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View Full Version : One sided (mostly) body tremors, when falling asleep



lofwyr
05-01-18, 15:05
The subject line says it all, really. For the last week or so, pretty much every night, I have been getting these odd tremors when falling asleep, and only when falling asleep. It is mostly the left side of my body, which admittedly is odd, but also noticed it in my right hand too. They vibrate through my body, even my lips, almost imperceptibly. They seem to be most noticeably in my foot, hand, lips, and oddly, my left butt cheek. Tremor might not be the right word, maybe twitching? Hard to say, it is not visible from the outside I don't think, but it is definitely real and very noticeable on the inside. It lasts a bit, until I focus on it, then it subsides. It only happens as I am falling asleep, which of course it wakes me up. Then happens again when I fall asleep, and so on.

I am assuming it is anxiety, and am not *overly* worried about it. Having had a clean MRI for something else unrelated two months ago helps, to be sure. No sign of tumors or MS etc, so it is really more a question for those who have had anxiety related tremors or shakes.

I am a salty veteran when it comes to anxiety sensations--had loads of buzzing and burning, even some tremors, and don't get me started about twitchy calf muscles and cheek and eyelid spasms. ;-) But this one is different, and new for me, and honestly, while my objective brain knows it is probably anxiety, my lizard brain is hearing hooves and looking for stripes.

For those who have dealt with this sort of thing while falling asleep, especially, is there some way to break the cycle? If it were happening to me 24/7 I might be more concerned, but the fact that it only happens as I start to drift off is both reassuring, yet more irritating.

I have not, and will not google anything related to this, of course. No google search has ever helped me with anxiety, only with plumbing problems around the house. ;-) So I thought to ask others who have had the same issues.

AntsyVee
05-01-18, 19:36
They're called hypnagogic jerks. They're normal, and almost everyone experiences them at some point in their lives. Nothing to worry about.