Thread: Sleep Reflexes?

I don't know what to call it, but I was watching Lost (sidenote: great show) and this question came into my head when I saw this. These people were unconscious, and the first woman to wake up began to wake others up. Each one seemed to sort of have this reflex to protect themselves I guess, one person grabbed the girl's wrist as she was woken up suddenly, and the other person sort of elbowed the girl in the stomach and pushed her away as he was startled awake.

Have any of you had any experiences like this? Maybe some friend was waking you up since you missed your alarm or something, and as they were shaking you you jumped up and grabbed their hand? I don't know. I was thinking it would be kind of cool to have that bit of protection, though then again, if you were to grab your spouse's neck as they woke you up for the early flight or something would be kinda... not good.

Was just kinda curious about that. Maybe it only happens in shows and movies. If anyone has any idea as to whether this is something that naturally happens or just sort of happened for them since the people on Lost are in kind of a ... jumpy environment. And does this goes together with that thing you also see in movies and shows, where people in the middle of a nightmare shoot their head up after they wake up? I don't know if it happens, but I guess I'm just paranoid about it because I sleep in the bottom bed of a bunk bed with metal bars above my head...