My head literally exploded when I read that.
Gentlemen. Exploding head syndrome, is indicated by the presence of exploded heads, which yours are. (Headnanigans)
I’ve had one or two like that. I believe I posted about them in the other threads. I’ve always described them as a ‘comet’ flying through my head. I could ‘see’ it coming (similar to the falling/jerking awake sensation), and then a bright and very, very loud explosion as it went through my head. I’ll bet it’s been close to 20 years since the last time it happened and I’ll be perfectly happy if it never happens again.
Mine is without warning. I don’t remember what I was doing but suddenly “BANG!” and I looked around wondering WTH just happened?
My proudest moment as a mod was when I moved a question about cannibalism from GQ to Cafe Society since it was about food. 
I’ve heard about the soft bigotry of low expectations, but this is a whole new low for personal standards. 
Really? This is a thing? I wake up occasionally hearing a phone ringing, but it’s an old-style phone with an actual bell-- you know, a desk phone that they made from the 1950s-1980s. I haven’t had a phone like that since about the mid-1990s, when text messaging was introduced, and the only reason I kept the old phone as long as I did was that it fit my TTY, so I needed it to use the phone with Deaf people. I had an electronic cordless phone I used for everything else.
But I still wake up to the sound of that old phone ringing. Happens maybe three times a year.
waves hand wildly
I have it. It took me years to figure out what was happening.
In the past when it happened, I’d think a car had crashed or something exploded outside and I’d go flying out of bed and run to the window and, of course, nothing would be out there. I’ve even put on my shoes and coat to go look around.
Until I knew what it was, it was pretty terrifying. I’d be asleep in bed and suddenly BOOM!! accompanied by a very bright light. One time it was so loud and bright that I thought a plane must have crashed.
Now that I know what it is (it’s still a shocking way to be woken up) I can lay there for a bit while my heart stops racing and go back to sleep.
I’ve experienced it twice. Falling asleep and hearing an immense explosive noise and flash of light. I just assume it is something akin to the more common sleep twitch that man people get. i.e. “weird shit that your brain does”
It’s bad when your head assplodes, but it’s worse when your ass headsplodes.
Yes! I don’t get explosions, but I regularly get the old timey ringing phone, knocking on the door, crashing sounds, as though shelves full of glassware fell down, and random booming/banging noises.