Hypnagogic Jerk

[Jazzy]

A hypnagogic jerk is an involuntary muscle spasm that occurs as a person is drifting off to sleep.

The phenomenon is so named in reference to the hypnogogic state — the transitional period between wakefulness and sleep. Hypnagogic jerks are also commonly known as hypnic jerks or sleep starts.

The muscle spasms may occur spontaneously or may be induced by sound, light or other external stimuli. Some people report hypnagogic jerks accompanied by hallucinations, dreams, the sensation of falling, or bright lights or loud noises coming from inside the head.

Sleep starts are quite common, with some research suggesting that 60 to 70 percent of people experience them. Many individuals may be visited by nightly hypnic jerks without even knowing it, as the twitches often go unremembered, particularly if they don't cause a person to wake up.

Some scientists believe certain factors, such as stress, anxiety, fatigue, caffeine and sleep deprivation, may increase the frequency or severity of hypnagogic jerks, but conclusive research is lacking on the subject.

Researchers are also unsure why hypnic jerks occur, but a few theories exist.

One hypothesis says that hypnagogic jerks are a natural part of the body's transition from alertness to sleep, and occur when nerves "misfire" during the process.

Source

Have you ever experienced hypnagogic jerks?

 

[Raven]

Yes, Get them alot, When I am stressed they happen all night every night.

They are aweful, Literally as you as about to fall asleep you wake up like youve be shocked, it feels like an electric current running through you. You heart pounds and you feel sick.

This guy describes it well and then you can see what happens and the effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRK_xbUkNgE
3:58 is the actual jerk.

 

[Jazzy]

Yes, Get them alot, When I am stressed they happen all night every night.

They are aweful, Literally as you as about to fall asleep you wake up like youve be shocked, it feels like an electric current running through you. You heart pounds and you feel sick.

This guy describes it well and then you can see what happens and the effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRK_xbUkNgE
3:58 is the actual jerk.

Thank you for posting the video. That's some pretty scary stuff. I haven't had any and hope I never do.

 

[DrLeftover]

I'll get them in my right leg. But it is from nerve damage in my right knee. Sometimes they calm down on their own in a few minutes, sometimes they don't.

Booze does help.

However, this does remind me of an old curse.

You look somebody dead in the eye and say the following in a soft, but icy cold voice, totally without inflection.

"Tonight. Is a Good Night. To wake up Screaming."

 

[gaze-universe]

I'd say I've had a few 'normal' ones, and one big jerk that was much like in the video, I can't remember shortness of breath or anything else he mentioned, just the jerk and initial reaction of 'wth just happened'. Basically I was just really annoyed to have been falling asleep and awoken abruptly like that.

 

[DrLeftover]

And on the other side, you have Sleep Paralysis, where your mind wakes up, or thinks it is, and your body is still checked out.