, my fast beating heart slowed down and, finally, I drifted off to sleep. This happened a few more times on rare occasions. Sometimes it would be quiet enough or late enough in the morning that I would assume maybe it was a neighbor outside dropping something or another.
Earlier this week it happened again. After a particularly late night at work and my three-year-old climbing into my bed and hogging it, I was actually sound asleep. And BAM!!! I jolted awake and flipped over – fully expecting to see that a kid had slammed a book on my nightstand. But, no! Everyone was fast asleep. And again, no one had even flinched. Not even the dogs. I checked my phone and realized it was still early and I was frustrated. Why on earth am I hearing loud noises that no one else is hearing?
So naturally, I Googled it. What else would I do?
I fully expected to see results detailing people’s encounters with noisy ghosts. How I needed to immediately set up an appointment with a psychiatrist. Or maybe even a brain tumor near the earlobe.
Nope. I found Exploding Head Syndrome.
Yeah, I know you’re totally picturing that one emoji with the head exploding. I did, too.
The entire page was filled with information on this one topic and the results all said the same thing – Exploding Head Syndrome. And they ALL described what I had been experiencing to a T! It’s more common in women especially those closer to 50 (I just turned 41). It explained there isn’t actually a noise and that the main cause is stress and exhaustion. Yeah, that’s when I laughed, too. It’s apparently harmless (assuming you don’t get so scared from the “noise” you have an anxiety or heart attack). It actually made me feel a bit better, understanding what was going on and that I wasn’t losing my mind!
So apparently, I need to maybe rest a bit more and try to get a bit more sleep. Probably not a bad idea to set up an appointment with my doctor as well. You know, just in case Google was wrong.
