Jumping up when falling to sleep

[mabelina]

Sometimes when i drifting off to sleep (not sleeping) my body has a fright, like an electric shock. It happens about 5 times before i actually fall asleep. Does anyone else get this?

[Venus Calling]

I get something similar - the sensation I feel is a sort of lurching feeling I guess or jerk - I'd get that several times before I fall asleep sometimes. This has happened to me for years - way before the anxiety stuff - I reckon it's normal.

[milly jones]

yes hun i do

like as if ur going to fall off the bed and u jump

never really bothered me

dont know what it is sorry, i just do understand

milly xx

[nikita]

yes i get it all the time, so does my son, my nephew and my sister. also a number of friends get it, so I wouldnt worry about it hunny. x

[erialc]

yer I get it too, like I jump or jolt, scares living daylights outta my hub lol

[eljay]

yep I get it also, scares me to death for a few seconds as im so close to sleep, its weird but obviously common.

[mothermac]

Yeah I have had this too,It may be the fact that your muscles are starting to relax and your body has to catch up with this. When you are asleep we are indeed immobolized so we don't act out our dreams and our bodies have a response to this,it could be that. I wouldn't worry as it won't be serious.

[Zingara]

Me too! My boyfriend has it too. There's no need to worry about it at all. xx

[bex1970]

Happens to me ALL the time - and my husband - and my children. It is totally normal, in fact I would think it was odd if it HADN'T happened to someone... quite alarming though as it gives you quite a fright...!
x

[Lissy43]

Yes I always get this.

[eurotrashcub]

I get this almost every night and I used to find it really distressing

I am sort of used to it now though...

[Trish]

Yes i've been having this for about 4 yrs now...and i hate it:mad: I've had them so bad i've been 'catapulted' out my bed!

They are bad but they can't do you any harm....coz we are all still here:) !

Trish x

[Cococj]

They're a form of myoclonic twitch, when they happen when you're falling asleep they're called Hypnic Jerks and they're perfectly normal.

I've personally found they happen more when I'm tense and anxious so although the precise reason as to why they happen isn't known (though there are several theories) increased muscle tension from anxiety seems to add to their frequency.

[snowdrop]

Hi

This is completely normal,I remember studying it in psychology..

As your muscles begin to relax and go into a restful state just as you are falling asleep; your brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to jerk you back upright. This misinterpretation that takes place in your 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 R.E.M sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body’s sensations.

This happens to most people and studies have recently began to link occurrences of “Hypnic jerks” to sleep anxiety, fatigue, and discomfort. People who are having trouble sleeping or can’t 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 your 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 doesn’t appear to cause damage to body and poses no danger to our physical wellbeing.

Basically its your body 'switching off'

Hope this helps :hugs:

x

[Trish]

Thanks Snowdrop that is really interesting but....i still hate em:wacko: !

[NoPoet]

I read somewhere that this can also be caused by a momentary (and very normal) drop in blood pressure, but I don't know if that's correct. If it is, it's nothing to worry about, blood pressure fluctuates all the time.

[072106]

thank god. i thought i was the only one.
it mainly happens to me when i get worked up over stupid things i shouldn't get worked up about, but i do anyway =/