Hypnic Jerks: My Experience & Coping Ideas

Dark photo of a couple in bed, with the words on top "when you're just about to fall asleep, but your arm jolts you awake"

Have you ever woken up with a sudden jolt just as you were falling asleep? Maybe it felt like one of your arms or legs had an involuntary spasm?

Perhaps you’ve woken with the feeling of falling, saw a flash of light or heard an unexpected noise. If this sounds familiar, it could be that that you’ve experienced hypnic jerks.

In most cases, a hypnic jerk or two is thought to be a harmless part of the process of transitioning from being awake to asleep. However, if you’re concerned by the severity or how much they disrupt your sleep, or if you have spasms during the daytime, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor.

In this article, I’ll be talking about my experience of hypnic jerks, and how I cope with my partner’s episodes. After that, I’ll cover some background information and coping strategies.

Contents

My experience of hypnic jerks

My own experience of hypnic jerks is that they are usually quite mild and only happen once or twice a week – as far as I’m aware. Just one or two small twitches of a hand or arm seems to be the norm on the nights I have them. After that, I typically fall asleep quite quickly, and if I do have any more, I don’t remember them.

A few times a year, I experience a much bigger jolt that feels like one side of my whole upper body spasms or jumps in bed. I’ve noticed that these tend to happen when I’m particularly tired, such as when travelling or if I’ve hit the gym especially hard that day. Again though, I usually fall asleep fairly soon after one of these more dramatic episodes and they don’t cause me any distress.

Living with someone who has more frequent hypnic jerks

My partner, who kindly agreed for me to talk about her in this article, has multiple hypnic jerks every night without fail. As a bit of a light sleeper myself, her twitching has a tendency to keep me awake until it finally subsides, especially because they are sometimes very pronounced.

Interestingly, like my own hypnic jerks, I only notice her hands and arms making any movements. Even when we have our feet touching, they never seem to twitch. It’s always her upper body.

They also seem to follow a pattern. There may be two to five small movements or twitches over the course of a minute or two, and then one big one. If we are holding hands at the time, it sometimes feels like an intermittent pulsing of her hand, followed by either a tighter squeeze of my hand as her fingers contract or a sudden movement of her whole hand or arm to one side.

They rarely seem to wake her up on their own, but sometimes they cause me to move in bed, which then wakes her up. If she does stir and I jokingly tell her she just had an epic twitch, her usual reply is ‘oh really? I must be falling asleep!’

Her hypnic jerks are nightly, and can go on for several minutes after we turn the light out. They are so predictable, that I’ve learned to accept that it’s likely I won’t fall asleep myself unless I sleep on the other side of the bed with no physical contact or I wait until she’s fallen asleep if our bodies are touching. And if she wakes up to go the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I’m awake too, the hypnic jerks often start all over again.

How I cope with our combined hypnic jerks

For me, the main thing is to always keep in mind that they are likely to be normal and nothing to worry about in both our cases. Fortunately, they don’t last long, so I don’t lie in bed worrying about my occasional twitches.

I harbor no resentment towards my partner just because her hypnic jerks keep me awake for a few minutes. It’s quite likely it would take me that long to relax and fall asleep anyway, with or without her spasms.

Finally, one of the key points I try to remember is that they can be seen as a sign that sleep is probably just around the corner. Even if I have a more dramatic jolt, I just smile to myself and look forward to the next phase – sleep.

As you’ll see in the following sections, there are some lifestyle factors that may be involved in hypnic jerks. For me personally, they are all things I try to do anyway, not specifically for the hypnic jerks. But I do feel that stress is an important one for both of us to keep an eye on, as the hypnic jerks anecdotally seem worse during periods of higher stress.

Background information & research

As someone who has had hypnic jerks for as long as I can remember, and more recently am living with a partner who has them nightly, it’s interesting to see what the current scientific thinking is around hypnic jerks. Let’s take a look.

Different names

First of all, if you look up hypnic jerks online, it’s worth bearing in mind that they are sometimes referred to by different names:

  • Sleep starts.
  • Night starts.
  • Sleep jerks.
  • Hypnagogic jerk.
  • Myoclonic jerks. A myoclonus is an involuntary muscle twitch, with hiccups being another harmless example.

What are hypnic jerks?

Hypnic jerks are the sudden, involuntary twitching of one or more muscles when you’re falling asleep. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders manual describes them as follows:

Sleep starts, also known as hypnic jerks, are sudden, brief, simultaneous contractions of the body or one or more body segments occurring at sleep onset. Sleep starts (or hypnic jerks) usually consist of a single contraction that often affects the body asymmetrically. The jerks may be either spontaneous or induced by stimuli.

International Classification of Sleep Disorders – 3rd Edition

The fact that they often occur asymmetrically explains why it might feel that just one arm or leg jolts. Furthermore, they can occur independently or in response to external stimuli in the bedroom, such as your partner moving or external noise.

The Mdsmanuals.com website explains a key difference between physiologic myoclonus and pathologic myoclonus. It states that physiologic myoclonus can occur when a person is falling asleep or during early sleep phases, whereas pathologic myoclonus can result from different disorders and medications.

In a review paper in 2012, Dora Lozsadi neatly explained this difference as follows:

Myoclonus is a brief (less than half a second) contraction involving agonist and antagonist muscles, leading to a sudden jerk. It may be a normal phenomenon, as in the so-called ‘sleep starts’. When pathological, myoclonus is a symptom of a broad range of neurological and systemic diseases.

Dora Lozsadi

Symptoms

The most common symptom is the sudden twitching, spasm or jolting sensation of one or more limbs. Some people might have other experiences, such as:

  • The feeling of falling.
  • A shock sensation.
  • Hearing a sudden noise.
  • Seeing a flash or unusual light.
  • Hallucinations.

In addition, researchers have noted that it’s possible to have a physiological response, such as a faster heartbeat, increased breathing rate or sweating.

If you do have symptoms that feel more severe than simply twitching, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor about your experience.

How common are hypnic jerks?

If you have hypnic jerks, then rest assured you’re not the only one whose wayward limbs seem to have a mind of their own at bedtime. In a study in 2016, Italian researchers suggested that between 60% and 70% of people experience hypnic jerks, both men and women and people of all ages.

What causes hypnic jerks?

As is often the case in the complex world of sleep, the exact cause still isn’t completely understood. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders manual offers this technical explanation:

Hypnic jerks are hypothetically caused by sudden descending volleys originating in the brainstem reticular formation activated by the system instability at the transition between wake and sleep.

Or in layman’s terms, your brain and body are briefly a little bit out of sync as you relax and go from being awake to being asleep.

Factors that may increase the frequency and severity of hypnic jerks

Although the exact cause is still up for debate, researchers have suggested several factors (such as this 2015 paper and this 2023 paper ) that might increase the severity or likelihood of hypnic jerks happening, such as:

  • The use of caffeine or other stimulants. Medline.com has more information on the side effects of caffeine.
  • Anxiety or stress.
  • Fatigue, such as from intense physical work or exercise.
  • Sleep deprivation.
  • Certain medications.

Is it caused by another condition?

A review of hypnic jerks literature by researchers at the University of Alabama raised an important point. They proposed that hypnic jerks are often seen as benign, but could in some cases be a ‘characteristic of certain illness’.

They also suggest that hypnic jerks are more prevalent in chronic health conditions that disrupt sleep and could also be ‘mimicked by other movement disorders’.

Some of the differential diagnoses they say should be identified include:

  • Nocturnal seizures.
  • Nonepileptic seizures.
  • Parasomnias.
  • Hyperekplexia.
  • Restless legs syndrome.
  • Periodic limb movements in sleep.
  • Excessive fragmentary myoclonus.
  • Psychiatric diagnosis.

In addition, the Italian researchers in the 2016 study (see above) found that hypnic jerks are common in people with Parkinsonism. The Alabama team also suggested it could be helpful in diagnosing the condition.

Finally, don’t confuse sudden wakings from hypnic jerks with sleep apnea. If you, or someone you know, wakes suddenly gasping for breath or with loud snoring, this should be discussed with a doctor.

I don’t want to cause panic with the above information, but I think it’s good to be aware that ‘usually’ benign doesn’t mean ‘always benign for everyone’. Again, if you’re concerned about your own experience of hypnic jerks, it’s okay to raise it with your doctor, even if you think it’s likely to be normal. Peace of mind is valuable!

Reader survey results

Way back in 2014, I conducted a short survey for readers to share their experience of sleep starts. The results are of course biased because the people who voted were already searching for information about the topic. With thousands of people participating though, I think the results are still interesting.

1. Frequency

In the graphic below, you can see how often voters experienced hypnic jerks. It’s interesting to note that many readers had them on a daily basis. The largest percentage of 42.2% say they have them occasionally though.

chart of poll results into how frequently people have hypnic jerks

2. How they affect your sleep

Here you can see that many people were able to sleep well after an episode. 43.9% of people say it disrupts their sleep at first, but then they sleep okay.

no sleepless nights hypnic jerks poll 2 - how they affect your sleep.

3. The role of stress and anxiety

The final poll shows how people feel about the impact of stress or anxiety. 50.8% thought anxiety or stress ‘definitely’ makes their hypnic jerks worse. It could be that tackling stress or anxiety in your life is a good idea if it’s relevant to you.

chart of the poll results for how much people think stress or anxiety make hypnic jerks worse for them

Managing hypnic jerks

Do you need to see a doctor?

While sleep experts often suggest that hypnic jerks are benign in most cases, they do recognise that they can have a negative impact on some people’s sleep and well-being.

If your hypnic jerks aren’t severe and you don’t have any other symptoms or health concerns that are worrying you, then try to relax and allow yourself to fall asleep naturally when they occur.

However, if you have them regularly and/or severely, or have other symptoms, you might want to raise it with your doctor. If they think it’s a sign of another disorder, they might ask you to do a sleep study or further tests.

