Jerking when attempting to sleep

[kramsnave]

I have a severe problem in that approx 50% of the time when I am just trying to sleep I have these violent jerks that startle my whole body sometimes and are very scary.  It's like the feeling one gets when almost getting into a car crash or something similar.  It happens a  lot when I am watching television and maybe I get sleepy and my eyes close for what seems like a milisecond and then the terrible jerks.  I thought it might be because I quit breathing as in sleep apnea but I dont think that is the problem as it happens so quikly when I first nod off.  It really doesnt even seem that I would have time to stop breathing as it happens in a fraction of a second.  It is ruining my life.  It doesn't happen when I am sitting upright, only when I try to lay down.  Please help.  I think I am going crazy!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

You seem to be having hypnagogic myoclonus twitches.

Twitches while falling asleep are called hypnagogic myoclonus, myoclonus being any sort of involuntary muscle spasm and hypnagogic referring to sleep. It's not known exactly what causes the twitches, but they appear to be associated with anxiety and faint stimulus like noise.Hypnagogic myoclonus is associated with body itching called punctate pruritus (spot itching not triggered by any obvious skin disease or other cause).

Hypnagogic myoclonus (also called sleep starts) is very normal and happens to just about everyone. According to the University of Marburg in Germany, reports of sleep starts are in the 60 to 70 percent range of sleepers (which means everyone) and they're often forgotten. So pls don’t worry as nothing seems to be wrong with you.

Try avoiding day time naps and pls don’t take any caffeine before bedtime. Try to sleep in a room where there is little noise and pls don’t feel stressful and anxious regarding every day’s worries just before bedtime. You can try meditation for stress and if the condition does not improve then you can take some mild sedatives.

Take care and do keep us posted on how you are doing.

[KatEyes]

There are hypnic jerks that happen as we transition into sleep. Haven't heard them described as that intense, but then again, I haven't heard everything.

There is Periodic Limb Movement Disorder that can cause pretty severe jerking in the worser cases. And it could be a sleep apnea event as the they can happen as soon as the throat muscles relax. Some report  being aware of apneas as they are going to sleep. When an apnea event happens, the body will make a desperate attempt to stop suffocating, which could feel like a full body lurch - lots of different descriptions.

Whatever it is, a sleep study would be a good idea. If it is apnea, there are serious health hazards with letting it go untreated. Better safe than sorry.