Twitches Keeping Me Awake...

**Amity** · 10-02-2011 07:14 AM

You know how you get little twitches sometimes when you're falling asleep?
Like, a quick jerk, similar to when you have a falling dream...

I've had heaps of these the last few nights - so frequently that I'm barely able to start drifting off before the next one happens, so it's keeping me awake through the night.

Does anyone know anything about these twitches?
I'm interested to know what causes them, and if there's a way to reduce the frequency.

Thanks! xo

**Ne-yo** · 10-07-2011 04:11 AM

You're experiencing what is called hypnagogic jerk It's very normal as studies shows that at least 70% of people experience this phenomenon right before drifting off to sleep. It happens to me every now and then. The most likely causes are anxiety, caffeine, stress, and strenuous activities in the evening. It's always good to have some kind of relaxation period at least an hour before sleep. No coffee, pop or soda, no chocolate, no exercising during this time period is my suggestion. I actually found that eating a banana or drinking a small glass of milk before sleep helps reduce the occurrences of hypnic jerk. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

**Puffin** · 10-07-2011 04:17 AM

Yep, it definitely sounds like a hypagogic jerk. Ne-yo covered just about everything, but also make sure you get adequate sleep each night, and stick to a consistent sleep schedule. No more going to bed at 2 in the morning one night, and 11 at night the next. This is, if you do that sort of thing.

Everyone will probably experience a "HJ" at some point in their life; I've had quite a few myself. All of my HJs include a falling sensation, along with that of actually hitting the floor or whatever I happened to be falling towards. There is often a very short half-vision before the jerk, not too clear in my mind's eye, but it's there. It feels like it goes on for a while... when I'm still in that half-asleep state, anyways. When I snap, I realize the whole thing only took a moment.

**Amity** · 10-31-2011 06:28 PM

Thanks for your replies!
I will have a look into hypnagogic jerks.
They're still happening every night - not quite as frequently, but still several times before I fall asleep.

While I'm on this topic, (it may even be directly related,) as I've been drifting off to sleep, quite often lately I have woken myself up by making a short noise like I'm trying to say a word.
I have never had a problem with sleep talking before, so I'm curious as to why both of these half-state experiences have suddenly started to happen all the time...