Thread: Just wondering if other people do this...

It could be some form of sleep paralysis. I often get that "sinking" feeling if I am thinking allot while falling asleep. However, when I was younger I used to have vivid "daydreams" (so to speak) while falling asleep which would result in some occurrence jolting me awake (Often making me throw a limb, such as my fist into the wall). These would be brought about by violent imagination as well, such as falling off a cliff, being tackled roughly, etc.

It isn't something all that unusual I don't think. It just depends on how aware you are while falling asleep, how ready your body is to hit REM, and how long that awareness lasts. If it really bugs you, try shifting your sleeping schedule a bit. Go to bed before you get too extremely tired, and see if you can fall asleep relatively quickly (Hot milk with honey works wonders for getting tired, or hot eggnog, or something hot containing lots of milk and no caffeine) . It has been a while since this last happened to me, so I can't give you advice I know will work, sorry. Good luck.

It sounds like a hypnic jerk. It can happen to almost everyone, and is usually accompanied by a very sudden jolt or the sensation of falling.
Hypnic jerk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not sure why you're getting them every single night, though. Maybe it's because you're relaxing a lot?

hypnic jerk, although often can be disturbing to awaken you - is not weird.
many sleepers experience it.

You are in the transitional stage of when your body & muscles begin to relax - hypnagogic term is sometimes used for some it is accompanied by some with very vivid images as you f a l l asleep. Sometimes gives you a startle.