Most people have experienced this sensation at some point in their lives.
It ought to be one amongst the foremost restful times of the day. You climb into bed, get snug and cozy, begin to feel your brain speed down and so suddenly you expertise a stunning falling sensation. It’s like you misjudged the number of stairs you were walking down, leaving your leg in mid air for just a bit longer than you expected. Not pleasant.
This time of day tumbling sensation is that the development called the "hypnic jerk" and should typically be amid a visible hallucination. You may have detected it referred to as a "sleep start", the "hypnagogic jerk" or the "myoclonic jerk", except for the sake of saneness we’ll simply keep on with the previous.
Don’t panic: They’re very common and not harmful, he explains. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation estimates that up to 70 percent of us experience hypnic jerks on occasion (sometimes we may not even recall them since we’re in a hazy state of almost-slumber when they happen).
So what is it?
But what exactly causes this sensation? The exact reason is not known but here are a few probable theories that could explain why you are falling in your sleep.
One of the most commonly accepted reasons is the natural downshifting of the nervous system. When you are falling asleep, your heart rate and breathing start slowing down, and your body starts to slow down. At such a time, your muscle tone starts shifting and twitches may be observed during this muscle form transition. This can be aggravated due to the muscles being more stressed or tired, like after a workout.
Another theory suggests that the brain interprets the gradual slow-down and relaxation of the muscles as if you are actually falling down, and thus tries to quickly stiffen up the body, to brace for impact.
Additionally, light sleepers are known to experience this more often. So stimulants like coffee, nicotine, or even stress and anxiety can increase the frequency of hypnic jerks.
While there are no real solutions to entirely get rid of these kicks, the apparent causes do indicate measures that may help avoid hypnic jerks. If you workout late in the day, ensure that you do proper cool-down exercises so your body can relax easier. Avoid consumption of stimulants around your bedtime. Other activities that are considered good practices for a better sleep should also come useful, like a dark surrounding, low temperatures, less exposure to screen light should all make your transition to an asleep state, easier.
Overall, hypnic jerks are not something to be scared about and neither can you control them. It is still very interesting to know, considering how widespread it is. There may exist a much more complex reason for why it happens, but that may be out of our understanding. I hope this story solves one of the mysteries of your life and gives you a better night’s sleep, on this World Sleep Day.
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