Hypnic jerks-Everything is ok with you, and you fall asleep, and you think of the sweet dreamland which you have never visited before. But then suddenly your body feel awake by getting the jerk and also there is a sensation akin to falling. But then you see that you are still in the bed, and there is no threat around you. But you might be curious to know something and little frightened to know what was that you have seen. You might also figure out what happened to you. But then you realize that nothing was weird, but it was a hyper jerk that you got while you were and dreamed of the beautiful land.
What are hypnic jerks
Now, what is a hypnic jerk?
The science of modern time has debated a lot about the matter of the hypnic jerks. According to the research, it was out that there are many external causes for such dreams that you had. These occur frequently, and hence you will face such problem of waking, and you must be eager to know them. So for you here we have gathered the five main external factors that can lead to such jerks.
Over the past many years the phenomenon of the hypnic jerk has many names before this, and some of them are the sleep starts, the night starts, hypnagogic jerks, sleep twitches, and myoclonic jerks. Here we have described the factor of startling bump quite vastly.
Some jerks that you experience when you have just slept now can be due to falling, pushing or the tripping. Others can be due to the factor that that other guy sleeping with us might have kicked us on the leg or the arm, and also they might have punched us on our face.
Some other people have the feeling that it may have been electrocuted or momentarily possessed. No matter how the descriptor used it but these all phenomenon can be the cause of startling jerks and hence lead to the hypnic jerks. According to the researches by the sleep.org, it was out that about 70% of the people experience the hypnic jerks during their sleep time.
What are the causes of the hypnic jerks?
If we think technically, then we can say that the jerks are due to the harmless contraction of the muscles most often in the lower extremities and these occur in the quite wakeful state or just after you entered the light sleep. And for such contraction of the muscles, the scientists have given some theories. One of such is that it is the neurological mix-up. One side of the brain tries to sleep faster than the other part.
There is a similar theory for the muscles mishap. Our brain and our body downshift into the sleep mode when we have lower body temperature. Our breathing rate also falls, and hence it causes the shifts in our muscles.
One another reason is the old theory that explains the theory having slept in trees to avoid predators. In actual, they needed a way to prevent themselves from falling, but the world let them wake up with the twist.
What are the factors that contribute to the hypnic jerks?
The first reason can be tobacco consumption and the use of caffeine when you are planning to sleep. Thus, according to the study, it was out that you might have the frequent hypnic jerks with consumption of such things. If you experience such things, then you must abstain from it at least two hours prior before going to bed.
It can be due to the feeling of exertion or insomnia. When you get tired of working for the whole day, then you readily fall asleep with it. And when it is sudden, then the two hemispheres of your brain shuts down with the two different speeds which can confuse it by releasing the panic burst driven chemicals.
It can be due to the intake of certain medications like Ritalin which cause the frequent increase in the hypnic jerks of the sleep.
