Why Does Your Body Jerk Before You Fall Asleep? Science Explains

The science behind why your body jerks when you fall asleep

Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of the night and dreamed about it? Suddenly, you are shocked awake as your body twitches.

Although this kind of encounter can be a little unnerving, you’re not the only one who has had it. According to a 2016 study, between 60 and 70 percent of adults get hypnic jerks, which are a bizarre phenomenon [1].

The Sleep Cycle

Let’s review the stages of sleep before delving into the reason behind these hypnic jerks:

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Phase One

When you first begin to nod off, this is what occurs.

This brief interval lasts for a few minutes. Your breathing, heartbeat, and eye movements slow down during this period, and your muscles relax with sporadic twitches.

Additionally, your brain waves start to slow down from their awake patterns.

Phase Two

Before you go into a deeper sleep, this is a time of light sleep. Your respiration and pulse rate decrease down at this point, and your muscles further relax.

Your eye movements halt and your body temperature decreases. Even if your brain activity slows down, you still occasionally have electrical activity spikes.

Phase Three

To wake up feeling rejuvenated, you need stage three. It may be challenging to wake you during this time since your muscles are relaxed and your heartbeat is at its slowest.

REM Sleep

Quick eye movements About 90 minutes after you fall asleep, you go to sleep. Your brain wave activity approaches that of wakefulness, and your eyes move quickly from side to side.

Your heart rate and blood pressure rise, nearly to waking levels, and your breathing becomes erratic and quicker. The majority of your dreams occur during this time.

Every night, you go through these phases four or five times. The length of the stages will vary according to the cycle you are in [2].

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Jerks who are hypnotic

In essence, hypnic jerks are involuntary sleep movements that happen as you go from being awake to falling asleep. They are also known as sleep beginnings or hypnagogic jerks.

Although little is known about them, they do tend to happen more frequently when you’re trying to make your brain do anything when you’re sleep deprived.

It’s because some portions of your neural system are asleep and others are awake, according to Rafael Pelayo, a sleep specialist at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center.

A hypnic jerk is essentially a misfire brought on by your nervous system giving your body conflicting signals.

They usually happen as you move from wakefulness to the first stage of sleep. As previously mentioned, REM sleep usually happens 90 minutes after falling asleep.

However, you transition directly from stage one to REM sleep when you’re severely sleep deprived. Stages two and three are essentially ignored.

According to Paleyo, a hypnic jerk is the body’s obvious signal to go to sleep. “That urge will not be satiated by anything else.”

Do Hypnic Jerks Pose a Risk?

Fortunately, no. Although they can be frightening at the moment, hypnic jerks are harmless and do not require medical attention.

After having one, some people may experience anxiety and struggle to fall back asleep. Try to remind yourself that there is nothing wrong and that it doesn’t indicate anything if this occurs to you. You may be able to fall back asleep if this helps calm your mind.

Sleep Deprivation and Hypnic Jerks

However, when you are unable to sleep, you may occasionally feel a hypnic jerk. Some people may experience them during a meeting or lecture because they are too exhausted. If so, Palayo offers the following recommendations:

Pay attention to something more significant than falling asleep in that situation.

Look the speaker in the eye.

If you know you’re going to struggle to remain awake, try some coffee first.

To prevent becoming overtired, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

Although they are not harmful, hypnic jerks are an indication that you are not getting enough sleep.

Ask yourself why you might be overtired and think about changing if you see them happening often.