How to reduce hypnic jerks?

**Sospiro** · 01-25-2014 02:01 AM

They keep preventing me from WILDing. I keep getting spasms in my head and it snaps me out of paralysis and i have to start all over. When i start over, for some reason the vibrations never come back no matter how long i wait.

Fear is not the problem because I kind of like the vibrations, but I think that because I haven't been getting HH, I have nothing to focus on so maybe I am too aware of the vibrations instead of passively inviting them??? I don't know.....Please help. I suck at DILD and 95% of my lucid dreams come from WILDing out.

**Narwhal** · 01-25-2014 02:23 AM

Hypnic jerks, is that when a limb jerks you awake right as you're falling asleep? Because I get what ever that is from time to time.

**Sivason** · 01-25-2014 03:25 AM

That is what it is. I am not sure what the OP means about spasms in the head. Can you explain?

**Sospiro** · 01-25-2014 07:22 AM

Yes that is what i mean by a hypnic jerk. When sleep paralysis takes over, it starts at my feet and the last place it gets to is my head. when it gets to my head, you know how people experience the falling sensation or the feeling like someone is shaking the shit out of them? This is usually accompanied by HH right before the dream. This is when i usually spasm or hypnic jerk out of paralysis. That's what i mean....spasm = hypnic jerk.

**Sivason** · 01-25-2014 08:17 AM

Try taking 25mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and if it is not enough take 50mg. It is for sale at any store with things like Tylenol. It is in the sleep section and the allergy section, but it will be cheaper from the allergy section. It is dirt cheap either way.

**sisyphus** · 01-25-2014 05:24 PM

Do you take melatonin? Months ago, I was getting a lot of hypnic jerks. I stopped taking melatonin and started taking a magnesium supplement. Since then, I get fewer jerks. They still happen but sometimes I can sense them coming and can stop it by taking a deep calming breath. To be honest, I can't be sure if it was removing melatonin or adding magnesium or both that caused the improvement, but I feel comfortable now with my supplements. If you try magnesium, start with a low dose because it has a laxative effect that can send you to the bathroom. I was taking 3mg melatonin at bedtime. Now I'm taking 250mg magnesium in the morning with breakfast.

**Narwhal** · 01-25-2014 07:17 PM

@sisyphus
Since I've started taking melatonin I've had no hypnic jerks or catathrenia, maybe some things like that are caused by different deficiencies in different people?

**ParadoxOwl** · 01-25-2014 07:26 PM

I'm pretty sure I get this sometimes, as I feel like I'm being shaken backwards and forwards rapidly...I like it tbh and try and hold my breath to make it last longer

.

**sisyphus** · 01-25-2014 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Narwhal

@sisyphus
Since I've started taking melatonin I've had no hypnic jerks or catathrenia, maybe some things like that are caused by different deficiencies in different people?

Yeah, I know a lot of people are fine with melatonin and I was too for a long time. I guess the more general suggestion is that the underlying cause may be chemical, so I'd suggest to the OP and anyone else to consider that the cause could be medication or supplements they are taking.

**Narwhal** · 01-26-2014 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by sisyphus

Yeah, I know a lot of people are fine with melatonin and I was too for a long time. I guess the more general suggestion is that the underlying cause may be chemical, so I'd suggest to the OP and anyone else to consider that the cause could be medication or supplements they are taking.

True dat. Maybe even hormone imbalances.