In most cases, hypnic jerks are a normal part of sleep initiation. Although there is a common perception among sleep scientists and clinicians that hypnic jerks are generally benign, they can certainly be startling — especially if they happen frequently!
Hypnic jerks affect nearly everyone. But why do people twitch in their sleep? Though the exact cause and reason for these jerks or twitches are unclear, there are some explanations. One hypothesis goes back to our primate ancestors. It suggests that when they were sleeping in the trees and fell out, their muscles tensed up to brace for impact. These sleep jerks may be remnants of that reflex. The brain misinterprets relaxation as falling out of a tree, and the jerks are the body tensing up.
This correlates with the symptoms of falling or being startled when we dream a rare phenomenon known as dream incorporation. This is yet another example of a strange and interesting trait we can thank our ancient relatives for. Hypnic jerks generally occur during the stage of sleep in which your muscles start to relax and you begin drifting off. During this time, motor areas of the brain can become spontaneously stimulated. Your brain may misinterpret this stimulation as wakefulness during a less-than-seamless transition to sleep.
If you're really startled, you may experience a rapid heartbeat, sweating, or accelerated breathing, though extreme reactions such as these may indicate the presence of anxiety spectrum disorders and should be discussed with a physician.
In some cases, these twitches could occur alongside hypnagogic hallucinations or vivid dreams. The most obvious thing to note is that you are likely to wake up if the twitch is considerable, and because they are so startling, they could interrupt your sleep and lead to sleep-onset insomnia if they happen frequently. According to an article published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine, hypnic jerks are quite common, with up to 70 percent of people of all ages and genders experiencing them.
They seem to appear more frequently in childhood, often being mistaken for seizures and epilepsy. While little is known about their cause in adults, there are some prevailing theories. Even though these twitches happen to people with certain bad sleeping habits, people who lead normal, healthy lives can experience them as well.
One of the first things you can do is avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening. Even if you love a refreshing cup of coffee in the afternoon, this could have a serious effect on your overnight sleep, and both the lack of sleep and the stimulation from caffeine could easily cause a hypnic jerk.
It would be best for you to keep caffeine to a minimum, and if you need to have it, make sure that you do so in the morning and avoid it past midday. This should give you the best chance of minimizing the jerks. Read More: Caffeine and Sleep.
This is another thing that you might want to consider. Not consuming alcohol would allow you to enhance your sleep and could help prevent a hypnic jerk as well. Alcohol is a depressant but it also has some qualities of a stimulant, which means it can affect the brain and make it more challenging to fall and stay asleep. However, there are appropriate times of the day when you should be exercising. You should try to keep your exercising activities for the morning hours.
There are a number of different herbs and essential oils that may help to induce a deeper and more relaxed sleep. The list goes on, and there are many soothing aromas and herbs that could help you go through the night in a more relaxed manner. They may also result in fewer hypnic twitches or eliminate them entirely. Get yourself in the habit of a bedtime ritual. This includes a series of things that you should do half an hour before you fall asleep. First off, it might be a good idea to relax your mind and quit thinking about the issues of the day.
Second, cut out technology entirely before bed. Turn off the TV, forget your phone, put the laptop in the other room, and stay there in the dark. Your mind should quickly adjust to that as a stress-free environment that induces relaxation. This would translate to a deeper, twitch-free state of sleep.
There are a few additional supplements that you could use to reduce twitching during the night. Calcium, as well as magnesium, are known to relax your muscles and prevent spasms.
In fact, magnesium plays a role in regulating muscle contractions, and deficiencies of this mineral have been shown to lead to myoclonic jerks. View Our Comparison: Magnesium vs. There are several ways to reduce anxiety before bed, and they all center around calming the body and mind. Yoga, meditation, journaling, or even just some relaxing stretches can be helpful. Here are a few ways sleep can help you lose weight.
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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Symptoms Causes Treatment and prevention Takeaway Overview Hypnogogic jerks are also known as sleep starts or hypnic jerks.
What are the symptoms? What causes it? Is treatment necessary? The takeaway. Read this next.
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