They might also offer to prescribe medication to reduce the frequency. And importantly, they can offer reassurance if that’s the appropriate course of action and give you advice about healthy sleep habits that might be beneficial in your case.

Finally, despite what I’ve said, trust your instincts. If you just ‘have the feeling’ you’d like to speak to your doctor about it, then do so.

How can you stop hypnic jerks?

It might not be possible to totally stop hypnic jerks from happening. Accepting them as normal and harmless is perhaps your best option if they aren’t severe.

Additionally, the following self-help ideas might be worth considering:

  • Cut down on caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants – especially in the evening.
  • Reduce how much intense work or exercise you do in the evening. Do exercise in the morning or afternoon instead.
  • Eat a balanced, healthy diet.
  • Use a comfortable mattress and bedding.
  • Sleep in a comfortable position.
  • If you suffer from anxiety or stress, do some relaxation exercises in bed. One simple breathing exercise is to inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, then exhale for a count of 4.
  • Try not to allow yourself to get too tired. You may understandably have a busy and tiring lifestyle. But it’s important to give yourself enough time to sleep well.
infographic with self-help ideas for hypnic jerks and good sleep

Avoid the vicious cycle of worry

Hypnic jerks may trigger a vicious cycle of worry if you become fixated on them.

If you worry about hypnic jerks, you might start to get less sleep and become more fatigued. The problem then is that if stress and fatigue can contribute to the frequency of hypnic jerks, you might find yourself in a vicious cycle.

The key is not to allow the occasional sleep start to disrupt your sleep any more than it has to. Again, try to relax, forget about it and go back to sleep.

Readers’ tips for coping with hypnic jerks

In the comments below, many readers have offered suggestions for reducing their hypnic jerks. So I’ve compiled a list of the most common and interesting ideas.

These ideas don’t all have medical backing and are anecdotal. Please take them with a pinch of salt. But you might find the ideas useful if nothing else has helped.

  • Try to see the funny side (I do this myself).
  • Magnesium supplements have been helpful for some readers, as has rubbing magnesium oils or transdermal magnesium into the area where you most commonly twitch. One suggestion was to get a blood test to check if you have a deficiency. Disclaimer: please discuss supplementation with your doctor as there is no conclusive evidence that magnesium helps with hypnic jerks.
  • Assess your current diet. Make sure it’s healthy and balanced. Eat less processed sugary and salty foods. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
  • If you follow a special diet, such as being vegan, pay particular attention to your vitamin and mineral intake, such as the B vitamins. Ensure your diet includes the right quantity, and preferably get your B vitamins through food rather than supplements if possible.
  • Don’t drink alcohol, coffee or energy drinks for a week and see if it improves.
  • Don’t stress about it, as worrying makes it worse.
  • Try to properly deal with any major source of stress in your life.
  • If you suffer from anxiety, take steps to tackle this in your daily life.
  • Stop doing very intense exercise late in the evening for a week and see if it improves.
  • Try to see them as a sign that you must be falling asleep. So it’s a positive thing as you know you’ll soon be asleep.
  • Ask your doctor if any medication you currently take could contribute to your hypnic jerks.
  • Check if medication you’re taking has a known side effect of myoclonus. If it does, raise it with your doctor.
  • Experiment with different sleep positions if you sometimes feel uncomfortable in bed.
  • Don’t go to bed very late at night.
  • Film yourself sleeping or use a sleep tracker. One reader said he discovered through doing this that he was snoring, and that the hypnic jerks occurred while he was snoring heavily.
  • Some female readers feel that it can be connected to hormonal changes.
  • Ask for a referral to a sleep clinic if it’s particularly troubling.
  • Ensure you have a quiet sleeping environment. It could be a sudden noise which startles you awake.
  • Stay hydrated.
  • If you’re being bothered by them repeatedly, get up and do something relaxing for 10-20 minutes, then try to sleep again.
  • Have a warm shower before bed. Then do relaxation exercises before getting into bed or while in bed.
  • If you do exercise, it could be excess lactic acid contributing to hypnic jerks. So try looking into ways to reduce the lactic acid.

Your views

It’s always interesting to hear your experiences, and I know many readers have benefited from reading the stories and advice of others.

So please keep your comments, tips and theories coming. And if you have any practical ideas for dealing with hypnic jerks, I’ll continue to add them to the list.

1,237 Comments

  1. Oh, I forgot to add that I used to drink a lot of energy drinks, Red Bull but mostly the V brand (which may or may not be on sale where you are). I knew it wasn’t good for me but did it anyway – they’re mildly addictive because of the caffeine and everything else “artificial” boost, just like coffee.

    That has now been replaced by the cayenne pepper drink.

    I also sometimes have the cayenne drink with a teaspoon or two of 100% cocoa or even better cacao powder (the mayans drank such a chili chocolate drink and plenty still do), and a few times I’ve put a half teaspoon of instant coffee in the morning instead of a tea bag or cocoa powder.

    So, I have eliminated energy drinks from my diet, which I’m definitely happy about! I admit to having at least a couple of cans over the last 3 months but that’s a far cry from drinking up to 3 cans of the stuff a day, which with the sugar content as well has contributed to me weighing 96kgs (211 pounds) – another reason for the diet changes thus far (with more to come) and the need for an exercise program.

    I have also started wearing a Fitbit fitness tracker and have started walking more to get to the 10,000 steps target but I realise I need to boost the target to 15,000 or 20,000 and do more exercise to really make a difference to my weight and hopefully to help the body deal with stopping its hypnic jerking before going to sleep.

    Ethan, if you feel you can merge the above paragraphs into the previous comment, feel free to do so – apologies, I just felt I had to add these details. :-)

    • Hi again

      It doesn’t matter about the two comments – no need to merge them, and I’ve already replied now.
      Yes, energy drinks are definitely good to take out of the diet, as is caffeiene. Easier said than done though!

      Good luck with the exercise regime – it sounds like you’re really trying hard to make significant changes in your life, which is fantastic. I’m impressed with the dedication and hope you manage to keep it up and achieve your goals.

      I’m actually going to be reviewing the sleep/exercise trackers over the coming months. I’ve just received one in the post today so will be trying it out from tonight. I’d be interested to hear your opinion of the Fitbit if you have one which monitors sleep?

      Regards
      Ethan

      • I’ve been using a Fitbit for a several months now and it is a useful way to track how much exercise you are getting. On the flip side, you don’t want to take too many steps. One day I logged 38,000 steps and the jerks flared up that evening. Best to keep it at 20k or less I think, and stick to the morning and not the evening.

        I’ve also been trying the healthier lifestyle. I got into a bad habit of using alcohol and OTC sleeping pills as a way to deal with these jerks at night. During that time I was getting maybe 3-5 hours of sleep at night, mainly due to waking up too early. I stopped doing that almost 3 weeks ago, and I also gave up caffeine completely and am trying to eat more fruits/veggies. I do a thorough de-stress routine before going to bed, including a hot bath with epsom salts, a mug of magnesium citrate tea, and deep breathing excercises.

        This is has all helped, the jerks are less intense and I’m getting more like 5-6 hours now and an occasional night of not sleeping at all. The frustrating thing is I’m still getting dozens of these jerks throughout the night and I’m still waking up too early which I don’t understand at all. It’s usually not from a jerk, I just wake up for no reason at 4:30 or so and sometimes I can get back to sleep but other times I just keep on getting the muscle spasms until I give up and get out of bed. I suspect that might have been from taking too high a dose of melatonin before bed, but I cut out the melatonin and I still wake up too early, though not quite as early as before it seems.

        I guess after all this my question is how long does it take to really make a habit of healthy living and good sleep hygiene before you can start sleeping normally again? I’m thinking of calling back the neurologist I saw in the next few days and ask about taking Clonazepam, which he recommended as an option, though I’m wondering if I should wait longer before trying that.

        I should also add that I’m one who also gets these jerks and muscle twitches while awake too, though they are not nearly as strong as when I’m trying to doze off. It’s harder to see the connection to the jerks and stress while in bed, but when I’m having a stressful day at work the twitches definitely flare up. I’m convinced that subconscious anxiety is an enormous factor in this

        • Hi Ben,

          Thanks for the comment, and sorry to hear you’re experiencing what seems to me very likely a lot of stress and/or anxiety. I think if you get muscle spasms during the day and you’re convinced it’s anxiety, then you probably need to do something about that as well as keeping up with the good sleep hygiene. How you go about doing that is a big question of course.

          If you like breathing exercises etc, then you could take a look at mindfulness as a self-help option. If you do a search online, you’ll find plenty of websites and books on the topic. It’s something I got into when under a lot of stress a while back, and found it helped both the day-time anxiety and my insomnia. If you’re worried though, then it may also be a good idea to check back with your doctor for their advice.

          As for your question about how long does it take to reap the benefits of putting sleep hygiene into practice, it’s a tricky question to answer. I sometimes think it’s a case of experimenting with as many different techniques as possible, in the hope that one of two things will happen:
          1) you stumble upon something which was a serious factor in your sleep problems, which could be one simple thing like caffeine for example.
          Or :
          2) You put so much effort into sleep hygiene, that the accumulation of so many good practices eventually wins over and you start sleeping better.

          My point is that it’s not an exact science. Some people may find that there are just one or two lifestyle choices which are wreaking havoc on their sleep. Others (like me) may find that they are very sensitive to sleep disruption, and so need to put a ton of work into doing everything possible to eliminate things which can keep you awake, whilst doing things which can promote good sleep.

          In my personal experience, once I’d started on some sleep hygiene practice, I think it was a couple of weeks before I noticed a difference. But probably a few months before I felt like I had finally conquered the worst of the insomnia I had experienced for years. And that was partly because even if I did lots of things right, I still sometimes did just one thing which would counteract everything else – such as eating chocolate not long before bed! So for me, a total acceptance that I needed to put all the tips I had learned into practice, every single day, was needed before I could reap the full benefits.

