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According to the american-academy-of-sleep-medicinethere are a wide range of potential causes, including: anxiety, caffeine, stress, and strenuous activities in the evening.hypnic-jerkThis strange falling sensation and muscle twitch is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or "Hypnic jerk". Close to 70 percent of all people experience this phenomenon just after nodding off, according to a recent study at the Mayo Clinic.

Most experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurrence is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this. The consensus among researchers is that, as the muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state as sleep is entered, the brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them as indications of falling. The brain then sends signals to arm and leg muscles in an attempt to regain balance. This misinterpretation that takes place in the brain may also be responsible for the "falling" dreams that accompany the falling sensation. These "dreams" are not really normal dreams, as they are not produced from rem-sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body's sensations.

While this phenomenon happens to most, studies have recently begun to link some occurrences of "Hypnic jerks" to sleep anxiety, fatigue, and discomfort. People who are having trouble sleeping or cannot get comfortable in bed appear to experience the sensation more often throughout the night. It is especially more common with people who are trying to fight falling asleep or have deprived themselves of sleep for more than 24 hours.

Researchers believe that the lack of sleep from sleep anxiety or sleep deprivation confuses the muscles and the brain. The muscles continually attempt to relax and shut down for rest, while the brain remains awake creating continued "misinterpretations" of falling or loss of balance.

Scientists and researchers continue to study sleep twitching and jerking in a small capacity, but state that the sensation is completely normal for our bodies and is of little medical significance. Our bodies go through several procedures of shutting down and preparing for an extended period of rest. "Hypnic jerking" is just one of them. It does not appear to cause damage to the body and poses no danger to its physical wellbeing.

Hypnic jerks can occur in anyone. These jerks or sleep startles normally occur at the onset of sleep, rather than at the offset. During an epilepsy and intensive care study, the lack of a preceding spike discharge measured on an epilepsy monitoring unit, along with the presences only at sleep onsets, helped differentiate hypnic jerks from epileptic myoclonus.hypnic-jerk

According to another study on sleep disturbances, hypnic jerks occur during the non-REM sleep cycle and is an "abrupt muscle action flexing movement, generalized or partial and asymmetric, which may cause arousal, with an illusion of falling."hypnic-jerkHypnic jerks are more frequent in childhood with 4-7 per hour at the age ranging from 8 to 12 years old, and it decreases toward 1-2 per hour at 65 to 80 years old.hypnic-jerk

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Q: What is the cause of hypnic sleep jerks?
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What happens when you are drifting of then feel like you are falling and wake up again ?

This is called a Hypnic Jerk and 60 - 70 people in the world get them this is very common so there is no need to worry. Hypnic Jerks can either be in your leg or your whole body.


What is the spasm right as you drift off to sleep?

It is a myoclonic or hypnic jerk.


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Why do you dream that your falling and it feels real?

The sensation of falling as you fall asleep is known as hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or "Hypnic jerk". Most experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurance is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this. There are some theories as to why this happens: "One is that hypnic jerks are a natural step in the body's transition from alertness to sleep. As you drift off, your body goes through some physiological changes to prepare for a few hours of restoration. Your breathing rate changes. Your temperature may change. And your muscle tone changes, too. Hypnic jerks, the theory goes, may just be a byproduct of that muscular transition." "Second theory says that, as you slide toward sleep, there's a point at which your muscles really let go. Your brain, which after all did evolve from a reptile brain, interprets this rush of relaxation data as a sure sign that you're falling down. And it tells your arms and legs to thrash around and keep you upright"


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Why does hypnic myoclonia occur?

Sometimes, the brain misinterprets the changes in the body as it falls asleep (lowered temperature, relaxing of muscles, slowed breathing) as the beginning of death. Hypnic myoclonia is used as a survival mechanism in an effort to revive the body.