Plumbing? Pressure build up in the pipes? What causes it...When the water hasn't been turned on for a while...

or none of the toilets have been flushed, or the ice cube maker hasn't been refilled, it seem like the pressure builds up so high that the next time anything is turned on the water rushes out so fast for a few seconds, then when the pressure is let off it goes back to normal....does anyone know what could be causing that?