          So I guess in some ways, the time it takes to work will somewhat depend on your level of commitment to self-help techniques, and perhaps a little bit of luck:-)

          Hope that helps a little
          Regards
          Ethan

  2. Hi Ethan,

    I also wonder whether hypnic jerks are a symptom of some issue with our bodies “electrical” systems. Hypnic jerks do feel like a jolt, not unlike being zapped by electricity.

    It’s an internal thing and probably indicates a much healthier lifestyle is needed to restore balance to brain chemistry, mind and body, given the general unhealthiness of the standard western diet and its emphasis on medications to mask symptoms rather than dealing with root causes.

    Your excellent work in creating a first-class site and gathering so much info and useful advice on the issue is to be greatly commended!

    I have had hypnic jerks on and off for years (I’m now 40) and after recently experiencing them again over the past three months, I decided to finally figure out what these jolts were called and who else was experiencing them, and very quickly came across your site.

    I am one of the people who wrote to you about Cayenne Pepper in tea, with a few dashes of turmeric, a dash of cinnamon and now a teaspoon of organic extra virgin coconut oil in hot water with or without your favourite tea, and I’ve noticed that, as I’m fallign asleep, my hypnic jerks in the chest area have reduced to one per night from what could be several.

    While I’ve had leg jerks in the past, until I started taking the cayenne tea drink it was all in the chest area in recent times. Now, I have this one “body” jerk from the chest area, which as with the other jerks just happens and is over just as quickly, and then over the course of say 5 minutes I get two or three quick pretty soft leg jerks and that appears to be it.

    I have been eating more healthily, more salads and veggies and have cut out sodas, a lot of junk foods (but to be honest need to cut out more), and starting to eat more fruit in the mornings (to replace the junk food).

    I need to do a lot more exercise, too, so an excellent diet and proper exercise really needs to be done, but even so, I’m very glad to find this community with tons of great ideas and a motivated moderator running a dynamic site that will send you to sleep – later that evening when you need it, not while you’re reading it! haha :-)

    I’ll also need to update you and interested readers on the effects a real commitment to a solidly healthy diet and daily morning exercise has on hypnic jerks. The cayenne tea has definitely had a positive effect, and I have started taking some magnesium (but not every night, I’m actually reminded to have some right now) but need to re-read your recent wrap-up of great advice and ideas and implement more of them.

    Thank you again and best regards,

    Alex.

    • Hi Alex,

      Nice to hear from you again! First of all, thank you for the compliments – It’s always much appreciated:-)

      Good for you for keeping on top of the healthy diet and lifestyle. I’ll definitely be interested to hear if your dedication makes a difference over the coming weeks. I’m sure it will.

      Hopefully you’ll find something new and/or helpful in the new section of readers’ tips. The Cayenne Pepper theory is in there as well, you’ll be pleased to hear. I’m yet to try it myself, but might have to now that several people have spoken about it.

      All the best
      Ethan

  3. Today when I fell asleep i felt like I was falling but I couldn’t move like I was paralyzed what does that mean

    • Hi Tyrone,

      I couldn’t tell you exactly what it means – it could have been a simple hypnic jerk. Or it could have been that you were having a dream and then woke up with that feeling. I wouldn’t worry about it if it was a one-off experience – if it happens again, feel free to come back and ask for more ideas.

      Regards
      Ethan

    • This article – and its comments and your responses – are awesome.
      I don’t know if you allow links but there is a great BBC article that basically says these twitches are the result of a fight for control of your body between the part of your brain that controls conscious activity and the part of your brain that regulates sleep.

      • Hi Vee

        Thanks for the comment, and the compliment – kind words like yours always help to keep going with the comment responses and resist the temptation to close them:-)
        I don’t usually allow links, but I just read that article and it’s a very nicely written piece and an interesting theory. So I’ll definitely keep it in for people to check out if they want to.
        The author’s idea that hypnic jerks are the final actions of the body in relation to the external world as you fall asleep is an interesting idea. I like that a lot.

        Thanks again
        Ethan

  4. Great article…this is just what I was looking for and I will try a few of the tips tonight.

    I’ve been experiencing hypnic jerks almost all night for the last 3-4 weeks. When it started happening, it freaked me out and for a few nights I kept thinking “am I dying? – should I go to the hospital? Do I have a brain tumor?” The anxiety of the hypnic jerks just made things worse. My heart pounds for a few minutes after each jerk and I was getting (at best) maybe 4 hours of sleep a night. I also started getting minor tremors in my hands and feelings of vertigo during the day and a little bit of a headache at night (this may have been from the lack of sleep). I had an MRI and CT Scan a few months before these hypnic jerks started happening and they all came back negative.

    I started taking magnesium and vitamin b-2 and that may have helped. The jerks were more manageable for a few days but they have since come back in full force. I am going through quite a bit of life changes and I don’t THINK i am stressed or anxious about them but my body may be telling me otherwise.

    Anyway, it’s a comfort to know that I’m not the only one who experiences these frequently and knowing this alone may help me get better sleep. Thank you for the article!

    • Hi Ryan

      Thank you for your comment, and compliment. I’m very glad you found the article helpful. I think you’re right in that knowing other people experience something similar can be a help in relaxing about the problem, especially if you know it’s not something to worry about too much.

      The section I added recently with tips from readers is full of great advice. I’m guessing that’s what you meant when you said you would try a few tips tonight. I’d be interested to know if any of them helped in the coming days or weeks. Feel free to pop back if you have the time!

      And stress can be a funny thing – not everyone is so quick to acknowledge that they are experiencing stress. If you are a resilient person it may be that you simply don’t think about stress and just ‘get on’ with it. But underneath we all react in some way to life changes. Hopefully the changes will all be for the better in the future and you’ll go back to sleeping normally.
      All the best
      Ethan

  5. Hi Ethan, thank you for responding to my earlier comments. I’ve been taking warm baths at night with epsom salts which seems to help me feel better after a day of excercising. I saw a neurologist on Friday who specializes in sleep problems and he confirmed that Benadryl and OTC sleep meds containing diphenhydramine are not good to take for this problem. Also, drinking before bed might help reduce the jerks and make you fall asleep faster but it will give you bad sleep and make the jerks worse the following night, thus fueling the cycle. Anyone out there who is using diphenhydramine and/or alcohol as a way to deal with this I would say stop taking it immediately and see what happens. You will probably go an entire night without sleep when you do this, as I did, but I found that later in the week I started to be able to fall asleep normally at least some nights. I had another bad night last night, but I suspect (and hope) my body is still adjusting. It seems to be a combination of the hypnic jerk and simply the anxiety of having one that keep me awake. Magnesium citrate, deep breathing excercises, and the hot baths work well for the anxiety. The doctor recommended prescribing Clonazepam, but only if the bad nights continue after a couple weeks of better sleep hygiene. I’m hoping I don’t need to go on that as I know you can become dependent on it, but if this keeps going on I’ll be willing to try anything. Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the advice here, it’s helped me tremendously just to know I’m not alone in this.

    • Hi Ben,
      You’re very welcome, and good to hear from you again. Thanks very much for posting the update. It’s always useful to hear what doctors have told people about their sleep issues. And this is another confirmation of the potential impact of diphenhydramine on hypnic jerks.
      You’re right about alcohol helping you get to sleep quicker, but then interrupting later sleep stages. There was some interesting research done last year which confirmed that.
      Sleep hygiene is important and can be very effective. I know it’s what helped me improve my own sleep problems. Stick with it, and hopefully you’ll find it helps over the coming weeks.
      All the best
      Ethan

  6. I have also experienced these ‘hypnic jerks’. I am 11 years old, but I never really get a lot of sleep. Does anyone else think this is due to lack of sleep? They happen quite often. But not too too much. My sister also tells me I talk in my sleep. But not often. I don’t know if it’s still happens. Last time was a few months ago probably. I remember one day my sister told me that she wanted to trick me, so she set her alarm to early morning, when it was actually night, and she woke me up saying I was going to be late for school. I needed a shower, but I didn’t remember ever waking up and doing this. Apparently I ran into the bathroom to turn the shower on, but before I could she says she told me it was just a joke. So I went back in bed. But I must’ve been asleep while this happened, but my brain was still functioning like I was awake. It’s very strange, when I think about it like I’m not in control of my own body. This happened another time, my sister came in my room and told me I fell asleep on my dsi, so I sat up and threw my dsi across the bed. It’s very strange, but I don’t even know what happens, when, how, and how I can control it! Anyone else have the same problems, or know why this is happening?

    • Hi Kylee,

      Thank you for your comment and sharing your experiences. The first thing you talk about – the hypnic jerks – I think can definitely happen more if you are very tired. And if you don’t sleep much, then you will naturally be more tired. And so you will have them more often. I don’t think you need to worry about them, but if you don’t sleep much, then that’s something you can talk to your parents about. Maybe they can help you work out why you’re not sleeping so much.

      The second thing, waking up and doing things which you don’t feel in control of, is also quite normal. When we are woken up by someone, or something, at certain points in our sleep, we can still only be half awake. Then we can do things and not really remember them, or not be aware of them. Or do things we might not do if we were completely awake.

      This happened to me 2 nights ago funnily enough. I was having a dream that I had found the phone number of a friend after I had lost all my contacts because I fell in a lake. I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning, and without thinking turned on the light and got my mobile phone and started writing a text message to send to the friend! Obviously this is not a normal thing to do, and luckily I woke up properly in time to realise what I was doing, and didn’t send the message. I then felt quite weird!

      I think if things like this happen often, or you do things which could cause you harm, then it is something that maybe needs to be looked at. But if only happened twice, and was because your sister was playing a trick on you or waking you up, then it is quite normal, especially when you are young, to only half way up and perhaps do something weird.

      If you want, talk to your parents about it. They should be able to reassure you that nothing is wrong with you, and you are just being woken up from deep sleep or dreams.

      And maybe another readers will have had a similar experience and describe it here to reassure you that you’re definitely not the only one to have things like this!

