Does anyone experience hypnic jerks?

intoxicationintoxication Posts: 7,059
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I do and I hate them! I only just found out the name for them today. From wiki:
A hypnic jerk, hypnagogic jerk, sleep start, sleep twitch or night start, is an involuntary twitch which occurs just as a person is beginning to fall asleep, often causing them to awaken suddenly for a moment. Physically, hypnic jerks resemble the "jump" experienced by a person when startled, often accompanied by a falling sensation. Hypnic jerks are associated with a rapid heartbeat, quickened breathing, sweat, and sometimes "a peculiar sensory feeling of 'shock' or 'falling into the void.'"

and
The evolutionary explanation for the existence of the hypnic jerk remains unclear, but one possibility is that it is a vestigial reflex humans evolved when they usually slept in trees. Thus, experiencing a hypnic jerk prior to falling asleep may have been selected so that the individual would be able to readjust their sleeping position in the tree to prevent a fall from occurring.
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Comments

  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    Glastonbury is full of them every year!
  • Bex_123Bex_123 Posts: 10,783
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    I do and I hate them! I only just found out the name for them today. From wiki:



    and

    I thought everyone had them from time to time?

    Ergh, I hate them.
  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    Hypnic = "hippy beatnik", right?
  • annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
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    i hate them. i also get sudden jerks when i`m awake.
  • PuterkidPuterkid Posts: 9,794
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    lemoncurd wrote: »
    Glastonbury is full of them every year!

    Haha, brilliant:D
  • Mitu_PappiMitu_Pappi Posts: 1,341
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    Love them. Especially the feeling of absolute relief that it was all a dream. Just love it.
  • James_MayJames_May Posts: 606
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    No, but I do seem to suffer with an acute onset of myoclonic jerks whenever someone starts to irritate me.

    That's what I blame it on anyway. :)
  • The SnowmanThe Snowman Posts: 895
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    All the time. It freaks me out and I get agitated for a few minutes. It's a terrible feeling, been the hypochondriac that I am I think i am having a heart attack or something.
  • Sky_GuySky_Guy Posts: 6,859
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    Yes I have these, I might just about to be falling asleep, I dream I am walking and suddenly trip up.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 53,142
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    yea..i have them too..Sometimes i nodding off in front of the tv it happens :o
  • KapellmeisterKapellmeister Posts: 41,322
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    Yes, it's like a falling sensation just as you're going to sleep. It's not pleasant.
  • Random42Random42 Posts: 2,290
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    Yes, I get them quite frequently.
  • boddismboddism Posts: 16,436
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    I do and I hate them! I only just found out the name for them today. From wiki:



    and
    Yes.
    They're annoying but I've gotten used to them.
    I wonder if they're visible to others??
  • reglipreglip Posts: 5,268
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    Paul McKenna? Dont know him.
  • The FBIThe FBI Posts: 2,205
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    i hate them. i also get sudden jerks when i`m awake.

    Restless legs syndrome is very uncomfortable
  • annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
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    The FBI wrote: »
    Restless legs syndrome is very uncomfortable

    it`s not my legs, it`s most often my arms, i have been known to fling what i`m holding at the time :blush: it`s like a big violent twitch.
  • Dr. ClawDr. Claw Posts: 7,375
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    another strange one is falling asleep while still semi conscious, as in starting to dream when still awake. that one feels really weird :kitty:
  • MargMckMargMck Posts: 24,115
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    Yes, it makes me cross with myself.
  • EbonyHamsterEbonyHamster Posts: 8,175
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    I've had them

    I'm getting it when awake atm, it's annoying
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
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    They're annoying. Especially when you're having trouble getting to sleep. You're finally almost there then are 'woken' up!
  • NorwoodCemeteryNorwoodCemetery Posts: 1,653
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    Yes. Usually seem to appear when I am really exhausted or deprived of sleep from prior nights.
  • silversoxsilversox Posts: 5,204
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    Dr. Claw wrote: »
    another strange one is falling asleep while still semi conscious, as in starting to dream when still awake. that one feels really weird :kitty:

    That often happens to me when I'm playing Solitaire on my Kindle. I seem to doze off and jerk awake but still playing the game!

    Yes, I get those falling jerks just as I'm dropping off. Excuse the pun. It's usually a horrible feeling of falling down the kerb of a pavement. I thought it was just me till I read about it on here. I also wake up suddenly with a horrible noise in my ears: it's me, snoring.:D
  • Danny_SilverDanny_Silver Posts: 902
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    Maybe because people are afraid of sleeping? afraid of the dark?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 53,142
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    silversox wrote: »
    That often happens to me when I'm playing Solitaire on my Kindle. I seem to doze off and jerk awake but still playing the game!

    Yes, I get those falling jerks just as I'm dropping off. Excuse the pun. It's usually a horrible feeling of falling down the kerb of a pavement. I thought it was just me till I read about it on here. I also wake up suddenly with a horrible noise in my ears: it's me, snoring.:D

    or falling off a cliff :o
  • jarryhackjarryhack Posts: 5,076
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    Yes I get them, it's not a nice feeling! I also hear knocking, bells ringingand people talking just as I'm dozing off too, which is even weirder.
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