What you experienced is called a sleep start, a sudden and often times violent jerking of the body, usually of the arms and legs that occurs as you are falling sleep. Sleep starts also goes by the names hypnic or (hypnagogic jerk) and sleep jerk. The sleep start is a natural step in the body muscular transition from alertness to sleep. Our body goes through some physiological changes as we drift off to sleep. Our breathing rate and temperature may change as does our muscle tone.
There’s a point which our muscles completely relax and our brain interrupts this relaxation as a sign of falling down. So the brain tells the arm and legs to tense up keep us upright, but since were already in the horizontal position, that command is executed as the sudden jerking of our arms and legs. Some people many punch or kick their bedmate without being aware of it.
Sleep doctors agree that sleep starts are fairly common, have no medical significance and are nothing to worry about. However if the episodes are intense, frequent, and cause loss of sleep or fear of falling asleep, then medical help should be sought before insomnia sets in.
There’s a point which our muscles completely relax and our brain interrupts this relaxation as a sign of falling down. So the brain tells the arm and legs to tense up keep us upright, but since were already in the horizontal position, that command is executed as the sudden jerking of our arms and legs. Some people many punch or kick their bedmate without being aware of it.
Sleep doctors agree that sleep starts are fairly common, have no medical significance and are nothing to worry about. However if the episodes are intense, frequent, and cause loss of sleep or fear of falling asleep, then medical help should be sought before insomnia sets in.
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