      So, my main point is don’t worry:-)

      All the best
      Ethan

  7. Thank you so much for writing this article. It eases my mind to know that I am not alone. However, now the hypnotic jerks I fear will be detrimental to my healing ankle which I broke last week (3 fractures in the left ankle). I am so scared to fall asleep now for fear of having a twitch that is powerful enough to set me back. One or two twitches have happened already that caused me to wince in pain. I am doing doing everything that I can to heal (it’s casted, elevated, iced regularly and taking pain meds) but the twitches are really scaring me. I am in pain all day from the fractures and now afraid to fall asleep because the hypnotic jerks may make the pain worse. My husband is trying to calm me down by saying if the ankle is casted the twitches can’t do much harm. But sometimes they feel like they can. What are your thoughts?

    • Ok so I’m clearly medicated and sleep deprived and have to ask that you excuse the fact that I was calling them “hypnotic twitches” and not “hypnic jerks”.

    • Hi Marlo

      Thanks for the comment, and sorry to hear about the ankle – I wish you a speedy recovery!
      To be honest, I’m not sure about the risk to an injury from hypnic jerks. It could just be that it feels worse because you’ll be naturally in a state of wanting to protect yourself, and anything which seems risky will see much worse. I know I’m always very sensitive to sudden movement when I’m recovering from broken limbs. You could always try taking something to relax you – see if your doctor will recommend something. But I imagine your husband is probably right in that the twitches shouldn’t do any harm if your ankle is in a cast.
      Regards
      Ethan

  8. Hi! I have been suffering from these jerks all night every night for one year now. I have never had trouble falling asleep until one day last year they just started suddenly. I’ve been so worried that I’m going to die from not sleeping. Can someone please tell me that they have lied through many sleepless nights and are still alive today? I’ve tried many things and the only thing that slightly helps is magnesium. I had an EEG, sleep study and a brain MRI. The doctor said my sleep study was mostly normal and that my EEG and MRI were normal. I’m at such a loss because I don’t know if it’s part of a bigger problem they are missing or just a sleep disorder. Any help would be so tremendous.

    • Hi Nikki

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a hard time sleeping. I can understand the worry about what will happen if you don’t sleep for a long period of time. But hopefully your body and mind will at some point shut down from exhaustion and you will get some sleep. I’ve had very long spells of insomnia in the past where I haven’t slept for days, and I’m still alive and well:-)
      In the article there are tons of practical suggestions you could try to reduce the hypnic jerks. I recommend having a close look and seeing which you can put into practice. Maybe one or two will jump out at you as things you could address, or things you can change in your lifestyle. If all the medical tests have proven normal, then it could well be that you are just experiencing hypnic jerks very frequently, but will either have to find a way to accept them as part of your normal life and try not to worry about them (I know that’s easier said than done), or see if some of the advice above can make a difference.
      I do hope you find something which helps!
      Regards
      Ethan

      • Hi,

        You write that you had a sleep study done but everything was normal? Surely they must have picked up some activity during the jerks. Didn’t the doctor comment on these at all and what is happening during this phase of going from awake to sleep? I am very interested in knowing what is going on with heart and brain during these short moments as it often feels like you stop breathing or that the heart stops of a second.

        • Hi Swandive,

          I’ll leave it to the person you’re addressing to answer. Have you thought about trying a sleep monitor which comes with a night-time heart monitor to wear in bed? That would give you some insight if those things interest you.

          Regards
          Ethan

  9. My fiancé came home from guys night last night and for once in 6 years he was so wasted he couldn’t walk, hardly talk or handle himself. I don’t know of anything irregular that he did other than drink and smoke pot. And only the drinking is irregular there. He has been jerking all night usually 3 times at once every 2-3 mins. Don’t seem to be bothering him but he also woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air. We made sure he slept on his side and this is the closest thing I found to an answer. Ethan maybe you can give me a more medical description? Thank you.

    • Hi Nicole,

      Thanks for the comment, and sorry to hear about your boyfriend worrying you like that! It sounds like it was probably a case of serious alcohol intoxication, and I imagine it passed by the next day. Whether the spasms are hypnic jerks or just muscle spasms due to the alcohol is probably impossible to say, and I imagine not very relevant any more. Gasping for air is obviously a bit worrying, so you did well to put him on his side.
      If the spasms continue after the hangover clears, then get him checked out. And also if you notice he has breathing problems while sleeping normally.
      Regards
      Ethan

  10. Good morning Ethan,

    Many thanks for adding this section to what is already a very valuable site for anyone suffering with this affliction.
    Although I have not had much to say recently, I have been following the posts and conducting my own experiments :-)
    I will post my findings in the new section.

    Best regards,

    Denise

    • Hi Denise

      Nice to hear from you. It’s good to know the new section is appreciated:-)
      I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, but didn’t have the time to re-read all the comments until now; It took a very long time…

      I’ll look forward to seeing the results of your experiments!

      Regards
      Ethan

  11. I have suffered from these for years now and have never looked into what causes them before. The reason for looking today is that they are starting to affect my partner too as the jumps are getting more violent :0(
    I am a shift worker and have an irregular sleep pattern which i believe doesn’t help at all. I am constantly tired and literally fall into bed at night exhausted (having young children doesn’t help lol!) I am sure tiredness is a big factor for me, i am going to try the magnesium and see if it helps but i cant help thinking i may have to think about a career change as being tired all the time is no fun.

    • Hi Julie

      Thank you for the comment, and I’m sorry to hear that this has disrupted your life, and contributed to such a level of tiredness. Have you tried taking melatonin to help regulate your sleep? It’s known to be quite effective for shift workers. I’m not sure it will help the hypnic jerks directly, but if you can improve your overall quantity and quality of sleep, then the reduction in tiredness might help reduce the hypnic jerks.
      Regards
      Ethan

  12. I first started having trouble sleeping with hypnic jerks in Oct 2011, and they went away on their own by the end of that year. Now they are back with a vengeance, starting in April 2014, and have only gotten worse since then. The odd thing is that during that 2.5 years in between I had NO trouble with this. They say they are caused by stress, but I certainly had some stressful situations during that time and I can’t pinpoint any obvious reason why they would have started again in April. Has anyone else experienced these things coming and going in cycles for no apparent reason?

    I’m trying magnesium citrate which definitely helps my mood and level of stress but unfortunately it doesn’t have much direct effect on the jerks. Alcohol seems to help calm the jerks down but that is not a long term solution and I use that as a last resort. I’m taking diphenhydramine which helps me sleep longer in the morning. I do deep breathing and guided imagery before bed which makes me feel relaxed but it doesn’t stop the jerks. I have no trouble dozing off, it’s just the jerks that wake me up. I tried the cayenne pepper thing last night which had no effect on the jerks. I will make an appointment with a sleep specialist on Monday, I can’t go on with 5 hours of sleep a night any longer. Hope others out there have found a solution that works for them.

    • Hi psychill81

      Thank you for sharing your experience, and sorry to hear they’ve been bothering you. It’s also a shame that you’ve tried quite hard by the sounds of it to deal with them, and had no success.
      I think from what I remember, several previous readers have noted that they sometimes come and go for no apparent reason. But perhaps someone will read your comment and respond to it – I know there are a fair few people following this comment thread and they do sometimes pop in to comment when someone says something which strikes a cord with them.
      It’s interesting that you tried the Cayenne pepper thing. I still haven’t myself, so can’t comment on it. I’ll be looking out for anyone else who has also tried it to see if it was just a couple of lucky people that found it helped, or it just hasn’t helped you.
      If you do find the sleep specialist comes up with some ideas that help you, it would be great if you could find the time in the future to come back and share them.
      I hope you do find something that helps you.
      Regards
      Ethan

    • Did the jerks get worse since you started taking the
      diphenhydramine which I believe is the key ingredient in Benadryl and other OTC anti-histamines and sleep aids? If so, lay off it and see what happens. I’m convinced my 8 years of suffering from severe hypnic jerks were mostly a side-effect from taking Benadryl on a daily basis.

      In researching hypnic jerks on another website, someone mentioned that they’re a side-effect of Benadryl so I went off it then and there, and while I still have a few now and then, it’s nothing compared to what it was. I think the ones I’m getting now have to do with muscle problems caused by chronic myofascial pain.

      • THERE IS NO DOUBT DIPHENHYDRAMINE CAUSES THEM OR EXACERBATES THEM. I BELIEVE THE LATTER. MINE WERE GONE FOR THREE MONTHS AND I TOOK IT AND JERKED FOR A WEEK.

          • Thanks for your comments, I stopped taking diphenhydramine and it took a couple of days but eventually the jerks were less frequent and not as bad. Another factor that really seems to exacerbate mine is too much exertion of muscles during the day, not just aerobic exercise but even just walking too much. When I do that I feel the jerks moreso in my legs and feet, which can’t be a coincidence.

          • No problem Ben. That’s definitely interesting about the diphenhydramine and also the exercise. I have now listed both of those as possible contributors to hypnic jerks in the new section in the article. I think walking too much can be considered exercise, especially if it’s long distance or fast. It doesn’t surprise me that you end up feeling them more in the feet and legs. What would be interesting would be to do the kind of exercise that you know can lead to them, but then spend time afterwards warming down, maybe having a good soak in the bath, and eating really well and see if that can helps counter-act the effect of the activity on your hypnic jerks.
            Regards
            Ethan

  13. Thanks for the advice on cayenne. Will try it. Willing to try anything. I am suffering from these jerks as well. I have them every night now and have had it like this for 2 years. The only time I don’t get them is if I have been drinking a bit. I tend to cough when getting these attacks. It just feels like the entire system is “shutting down”.

