What happened to me?

[no_limits]

Last night i went to gently fall asleep but got a surprise when i jolted awake in about 5 seconds. i dunno what happened i just laid down closed my eyes then my whole body spasmed randomly. can somebody please tell me if this is normal and tell me why it happens?

[Robot_Butler]

It sounds like a hypnic Jerk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk They are pretty common. When they happen at the onset of sleep, they are called Hypnagogic jerks. Not fun when your girlfriend gets one and her knee ends up in your junk.

[Jdeadevil]

I hate them, although it does show when you're approaching the Hypnagogic stage.

[Hazel]

I get those a lot as well. Don't worry, it is completely normal. One time I scared my mom to death when I had one in the car. I was just drifting off to sleep, when suddenly I feel like I'm falling, so I jerk and slam my hand against the window. My mom thought she ran over something!

[panta-rei]

Oh, I get those if I start dreaming when I'm not totally asleep. Usually something in my dream makes my muscles move and I jerk awake. Usually its punching or landing from a longer jump.

[Scatterbrain]

I always become aware just when it is about to happen but then can't remember what I was thinking/dreaming about, a few times I actually gave a short yell along with the jerk.

[Marvo]

Once I had this HI of a huge bolder moving towards me, and my entire body jolted to the site in my bed

[Amethyst Star]

I've also experienced this, though not very often; maybe one every month or couple of months. Typically I feel that either someone is about to touch me (usually my arm) and even if I know there's no malicious intent, I'll jerk my arm back and wake up. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to mis-step and jerk my leg. It's like that experience when you're walking up stairs and don't realize that you've hit the top and try to step up one more stair and find that there's nothing there but air.

[Snowkitten]

I do that loads. It's really scary because for a split second I feel like I'm falling.

[ChrissyMaria]

Yea I get that falling sensation every night, I'm usually tired to death when on the pc, and one moment im typing a forum post the next my eyes are closed and I get that falling feeling and I snap back into reality. I've learned to actually enjoy that falling feeling over time. I don't really jump though as much as the OP and a few others wrote, I just sorta wake and my body moves a little bit in a slight jerk...

[no_limits]

I had another one of them just last night. I half dreamt i was running but a cliff came up so i jumped but by in my real body my legs just sprang out straight and i jumped awake.

[snoop]

The hypnic jerks I used to have were of me being half asleep and "dreaming" that I was on a bike, I hit a bump, then fall off. I never really ever thought anything of those half dreams.

[jonolarta]

hahaha know how you feel