brain jolt:woken up from sleep?

[vicky23]

hi all,
I had a pretty bad night's sleep. first half I had nightmares which I've been having a lot of lately but then I fell back asleep until 3:30 am when I jolted awake very suddenly.
I actually literally thought that there had been some sort of electric shock from the plug beside my bed and it felt like my bed had been pushed into the room.
I tried to call out to my Mam to see what had happened but obviously having just woke up I managed a murmur so at this point I realised that whatever woke me up was internal, my bed was in the same place etc

has anyone had this before? I am aware of the jerk sensation when falling asleep but not being woken up from a semi deep sleep with a 'jolt'
thanks in advance

[RLR]

The "jolt" one might feel when falling asleep is known as a hypnogogic response. By contrast, a similar experience felt when waking is known as a hypnopompic response.

If you experienced a sudden awakening with subsequent physiological manifestations such as rapid pulse or pounding heart, then the phenomenon is known as a night terror which is sort of the equivalent of a panic attack while asleep.

None of the conditions I have mentioned constitute any type of pathological condition and are entirely normal, particularly in instances wherein poor quality sleep and or insomnia is being experienced.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[vicky23]

wow that's extremely helpful thank you so much :)

[den68]

i had this about a year ago and it really scared me. It was like a massive fire work went off in my head and i woke up in a state. The good news is though all test were clear and it was caused by anxiety. Now im much calmer i dont get this any more. Mention it to your gp if your worried but its probably caused by stress
good luck

denise

[sparkie baker]

i have a sensation just when im about to nod off some nights (usually when im having a stressfull time) where it feels like my head has been zapped with a jolt of electricity. i can hear it really loud and the top off my head experiences an intense jolt. i think this may be related to anxiety and have been worried sick that im the only one its happening to. someone suggested 'exploding head syndrome', ill have to look it up.