    Some key facts from me:
    – I only get them the FIRST time I fall asleep each night. If I wake up during the middle of to night to go to the bathroom I don’t get them again.
    – being exhausted seem to make them worse
    – eating something after getting the jerks (a cracker or so) seem to relieve it and makes it easier to finally fall asleep

    • Hi swandive,

      Glad you found the pepper idea interesting. Let me know if it helps!
      I think your key facts are quite sensible observations, though the eating a cracker one is new. I’m not sure the idea of having a snack has been mentioned before, though there are so many comments, I can’t remember.
      Have you spoken to a doctor about the coughing? It might be a good idea to get that checked out just to eliminate the possibility of any breathing problems.
      Regards
      Ethan

  14. Hi Ethan, as stated a few weeks ago,iv’e been suffering hypnic jerks for 18 months. Iv’e also had to see my doc as for a few months iv’e suffered severe dizzy spells, asked if the 2 were related,he said no, anyways he gave me Prochlorpeazine tablets, iv’e been on them 2 weeks now and iv’e realised my jerks have decreased from 6/7 to 1/2. i am over the moon, don’t know if this is something that can be looked into?

    • Hi Suzie

      I’m glad you have a doctor who has found something which is helping you. I think it’s a pretty strong medication, so it’s unlikely it would routinely be prescribed for something which is not usually seen as a serious problem in the medical community. It is also only available on prescription from a doctor, who I imagine would prescribe other medicines before that one to anyone coming to see them about hypnic jerks only.
      I hope your dizzy spells clear up and that you feel better:-)
      All the best
      Ethan

      • Hi Ethan,

        Hope you are well. Thought i would give an update, after finishing the tablets my doctor gave me for my dizzy spells,which appeared to reduce my Jerks from 6/7 a night to 1/2, they have went back to 6/7 sometimes more and my dizzy spells are still present though not as bad. i have terrible leg cramps at night which haven’t bothered me for some months. really getting fed up now.

        take care
        suzie

        • Hi Suzie

          Nice to hear from you again, though I’m sorry you’ve had a return to the old frequency of hypnic jerks. Since you last wrote, I’ve created a new section of tips based on all the reader comments over the year this article has been published. You might find something there which could help you more long-term than prescription medication.
          Let me know if you do find anything helpful!
          Regards
          Ethan

  15. Hi Ethan:

    I can’t thank you enough for your blog, and all the info everyone has shared.

    As I posted earlier this week, I found a post on another health blog saying that hypnic jerks are a side-effect of Benadryl that I’d been taking for a number of years to control my atypical migraines. After reading that on Sunday morning, I went off it, and as of today [Friday], I’ve had about 4 hypnic jerks in 5 nights!! To say this is miraculous is an understatement after suffering with them for hours on end ever few nights.

    I’m convinced hypnic jerks are a side-effect of various medication. For those who haven’t found relief, google your medication with the term ‘myoclonus’ and see if it’s listed as a side-effect. I was surprised to find this is side-effect of something as innocuous as aprinin!

    • Hi Hayley,

      Ahh, I just replied to your previous comment about this, and here you are with an answer that I hadn’t noticed you already wrote.

      That’s great that you found a way to reduce them so dramatically! And it’s also an interesting concept about the myoclonus side-effect. I will definitely add that one when I get around to writing my ‘reader’s tips and tricks’ section:-)

      Regards
      Ethan

  16. I find that I have severe jerks when I am anxious and stressed. Recently have been depressed and try to force myself to sleep much more than I need to. Sometimes 14 hours. The jerks are then more severe. I believe my body is telling me “enough” GET UP.
    What do you think about this theory??????

    • Hi Neenee

      I think you are probably right about them being worse when you are anxious and stressed. I also think you are possibly right in your theory. 14 hours is way more than we need to sleep, and forcing yourself to sleep is very difficult. It may then not be hypnic jerks exactly, possibly just excess energy in your body which needs to be used. Have you spoken to anyone about feeling depressed? It’s not an easy thing to deal with alone, so getting some suppport from family, friends or a medical professional or counselor could help.

      Regards
      Ethan

  17. Hi Ethan!

    I have a story to tell. But first i wan’t you to believe me because this really happened. I just want to inquire if you have an idea about this. :D Last night, my girl friend and I are sleeping. Then suddenly when I was about to reach my deep sleep we both felt this hypnic jerk. We both woke up in and laughed cause its really funny waking up at the same time. I was about to tell my story to her why i felt this hypnic jerk but she started it. She told me that in her dreams, she was about to open a locker but she felt his hypnic jerk and interrupted her sleep. And WOW!!! her dream and my dream are really the same!!! and take note Ethan. Same dream, same story, same hypnic jerk, and the same time. It was really a weird time for us. I can’t stop thinking about this. That is why i searched for this and found your website. Thank you for reading Ethan.

    • Hi John

      Thanks for sharing the story, and it’s definitely an interesting one. To be honest, I have no idea why that might have happened. I know sometimes the brain can ‘create’ a dream in a split second, so sometimes we receive an external stimulus, such as an alarm and the brain starts dreaming of something involving an alarm. Then we wake up and think how odd it is that we feel like we were having a long dream involving an alarm, then woke up to hear one similar. So it’s possible one of you could have a hypnic jerk, which then triggered some reaction in the other a split second later. Though to you it might seem like it happened at the exact same time. But that wouldn’t account for dreaming about a locker! I’ll leave that one to you to enjoy theorizing about. Let me know if you come to any conclusion:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  18. I’ve been reading and following this page for the last few weeks as hypnic jerks control my nights at least 5 nights a week for the last 7 years so I’m eager to learn whatever I can to help it.

    One commenter mentioned cayenne pepper and lemon tea so I was looking it up and came across a post on another site saying that Benadryl is calcium channel blocker that makes his hypnic jerks much, much worse.
    I’ve been taking it daily for 7.5 years so I’m going to go off it and see if it doesn’t help.

    Another theory I found interesting is the theory that the reason exercise makes the jerking worse is because of a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. This would make sense for people who have myofascial pain where the muscles get knots in them that refer pain elsewhere, and have to be broken up or deactivated for the pain to subside. Almost everyone experiences myofascial related pain from time to time, but for others of us such as myself, it’s chronic. In such cases, the body produces twice as much lactic acid as normal with half the exertion, and it takes twice as long to clear the body. One home remedy I’ve used over the years is a bit of baking soda [use food grade] in water to help clear it.

    • Hi Hayley,

      Nice to hear from you again. If you’ve been following the comments, you will have no doubt had a sudden influx recently! I tend to deal with them all in one go, as across the whole website they tend up build up, and I like to deal with them at once sometimes as it focuses my mind on what people are saying. But no doubt that means flooding people’s email inbox!

      That’s very interesting about Benadryl. If you do decide to experiment, then it would be great to hear if it had any effect stopping taking it. On another note, that seems like a very long time to be taking it daily!

      The lactic-acid theory is also interesting – I wonder if any of the sporty people who have hypnic jerks would have anything to say about that, as I know there have been one or two very active readers commenting in the past.

      There have been so many suggestions recently, I’ve been thinking I should re-read all the comments and compile them in a new section in the original article. Just don’t have the time though so maybe I’ll ask for a volunteer to help me!

      Regards
      Ethan

    • I’ve been experiencing hypnic jerks while falling asleep for several months now, also have had sleep deprivation for over 2 yrs and other sleep and nervous system issues. Just want to say that 3 or 4 mos. ago I was trying to take naps when it’s always been hard for me to fall asleep during the day. I tried meditation in the mid-afternoon, got real comfortable and dropped off briefly, only to be woken up with this half snort sound. So I quit trying to take a nap. I think it’s just another type of “sleep start” where it gets off course. I’ve saw comments by an MD regarding this. He said it may caused from entering into the wrong stage of sleep right away, like REM sleep. That makes sense with my experience of going into a dream right away. There’s a lot about sleep that clinics are still puzzling over.
      I’ve done some reading about sleep disorders and insomnia on Dr. Breus, Dr. Mercola, and Dr. Oz websites.

  19. Does anyone else have the hypnic Jerk along with a sniffing or snorting? And no not sleep apnea. I sleep with a cpap mask just to make sure it is not that. When I do not have the full out jerks I have a lesser arousal which is a sniff or deep intake of breath that wakes me up just like the jerk. I have dealt with these for almost two years now and seen many experts in the country. Rush medical center ect..No one can really say what causes them. I can tell you Alcohol makes them worse or even creates them. Exacerbates them for sure. I never had sleep problems I know of my whole life. And in one day boom! it is an arousal of some sort. Coffee makes them worse as well. I used to drink coffee before bed. Now I cannot drink it or I will have them worse for 3 days just one cup of decaf. So whatever this is do not underestimate how sensitive it is to things you drink or eat. Also, all of this was triggered at stressful time for me, it is almost as if it changed me forever. Just another possibility.

    • Hi Mark,

      Thanks for your comment. Sorry to hear you haven’t had much luck with the experts you’ve seen. Did one of them advise you to wear the cpap mask just in case?
      I think you’re absolutely right about food, drink, stress and various other factors potentially having a significant effect on the severity of hypnic jerks, at least for many people. There is definitely a common theme of anxiety and stress in the comments on this article alone, which says something in itself.
      But hopefully you will find a way to get on top of it and deal with the change which you felt occurred.
      All the best
      Ethan

    • Yes me…..!!!!! I too have the sniffing and snorting and guttural sounds as well as involuntary muscle spasms in my stomach rather like a hiccup without the ‘cup’….it seems almost every night there must be something…..a body jerk, or a huge intake of breath, either involuntary or voluntary, a noise from my throat, or a muscle spasm, sniffing in deeply, a twitch from my legs or arms …..! Mostly one of these or a combination of one or two or amazingly…..nothing at all! Just as I’m lulled into a false sense of security when I haven’t had anything for a few days…then back they come with a vengeance…!! Looks like I’ll have to get used to them as probably I’ll have them for life…..note to self…I must look into this Cayenne pepper theory as a potential cure…..

