What Do These Jolts Mean?

Hey there everyone, I've only started experimenting with lucid dreams over the past few weeks and just signed up to this forum to get some more information.

I'm still working on my dream recall before I focus on lucid dreaming, but I've got a question about something that happens as I go to sleep.

A few times in the last fortnight, rather than just going to sleep like normal, I have tried lying on my back completely still and focusing on lucid dreaming and recall... in the hope that I might be able to 'encourage' a lucid dream and remember it.

I can keep myself fairly focused and feel my body get heavy and my mind slow down... but after 15 to 30 minutes, either my legs or arms get a sudden jolt or spasm and startle me wide awake (but I'm not sure if I was even asleep). Last night my arms literally flew up off the bed.

I'm just wondering if this has anything to do with lucid dreaming or sleep paralysis... or if it's just something weird that happens?

Thanks,
Matthew

Those are hynagogic jerks, something your body does do loosen tension in the muscles. At least, small twitches are. Large movements, such as an entire arm or leg being jolted, may be related to sleep paralysis.

Sounds like a hypnic jerk. Most of the time we have sort of a half dream that goes along with these. The body's muscles do twitch and spasm as we're going to sleep and waking up. Its a normal process, though normally we don't remember these because we aren't usually conscious enough at the time. That would be why we're more likely to experience them during a WILD attempt.

Hypnic Jerks are often described as a falling sensation and then a sudden jolt or spasm. Usually the falling sensation is accompanied by a half dream, though of course not always. It sounds to me that might be what you experienced.

I think a more accurate term in this case is a Myoclonic Twitch, which is essentially the same thing.

Glad you asked that question because i forgot to ask it. Its rather annoying when it happens like 3 times in a row or more. its almost as if your suddenly startled for no reason right? i dont think its a hypnic jerk, for me at least because i dont feel like im falling. it usually just happens out of nowhere.

I get these too they get really annoying.

One time my toe twitched and I started laughing so I couldn't go to sleep

:?

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Originally Posted by LdMichael

Glad you asked that question because i forgot to ask it. Its rather annoying when it happens like 3 times in a row or more. its almost as if your suddenly startled for no reason right? i dont think its a hypnic jerk, for me at least because i dont feel like im falling. it usually just happens out of nowhere.

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You don't need to feel like you are falling. Hypnic jerk is just another hypnagogic occurance. That's having an involuntary muscle twitch.

I also expirienced this when I tryed a WILD last time. My leg started to spasm around and I couldn't stop it from doing so. I tryed not to care about it, but it kinda woke me up again. What a bitch.

This hs happend to me a few times to, but In my mind I will have HI and I will jerk if is I trip in the semi-dream or some one will push me. I'm pretty sure its normal.