[Rosie]

Hi there

i'm sure a lot of people do this but i'm just wondering if someone can explain why. Why, as we're falling asleep, we suddenly ' jump'? This happens to me a lot and sometimes its quite violent, its like i've been lifted up and just dropped back into bed.

Thanks

[faeriestarre]

Hi, i looked this up coz my children do this too!

"A radical explanation is found in The Dragons of Eden, by Carl Sagan. This momentary conciousness and physicality are related to the time when our ancestors still slept in trees due to nocturnal ground predation. If you could be awakened enough to keep yourself from falling out of a tree, then you would presumably outlive your less evolved contemporaries, thus reinforcing this reaction over many generations of higher apes through natural selection. This also provides an explanation of the falling sensation." (this is what i was told as a child and always thought someone was pulling my leg!)

From what i have read, its quite common and a lot of people get it, so dont worry!

[enna]

lol- apparently 70% of us experience this at some time or another !

my old biology teacher had his pet theory on this -and to me it sounds pretty close to the mark !

apparently it's from one of the few natural responses we still have left over from years ( millenia ) back where as we are dozing off the muscles relax at a speed quicker than the brain recognises - and sends out the message to the muscles to "tighten up " and keep us in a safe position, not really a prime requisite whn we're tucked up under a duvet but there ya go the brain is a wonderful thing !

by the way i believe it's been given the name ( cos the scientists like to name things ) of hypnic jerks!

but they really dont know why it happens .............

love n light
enna xx

[Livewire]

Do you ever wake up suddenly to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch just after you have fallen asleep?

This strange falling sensation and muscle twitch is known as a hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or Hypnic **** If this has happened to you on more than one occasion, don't worry, you are not alone. Close to 70 percent of all people experience this phenomenon just after nodding off, according to a recent study at the Mayo Clinic.

Most experts agree that this is a natural part of the sleeping process, much like slower breathing and a reduced heartbeat. The occurance is well known and has been well documented. However, experts are still not completely sure why the body does this.


The general consensus among researchers is that, as your muscles begin to slack and go into a restful state just as you are falling asleep; your brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to **** you back upright. This misinterpretation that takes place in your brain may also be responsible for the ?falling? dreams that accompany the falling sensation. These ?dreams? are not really normal dreams, as they are not produced from R.E.M sleep, but rather more like a daydream or hallucination in response to the body?s sensations.

While this phenomenon happens to most everyone, studies have recently begun to link occurrences of Hypnic jerks to sleep anxiety, fatigue, and discomfort. People who are having trouble sleeping or can't get comfortable in bed appear to experience the sensation more often throughout the night. It is especially more common with people who are trying to fight falling asleep or have deprived themselves of sleep for more than 24 hours.

Researchers believe that the lack of sleep from sleep anxiety or sleep deprivation confuses the muscles and the brain. The muscles continually attempt to relax and shut down for rest, while your brain remains awake creating continued misinterpretations of falling or loss of balance.

Scientists and researchers continue to study sleep twitching and jerking in a small capacity, but state that the sensation is completely normal for our bodies and is of little medical significance. Our bodies go through several procedures of shutting down and preparing for an extended period of rest. Hypnic jerking is just one of them. It doesn't appear to cause damage to body and poses no danger to our physical wellbeing.


Hope this helps

regards

live

[whatsimigig]

i wake up every night and i cant breathe, its so frightning sometimes that i dont wana go to sleep in case i wake up and i dont breathe again.
anyone shed any light on that?
x

[myself]

hi whatsimigig,
It could be a medical condition such as sleep apnea for which you should see your doctor xxx

Joy xxxxxxxx

[ghosthunter332]

Hi, I have had that too! I was dreaming that I was standing on a log, as it was rolling down a hill. Its really freaky, also does any of you laugh while you are dosing off. And the bad part is that it isn't even the slightest bit funny.

[Rosie]

I read once that when we fall asleep, our souls go walkabout, and when they return to the body, it makes you 'jump'... is this a load of twaddle or is there a grain of truth in it? :smt104

[Sibyl]

Our spirits can, and often do, leave our bodies while we sleep but as the soul has no weight I cannot see the body reacting in such a fashion. I have never had this experience when leaving the body consciously, but have upon returning which I think is due to the fact that a quick return can cause the sensation of falling and/or a ****/thud. Sometimes the nerves in the physical body react to this sensation and your body literally jumps. I never worry about it. All part of the joy of living!

luv
vi

[daydreamer101]

Believe me or not but this is the simple explaination:

Throughtout the stressful day, we produce anxiety chemicals in our body. If you don't exercise or help relieve stress it builds up. So when you try to sleep, or deeply relax, all of those chemicals are flowing in your body and cause your body to tense up, thus causing the jumping feeling. That's it I PROMISE!

I recommend to exercise more, listen to music, try not to get stressed, nervious, or jittery. ~Ash