  20. Ethan, in regards to your question of whether my 30 years of sleep paralysis still bothers me: No. Once I started researching what it was and knew that it could not kill me and that millions of others experience it, I begun tolerating it more and more. To the point I would hope to have an episode to play around with. Ala, I recently start taking meds for anxiety which have caused me to have fewer episodes. :-(

    • Hi Leon,

      Thanks for coming back to answer my question. It’s great that you managed to find a way to tolerate it. I think you must be one of the first to be disappointed that you are experiencing it less!

      Regards
      Ethan

  21. Drinking Cayenne pepper tea, which anyone can make from store bought cayenne pepper spice (or better quality from any health food or spice store, Asian stores, Indians from India stores), and it has genuinely relieved my hypnic jerks, which is pretty damned amazing if you ask me.

    I always thought Hypnic jerks was my heart skipping a beat or beating hard, and experiencing it from time to time has always been disconcerting. I’m glad I finally looked it up, but it happened around the time I started taking cayenne pepper tea on a daily basis as a health boosting tonic.

    One night I had an episode of hypnic jerking which I hadn’t had in a while. I wondered if a nice warm cup of cayenne pepper tea might help, and it did!

    I went to bed half an hour later and experienced two of the most surprisingly mildest hypnic jerks I’ve ever had, after which I fell asleep and woke up in the morning.

    I noticed the difference as the hypnic jerks I feel are normally quite a jolt and literally jolt me awake from having just started falling asleep.

    Given the fact that cayenne pepper helps normalise blood pressure in the body, whether high or low, and has excellent heart healthy qualities, I reckoned that it might help me get to sleep, and it did!

    It might help some of your readers, it might not, but there’s no harm in them trying. Type “cayenne pepper info” or “cayenne pepper blood pressure” or similar search terms into any search engine and you’ll find lots of free information about it all.

    Meanwhile, cayenne pepper is extremely inexpensive. None of this $90 per bottle of miracle juice stuff. In Australia you can get Cayenne Pepper for $18 a kilogram, while bottles of the stuff in the supermarket spice rack costs just under $3, although pricing is better and the quality of the pepper is generally hotter and better in spice/health/Indian/Asian food stores.

    Start small – 1/8th of a teaspoon or less, but work your way up to 1/4 teaspoon, then 1/2, then later, 1 full teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder in very warm water. Add a dash of cinnamon, turmeric and other relevant spices if you want. There are recipes with garlic, with lemon, with tomato juice, with maple syrup, with apple cider vinegar and more.

    Once a day to start, but many take cayenne pepper tea three times a day, as you’ll discover if you get a chance to read up on any information about it.

    To the gentleman on all the drugs who is also homeless and a recovering heroin addict – please try getting some cayenne pepper tea into your body, add cayenne pepper to your food, find somewhere you can get hot water and start taking things like apple cider vinegar, extra virgin coconut oil, cayenne pepper and try to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can to help your body cleanse itself from all the drugs and to help keep you healthy, especially in the trying times you find yourself in.

    I sincerely hope that you are able to find peace and stability soon – hopefully there are some charitable services that you are able to get help from where you live, and with luck and a desire to turn your life around, you can definitely do it!

    • Hi Cayenne,

      Thanks for the information about Cayenne pepper. It’s funny that two people have talked about it in such a short space of time, when nobody had ever mentioned it here before!
      I might actually have to go and try it myself now, even though it sounds a bit weird. But who knows?

      Regards
      Ethan

      • Cayenne wrote: I went to bed half an hour later and experienced two of the most surprisingly mildest hypnic jerks I’ve ever had, after which I fell asleep and woke up in the morning.

        Actually now that I reflect on it, I noticed a slight difference in how strong my jerks were after consuming the tea for the first time. I recall thinking they were milder as Cayenne wrote. I did however get them, so I just figures it didn’t work, but I will give it another go this week to see if they start to gradually fade away.

  22. I noticed that the consumption of Cayenne Pepper in a tea – see online for lots of recipes – helped eliminate hypnic jerks for me. That’s just what happened for me, no guarantee the same will happen for you.

    • Hi Cayenne

      Thanks for the idea to add to the growing list of practical tips people can try. I haven’t heard this one before, so maybe someone else will also have an idea about how it might help.
      Regards
      Ethan

  23. Hi. First of all, I wanna congratulate you for the great website. It helps me alot, and I believe it helped lots of people too. I´m so glad I found this, because I thought I was alone, and I couldn´t really explain what was happening to anyone. And if I did no one would understand. Anyway… I am 17 years old. I´ve had strong episodes of anxiety, followed by depression 2 years ago. I´ve never used any kind of medication, apart from melatonin and natural stuff. I learned how to live with that, and my anxiety levels got much better. I had these jerks for the first time the day after a big party where I drank too much and smoked almost an entire pack of cigarettes. After a week having constant and huge jerks every time I tried to sleep (I got like 14 hours of sleep the whole week) they went away (I though it was some kind of withdrawal, and maybe it was). So they wen´t away for some months, and 5 months ago they started again (I don´t smoke since the first time I had the jerks). They happen usually when I am drifting off to sleep, and sometimes when I´m already asleep. When they are really strong they happen everytime I try to sleep, and follows a zap of anxiety that runs from my head to my feet and I will go to the bathroom all night. But often, they happen only 2 or 3 times when I´m going to sleep and then go away, and I don´t care about them. I am pretty sure that beer can trigger them. Sometimes I will have a drink in the afternoon and have them all night long, it sucks. But sometimes they don´t even happen. Sometimes I wave them a lot, other times they just go away and I sleep well. I use melatonin and find it very helpfull. I also think that drinking milk and eating properly help easy them. Sometimes I get them while awake but only when I am really tired. It is no big deal, and I am sure that worrying too much is worst them the jerks, and it´s the reason that most people keep being awake for so long. I know sometimes is hard to control the worry and the anxiety, but what I learned from my experiences (I had mind blowing panic attacks 2 years ago) is that you gotta live on and leave the worry behind, because some things in life just have no explanation and we have to deal with it, that´s what life is about! Trying to be happy!

    • Hi Eduardo

      Thanks for your inspiring comment! And I’m glad you found the website helpful – I agree that knowing you are not alone can be a big relief and help in itself.

      It’s great that you have managed to find a positive way to deal with hypnic jerks and accept them for the natural thing that they are. It’s also great that you have managed to discover what makes them better or worse for you. Now all you need to do is continue with the healthy lifestyle, and as you say, not worry about them and keep smiling:-)

      Warm wishes
      Ethan

  24. Sorry about my post I noticed some words got typed wrong like the word I meant to type was insomnia not niacin. I was told by my neuro doctor that the body has those jerks sometime due to not enough sleep and just being over tired,and stress and epilepsy. What happens with me is my body is ready but my brain is not and my brain is fighting it. This is how the shocks feel to me, say it is the 4th of July and your friend is lights up a firing work but does not tell you he is lighting the fuse and the next thing you know you jump because the fire work scared the cap out of you and you jumped from the loud noise, that is how I act when I get those jerks while iam sleeping. Sometimes I will have them after I have been asleep for an hr or 2 late at night. Mine are so furious it would wake my husband and one that I had one night was I went to sleep and the next thing I know I rolled right out of the bed and hit the floor and I smacked my head really hard and while I was sleeping I really felt as though I was falling, I will never forget that one.

    • Hi again Anette,

      Ahh ok that explains the niacin thing then!
      Your neuro’s suggestions I imagine are very true. And I like your comparison with not knowing fireworks are going off. The falling out of bed incident sounds terrible. I hope you didn’t injure yourself too badly.
      Regards
      Ethan

  25. I too have this problem but I already know why, I have Grandmal Seizures which has another name called Tonic Clonic full body seizures. My Epilepsy my entire brain is involved and stress and I have in so niacin as well and when I have these it like you have been startled awake that is the best way to explain it a startling feeling.

    • Hi Annette,

      So for you it is part of a bigger problem. I didn’t quite understand what you meant about Niacin though. And yes, a startling feeling is a good description.

      Regards
      Ethan

  26. Cayenne pepper tea (there are tons of recipes on the Internet but the simplest half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder in hot water like tea, you can also add a dash of cinnamon or some lemon juice or a green tea bag) helped me last night get over hypnic jerks. Cayenne pepper is WONDERFUL for your heart, blood pressure and circulation, which I’d recently read about, so I started drinking this cayenne pepper tea.

    Last night, after a stressful day, I had gone to bed, only to be woken by hypnic jerks which I haven’t had for a while – and yes, they’re annoying.

    Anyway I thought – hang on, maybe cayenne pepper tea can help! So I made some, drank it, and then went to bed.

    Well, I couldn’t believe it – after one or two tiny tiny jerks, much weaker than before, I fell asleep! Sure, I woke up two or three hours later to empty a full bladder from the tea, but went straight back to bed and fell asleep straight away!

    Anyway this is my theory but it worked beautifully for me last night – first thing that ever has, although I’ve simply ignored hypnic jerks in the last as they eventually went away, although until now I’ve never had a remedy for it.

    Anyway might be worth a shot for all the sufferers here – if it helps you, I’ll be most pleased.

    Cayenne pepper tea also AWESOME to drink first thing in the morning and much better than regular teas or coffees. Sure the pepper is hot, but really it is very mild and the mild burning sensation disappears very quickly.

    Good luck and pleasant sleeping

    Alex

    • Hi Alex

      Thanks for your comment and the information about Cayenne pepper tea. Someone else recently suggested it too. I’m not sure that it sounds like something I would personally like to try, but I know there are lots of readers who are interested in trying things which might help them.

      The most important thing though is that you found something which helps you. Hopefully it will continue that way!

