It Might Just be a Hypnic Jerk that Awoke You
Nearly 80 – 90 percent of people are affected by hypnic jerks every other night and 10 percent experience these jerks every night. In most cases, these jerks occur no more than twice a night, but in more serious cases, spasms can occur almost every minute of the night. Most people may be asking: What is hypnic jerks?
Hypnic jerks are involuntary jerks of the body as a person begins to drift asleep, causing the person to wake up. These twitches are often described as a feeling of falling or a shock sensation and appear as if the person were suddenly startled.I found some more information here.
There are a few reasons suspected of causing hypnic jerks. Three of the most commonly thought reasons are being sleep deprived, having an irregular sleep schedule, or sleeping uncomfortably. Other reasons for hypnic jerks include: anxiety, laborious evening activities, stress, and high amounts of caffeine. These spasms may also occur due to the muscles in the body relaxing. In relation to previous theories, hypnic jerks can also be caused by the nervous system slowing down, which means slowing of the breathing and lowering of the body’s temperature. Sleep studies have also shown that while in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep, hypnic jerks often occur beginning with the twitching of the eyes and ears. During the REM phase, voluntary muscular activity comes to a halt and dreams begin, causing total relaxation of the body. However, when the hypnic jerks begin in this phase, the brain tends to misunderstand the relaxation signs for signals of falling; therefore, the brain sends a cue for the muscular limbs to wake up, causing the muscular twitches.
There is no set cure for these jerks, but ways to try and prevent them include: a smooth sounds generator to produce pleasant sounds when laying down, avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine beverages, and trying relaxation breathing exercises to ease your mind of worries.
Posted by admin at Friday ~ October 10, 2011 | Comments Off
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