      Regards
      Ethan

  27. I am so glad to have found this website.
    I am now 81 and quite young in every way for my age. (I say this not to brag but to give a health picture of parents who recently died at 94 (father) and almost 102 (mother) — with nary a wrinkle on her face — and of natural causes in the latter.
    It started 10 years ago when I traveled to Italy (I am a very poor traveler — my body fights it tooth and nail). I was very tired when we finally arrived at the hotel and was told to take a nap before dinner. I was jolted from sleep by what I thought was probably a heart attack and panicked. Eventually, it subsided but I felt ill enough that I really didn’t even want dinner and drinks at a fine restaurant nearby.
    Fast forward to several years ago when I took a nap in the afternoon (something very rare for me — I hardly ever do it) and jumped up with that horrible jolt thinking I was dying.
    Then nothing happened for several more years till maybe 6 months ago when it happened again in my home at night (usually I fall asleep quite easily with no problems). My heart was racing and blood pressure was so dangerously high that we went to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. They discovered that I was dehydrated and very short of potassium and everything was okay again. (I had drunk 2 martinis that evening earlier).
    I am now on Toprol at night and mild diuretic (Dyazide) and everything so far has been superb. Blood pressure perfect and feeling fine.
    That is until it happened again last week and I was convinced I was dying. Completely disoriented, shaking, teeth chattering — the whole 9 yards. Took blood pressure which was off the wall but slowly as I meditated and calmed myself down I was okay but tired and the numbers went down.
    It happened 2 nights ago again and now I thought perhaps it might have been a stroke. My vision was hazy, I was shaking out of control with my teeth chattering, and of course I thought I was dying on the spot, and blood pressure as usual shot up quite high. I did all the usual tests for stroke, held my arms up just fine, no slurring of words, etc.
    These death-like jolts that have invaded my body are extremely frightening and ruin the next day from exhaustion.
    My doctor saw me yesterday, did all blood work and EKG which came back perfectly, and assured me that when I’d had a car accident almost 2 years ago I had a Cat scan which came back fine.
    She is now sending me to a neurologist who handles things like hypnic jerk.
    The thing is, now that I have been given a complete clean bill of health (her words, “you’re as healthy as a horse”) I think my anxiety level will drop.
    Last night, with help from Ativan which she insisted I take temporarily (I hate taking any drugs) I got 8 hours of perfect, uninterrupted sleep. Hooray!
    My suspicions are that it is exacerbated by 3 possible things besides occasional stress:
    1) overtiredness
    2) dehydration (I couldn’t drink enough water the other night. I downed 3 pint sized bottles practically in a row)
    3) drinking martini’s or wine in a restaurant and not covering with equal amounts of water. (I am only a social drinker — usually weekend only)
    At least one thing I know, when these bouts happen to me (and I guess I am going to have to live with them as so little is known about them) I won’t have to panic as before when they come up and will learn how to minimize the fears of heart attack, stroke or brain tumor, with breathing exercise and bringing down my blood pressure.
    If this story has helped anyone else, I am grateful.
    Thanks for listening.

    • Hi Pepper,

      Thank you for sharing your story with us, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve been through so many scary experiences. It must be unpleasant to go through so many where you think you are dying. I’m very glad that you’ve managed to find a way to deal with hypnic jerks and stay calm about it.
      I think your suspicions are quite possibly right. Other people have said that over-tiredness and alcohol makes it worse. And I can believe that staying hydrated can also help.
      It would be good to hear what the neurologist has to say about the hypnic jerks, if you have the time to come back and tell us.
      Thanks again for the ideas, which I am sure other readers will appreciate.
      Take care
      Ethan

  28. I get these once every month or so but recently, I have been waking up feeling like I’m about to lose my breath. It happens for an hour or two but then I finally fall asleep. I have become scared of going to sleep because these events scare me. I don’t if these are the same thing but hopefully you can let me know, thanks!

    • Hi Robbie

      It’s impossible to say from your description, and not my place to diagnose here. My advice for anyone experiencing any kind of breathing issues when sleeping is always to talk to your family doctor just to be sure there isn’t a sleep-related breathing disorder behind it. It could be that you are simply experiencing hypnic jerks, but it’s always a good idea to get yourself checked out if breathing is affected.
      Regards
      Ethan

  29. I would recommend relaxation meditations shortly before going to sleep. If one is really bothered by these muscle jolts, a nice hot shower before doing the meditation should really help. The only time I am bothered by these jolts is when I am under a lot of stress due to excessive responsibility demands. I’m sure stress due to anxiety/fears would increase the occurrence and intensity. I’ve found that limiting sugar intake helps and also not eating dinner too close to bedtime also helps because we may be tired and ready to sleep but the big meal has given the body work to do. Eat bananas also, they’re loaded with potassium.

    • Hi Justine

      Thanks for the comment and the practical advice. I am sure some readers will find your suggestions useful. I removed the commercial link to purchase meditation mps though. We cover this on another part of the site.
      Regards
      Ethan

  30. Hi, ive been experiencing this for 18 months now, i have at least 4 or 5 jerks before i can actually fall asleep, it happen’s even if i’m sitting up, every single night is the same!! once im awake i have to focus on something to stop the falling sensation,its horrible and either one arm jolts or both my legs kick out. im shattered most mornings because of this.

    • Hi Suzie,

      Sorry to hear you’ve been having problems and such disrupted sleep due to hypnic jerks. Hopefully you will have found some practical ideas in this article and the many suggestions from other readers.
      All the best
      Ethan

  31. I’m 24yrs old iv had these hypnic jerks since I was a kid. Had one last night. What has me curious to why it happened seems to make little sense, me and my brother who is a year older were talking about lucid dreaming about a hour before sleeping and having that been in my mind, I think my body was trying to going into sleep paralysis and my hypnic jerk was a signal my brain sent to my body to make sure I was asleep. After having that jerk my mind and body are on the defensive and I always feel like someone is about to attack me or something is wrong and I always have to turn lights on to ease my mind and to make sure everythings ok. I am going to test my theory tonight and have the same conversation with my brother to see if I can trigger the jerk!

    • Hi Scott,

      Thanks for sharing your theory, and it’s always interesting to hear about people’s own thoughts on the topic and the experiments they do. I know it was a while since you posted this (I have a massive backlog of comments to get through!) but it would be interesting to hear from you again with any follow-up to your theory testing.
      Regards,
      Ethan

  32. this is quite embarassing when in public transport. at times while falling asleep in the bus, these jerks have happened, almost resulting in hurting the passenger sitting next to me … i have always wondered what these jerks meant until i saw an article in our local newspaper.

    Suva, Fiji Islands

    • Hi Tawake,

      I know exactly what you mean, having had exactly the same experience on an underground train! It was very embarrassing indeed.
      But I put it down to my head slumping forwards and putting my neck in an uncomfortable position, and so then ‘snapping’ out of it.
      Regards
      Ethan

  33. Hi…reading the whole website..
    hypnic jerks.. It shouldn’t have occurred to me..because sleep is the only medicine Im using for the past 10 yrs along with hypnosis to control my bad migraine and fibromyalgia.
    now these jerks have ruined my medicine..the sleep..
    I get severe daily headaches and body pain at 3 pm I’ll sleep to get rid of it.

    now I can’t sleep for the past one yr.. Immediately diagnosed as hypnic jerks ..i was on .75 clonaxepam per day..things. Were fine.. After 4 months gradually reduced dosage. Once again unable to sleep especially 3 pm.. Doc made .25 tds.. But I skipped the night dose because I found the most difficult thing is to sleep in afternoon without which I cannot live.
    things were better 70 percent…now I halved the morning dose along with .25 afternoon.. and nothing at night.. Things were going good.. Once I had sex with my wife for more than 30 min. 30 min is unusual..rare…. I can feel that cardiac workout.. Since then may be 3 weeks now.. Only 50 percent nights are good and same with noon sleep also.. The horrible thing is I always tell my neuro that I m ok at night..still experimenting every day and night..

    well hypnotherapy does the job once Im awaken from these jerks to get back to sleep.
    but sometimes it causes forced sleep which induces repeated jerks esp at nights.
    I wanna get rid of clonazepam now on .125
    and sleep deep for just one hour afternoon.
    nights I not tensed much because I do hypnosis in the morning and sleep for 30 min which allows me work in the morning .

    • Hi Rafiq

      Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience. Have you thought about talking to your neurologist about exactly what is happening, but also saying what you do or do not want to take in terms of medication? In my opinion, it’s better to be open about it, so you can at least get advice based on the full picture. Then it’s your choice whether to accept that advice or not.
      It’s good that you’ve found some help from hypnotherapy. Hopefully you can continue to find the right balance between less medication and more help from other things like hypnotherapy.
      All the best
      Ethan

  34. I have been experiencing hypic jerks since childhood and whenever I used to share it with someone people used to laugh at me. Whenever I dream myself standing on stairs or climbing it these hypnic jerks occur to me. Earliar when I was a kid I used to think that this is a sign or something that in future I am gonna die falling from stairs…funny but ya these dreams used to compel me to think that way!

    • Hi Deepshikha,

      Thanks for your comment, and I imagine you’re far from the first person to have such thoughts. Dreams are funny things indeed, but fortunately they aren’t known to be very accurate at predicting the future!
      Regards,
      Ethan

  35. Hi Ethan, nice sharing..

    I hope I could read more about the other comments to gain more knowledge, but I’m not very good with English, it tires me to read too much.

    Here my sharing,

    I’m a dentistry student, and got so many friends studied medical course, I’ve asking them, and some told me, its happen more common than I thought and they’ve learn it in their studies. But I couldn’t ask more because we student don’t really care about small things in the book (I’m ashamed of myself).

    Also, it’s not bother me before, because it rarely happen to me, and I’ve a diseased little brother that common with it. But we just thought it is due to his epilepsy. Regarding of the earlier comment from Clucker, I found myself to enjoy the twitching thing while sleeping with my lil bro, it help me to sleep easily. (weird enough)

    But recently I’m started to get this Hypnic jerk frequently at my neck to head. It felt like I’m twisting my head slightly and unconciously.

    I didn’t know what actually causing it. I didn’t take caffein, or do some extensive muscle work, or even get distress. I sleep in a good position and having a good bed place. But it still occur both during fall asleep and wake in the morning.

    In my memory, this problem comes after I finished my final exam a couple weeks ago. I’m too relaxed, too boring, and my only activity is watching some anime in seat or lie position ( maybe cause muscle numbness???). Also, I’ve some sleep disorder problem because of the weather changes. I can only sleep before 9 pm, or never at night, after that I’ll sleep after 8 am. I think I got insomnia, because when I told to myself, relax, don’t thinking about anything, and go to sleep, it make my brain start to work again and make me hard to sleep. In this cases, my body already tired, but my eyes won’t sleep. So here, the half conscious state occur, and the Hypnic jerk comes once or several time until got sleep.

    Btw, I only assume, if I’m correct, this problem will disappears if I’m not in the state of half conscious and my muscle got relaxed. So I’ll try some of relaxation technique that you’ve shared if it help me.

    • Hi Nur

      Thank you for sharing your story of hypnic jerks. It’s interesting that you have spent time analyzing various different things which could be causing it. Perhaps you are one of those people who needs to tire out both your body and mind to be able to sleep well. If you have an inactive lifestyle, then maybe doing something to change that, as well as the relaxation techniques could help.
      I’d be very interested to hear if you have any joy with the relaxation techniques you decide to try. Feel free to come back and let me, and other readers, know what works or not.
      Regards
      Ethan

  36. Hi i have been experiencing hypnic jerks for about 5 years, i try to sleep in a nice and peaceful dream state and alter breathing to reduce heart rate, i have bad circulation and usually try to get to sleep on my side but when i go to sleep on my back i get a feeling of paralysis and cant move, i get a head buzz and then a jerk to come out of the sensation, i get the feeling i just dont know what would happen if one day the jerk wouldn’t come its like a trance and a abnormal weird feeling that im not in control of my body and im holding on to my mind by a thread in a split second a jerk and im like what the heck was that all about. I have self medicated with cannabis and heroin to help me relax and sleep on a night so that my mind is not in a state of worry as i have never had much luck in life currently homeless and worrying about not seeing my kids, family, friends, and nowhere to live, stress and worry are definitely a part of hypnic jerks if you can alleviate the worry and stress by whatever means then you can sleep easy, money for me would partly be the answer but i cant work due to a bad car crash so im stuck in a hole and my jerks are getting worse the doctors have prescribed me metazipine 15mg to help sleep on a night but i still get jerks so i dont know what would help, im also taking gabapenting 300mg every 4 hours and subitex 6mg a day for heroin detox. You cant solve all you problems and plan to change the world at night but if you have a plan for the day it does help also coping with time, time for me goes slow but my brain goes quick, i have adhd and like using cannabis and heroin as it brings my mind down to a level where i can concentrate, if not i get panicky and anxious, i have tried citalipram, ducloxetine, trazadone, sertraline, mertrazipine. I did like the ducloxetine in made me feel like i had take amphetamines but i was relaxed and could cope with the day with a warm tingly welcoming feeling but trying to sleep on a night with the jerks was worse so i stopped taking ducloxetine, all the others apart from metrazipine made me feel even more anxious and stressed. I write alot of things down a trait of adhd but i want to do so much with my life but cant and that’s what i cant change until im free from all drugs so im going to detox from my subitex and try ibogaine treatment.

    • Hi Tom,

      Thank you for sharing your story here. And I’m sorry to hear that you’re not able to do what you want to in life at the moment. I actually worked in the homelessness sector for some time in London, so I have some understanding of the issues which I imagine you have been facing.
      As you probably well know, the cocktail of drugs and medication that you’ve been taking can have a massive range of effects on the body and mind, and so it’s very difficult to isolate whether something like hypnic jerks is being made worse by any one thing or another, or better even.
      I’d like to wish you the best of luck, and strength of mind, on your detox. It’s not an easy thing to do, and brave of anyone to undertake the task of coming off either Heroin or one of the drugs which is supposed to help you come off that, such as Subutex. I think few people would understand how it can be difficult to do both, and are surprised when they find out that it can be hard to wean yourself off the very medication which was designed to help in the first place.
      I’m sure if you keep your dreams in the forefront of your mind, you’ll manage to accomplish them. I’ve seen many people move from being homeless and having nothing to creating whole new lives for themselves.
      I hope you manage to do the same:-)
      Warm regards,
      Ethan

  37. Hello everyone …just wanted to let you know that for those with the restless leg syndrome….that when I get it I automatically rub my legs with “RUB-A535 ANTIPHLOGISTINE ULTRA HEAT ” as it works like a charm….no medication needed…GOOD LUCK…CAUSE IT WORKS..!!

  38. I am 46, and have had hypnic jerks off and on for the past year. They used to happen in my legs, but have mainly occurred in my abdomen area just under my rib cage lately. I also have restless leg syndrome (legs move randomly during sleep and occasionally kick, sometimes get calf and toe cramps while sleeping) that started about five years ago. I also have BFS (benign fascilation syndrome) which is a constant twitching, which has been around for about 10 years but got much worse about 2 years. In my case, my BFS resides mainly in my calfs (they very lightly twitch 24/7 and is visible). Sometimes it moves to other parts of my legs, arms and my eyes – but thankfully not very often. Have been to a neurologist who did the tests and basically said she couldn’t find anything serious. We tried a couple medications but they didn’t do anything, so I stopped them. My hypnic jerks only happen when I’m trying to fall asleep, and sometimes its just once and sometimes it happens 10 times or more before I finally fall asleep for good. For me, they tend to be much worse if I am drinking lots of caffeine and not sleeping enough. Stress probably is a bit of a factor, but for me, not getting enough sleep causes all my symptoms to get worse. I hope everyone that suffers with this can find the thing or things that allow them to function and get through the tough periods – for me, its lots of rest and to remind myself that while annoying, its not serious. As soon as I do that, the symptoms tend to get better or go away for a little while – the mind is a powerful tool for both the good and the bad…

    • Hi Chappy

      Thank you for leaving your comment and sharing your story. I think you are absolutely right in your last statement about the mind. I have read countless comments from readers on various articles here which appear to truly demonstrate the power of the mind to both overcome, and make things worse.

      I also think you’re right about things like hypnic jerks getting worse (for some people) if you are tired. The difficult thing being that getting to that state of not being tired when you have experiences which can make you tired can be tricky!

      Have you tried any relaxation, meditation or other techniques to help deal with stress etc?

      Regards,
      Ethan

  39. Thank goodness I have now learned about sleep paralysis.
    For almost 4 years now I have been absolutely positive that I was the victim of actual demons attacking me. It was “that real”
    I was at a friends holiday home in Spain with my partner and my dad and his wife. My mother had died 2 months previous which had prompted me on this evening to not waste life and ask my partner to marry me, she said yes, we had a lovely celebration champagne a lovely meal etc etc.
    when we went to bed all was good.
    Until I awoke shortly after, I was being held down to the bed by demons on both sides of me, they were screaming very loudly in my hear, it was a growly but human voice, they were screaming at me to shut up, swearing and shouting loudly. they also kept shouting at me to keep my head straight and not look at them, which I did as I thought they were going to kill me, I was absolutely terrified. Although I never looked at them I could see their scaly and boney hands holding me down and I could see their black eyeballs and pointed faces at the corner of my eyes. They were everything I believe a demon to be, I was overcome by this enormous feeling of evil presence, it was religious. it was as though the devil was standing in the room although I am not religious at all.
    my mum who had died previously was standing at the bottom of the bed crying her eyes out apologizing to me over and over again, she was saying that it was her fault, and that her coming to see me had brought the demons through. I was trying to tell her I was ok and it wasn’t her fault and not to worry but the demons beside me just wouldn’t let me speak. Every time I tried they shouted louder right in my ear for me to shut up. my partner witnessed it and she said the terror in my face was like nothing she has ever seen. after about 2 mins my mum just vanished and the demons let go and wooshed out the door to the balcony as a shadowy figure rather than fully figured. instantly I could move again.
    As I said previously this was real, every detail was real, it wasn’t vague but I just could not decifer if I was asleep or awake when it all occurred, it was both, I was asleep I know I was, but I was awake, I know that for certain too. What I have learned today about SP makes it all sensible now. I now understand what happened and now best of all I know my mum won’t be feeling bad wherever she is that she brought the demons and terrified me. thanks for alerting me to all of this

    • Hi Scott

      Thank you for your comment and sharing your story with us. What a thing to experience on what should have been an amazing night! I wonder perhaps if the combination of grief (sorry for your loss), happiness at the proposal, and a little bit of alcohol, may have been the trigger sending your mind a little haywire. But there’s of course no knowing.
      Hopefully you won’t experience this again, and I’m really pleased to hear that you can find some peace about your mum having read the article.
      Regards
      Ethan

  40. Hi Ethan, I really like your site. I am 52 years old. For many years, I have occasional body jerks right when falling asleep, nothing bothersome. During the past few months, I have jerks with uttering noises (a hiccup, shout, deep breath, speaking, even laughing). The noises and jerking are now 4-6 times EVERY NIGHT before finally sleeping. I was calling it Sleep Tourette’s. Highly annoying. Sometimes, it feels like my whole body is convulsing at this moment, as well. Also, the past 2 years, I have been occasionally stuttering when anxious, like words were getting physically stuck in my throat, while awake, standing up, talking to someone. I didn’t connect those 2 things until Googling the symptoms. 2 months ago, I retired from a non-stop-stress job. Still experiencing the jerks/noises 4-6 times EVERY night, even naps. I’m tired. :(

    • Hi Abbey

      Thank you for the compliment. It’s always great to hear that people like the site:-)
      I imagine you were a bit disappointed that retiring from the job didn’t deal with them. But 2 months is still a relatively short period of time in my opinion. Over a year ago I left an extremely stressful job, and had been experiencing some physical symptoms of stress. It several months before they calmed down completely. And to be honest it was only when I went away for a few weeks and actively tried to relax more that it really started to reduce.
      So maybe taking some real relaxing time out could help you too. It’s worth a shot!
      All the best
      Ethan

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