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.

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

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. Sorry for possible misspelling. I’m Dutch…
    In my case I experienced hypnic jerks for a period of two weeks and also awakening around 3 AM. The hypnic jerks obstructed my sleep. One night I had zero sleep.
    It was not traceable. I had not changed my lifestyle. I did not have any problems I knew off. However, I took Pantoprazole (40 mg per day) against reflux for more than two years. After some research on this subject it became clear that absorption of magnesium, calcium, zinc, Vit b and probably more elements and vitamins are inhibited by this medicine. These are essential for a good rest and sleep. At this moment I have halved the dose Pantoprazole en took daily 400 mg magnesium supplements (oxide and citrate). Also vit b. I have done this for about a week now (Tuesday February 24, 2015). I only have a very light hypnic jerk thereafter. I get a good sleep until 4 AM. Then I still wake and cannot get to sleep. I am going to stop this medicine complete and see if it changes my situation. However, consult your doctor before making any big changes.
    If you read this, I really hope this works for you because I know sleep problems are horrible. Best of luck. Rob

    • Hi Rob,

      Thank you for your comment, and the spelling is very good!
      It’s interesting that you describe another possible scenario where reduced magnesium and calcium levels may have contributed to your hypnic jerks. It will be even more interesting to find out what happens when you stop the Pantoprazole. If you have a moment to pop back and let us know, that would be very helpful.
      Hopefully it will help, and you’ll be able to start getting some decent, restful sleep again. And your advice about consulting a doctor before discontinuing medication is very wise.
      Regards
      Ethan

  2. I have had this hypnic jerk for about 4 years now. I’ve had this once before for a couple of months but stopped for a year without me knowing how. It all started again when I had a panic attack and I managed that and it still remained. it’s been 3 weeks since I’ve started on cal mag and it doesn’t stop it completely but it doesn’t entail the anxiety that comes afterwards so it’s a good thing. I’m still trying to figure out my dose since I often get diarrhea and I find when I’m having diarrhea for a couple of days I have it worse. calcium magnesium surely helps. Nice article. very useful. Thanks Ethan! I will follow this definitely and lets help each other out to cure this or manage it never the less.

    • Hi reno,

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear you’ve had problems with hypnic jerks. And panic attacks can be very unpleasant indeed!
      You’re right in that getting the dose is right, as diarrhea can be a side effect, so hopefully with some experimenting you’ll get it right eventually.
      I’m glad you liked the article, and feel free to stay in touch and come back any time you like.
      Regards
      Ethan

    • Try “Benefiber”. A gastro doctor recommended that to me when I was taking medication that contained magnesium stearate. Benefiter is available at Walmart.

  3. I see many saying these are harmless . I do not think so . When you cannot sleep that is not harmless . I also now after dealing with these for 2 straight years no longer believe they are from anxiety but rather they are physical . Medications can trigger them for sure and make them worse . Mine started when I began testosterone therapy and I have stopped and started this therapy 4 times now and each time I stopped I have had hypnic jerks for exactly 4 months after discontinuation . I am certain there is a hormonal component with me and would not be surprised if it was with most or many others .

    • Hi Mark,

      Thanks for your comment. I can understand your point about hypnic jerks not being harmless, if the reduction of your sleep quality is then causing you problems. What is meant though is that they in themselves are not a sign of an actual condition which is causing you damage. I guess it’s a point of view debate which you could rightly argue either way.
      I think you’re right in that there can be a physical cause, and this is not disputed. It’s just that anxiety is known to be a trigger for many people and makes them worse. That doesn’t necessarily rule out other causes though, such as is possibly the case for you.
      If you’ve noticed such a clear pattern in reducing the hormone therapy and having hypnic jerks, then there’s a good chance you’re right. But even if it is for you, that doesn’t mean the same idea can be applied to most others!
      Anyway, the important thing for you is that you find a way to deal with them whilst still having any treatment you need and want. Hopefully the ideas in this article will have provided you with some new ideas you could try out next time.
      All the best
      Ethan

  4. I started not sleeping over a month ago. I had a cold and didn’t sleep. Since then I haven’t been able to sleep because I have the jerk reaction everyone I try to fall asleep. I have anxiety now severely i’m guessing from sleep deprivation. The doctors say I have depression and anxiety disorder, but prior to all of this I slept and felt decent. I only get a couple hours here and there even the temazapam can’t break this. My muscles are so sore and tired. I feel like Im losing my mind but I know if I could just sleep I’d be better. I’m so hopeless idk how much longer I can do this. The doctors just think im crazy when I tell them I jerk and can’t fall asleep. Help!

    • Hi Melanie,

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m very sorry to hear you’ve been having such difficulty in coping with all those things. It sounds like it could well be hypnic jerks. I’m surprised the doctors don’t know about hypnic jerks! Have you told them what you think it is exactly, using the medical name of hypnic jerks?
      The main thing is to try to find a way to accept that it’s a normal, and harmless occurrence. As you’ll see from all the comments here, you’re most definitely not alone or weird for having them!
      How you cope is going to be something only you can decide. You can try some of the techniques here suggested by other readers. In your case I would strongly recommend looking into doing anything which is relaxing, calming or soothing. Pamper yourself before going to bed, do things you enjoy and find calming. I know it can be hard to find the motivation to do so if you feel depressed and anxious, but if you can take some small steps towards doing positive things, it might really help. In many cases, self-help can be much more effective than medical help!
      All the best
      Ethan

    • Hi Melanie; You’re experiencing the same thing I am. My hypnic jerks started several months ago but I had already been dealing with insomnia most of the time for 2 yrs prior. I’ve also developed restless legs off and on and snapping noise in my head as I’m starting to drift off. It seems to all tie in together. The head noise could be from my tinnitis but doesn’t happen every night. I recommend you see a neurologist type of doctor. That’s what I did when my internist seemed to disregard my description of jerking awake repetitively. (However, she did check my blood for iron and ferritin and magnesium levels.) My neurologist prescribed Clonazepam which really does help. It’s a “benzo” so I’m taking the minimum recommended dosage of .5 mg when it says I can take up to 1 mg. It does settle down the jerking and snapping noise and helps me sleep deeper and longer. Sometimes the TV helps me fall asleep in my recliner so I don’t need the Clonazepam every night. Like I said, the internist did check my iron and ferritin levels. Iron levels are mid range but ferritin level of 22 is the very low end range of normal. My own research reveals that low ferritin (iron stores) can cause what my neurologist calls “myoclonic jerks” or “sleep starts”. It can also cause restless legs syndrome along with the jerks. Another doctor I saw who specializes in hormone replacement and nutrition prescribed “Ferralet 90” iron tabs to help bring up my ferritin level. This could take several months but I’m hoping it will solve the ongoing jerking and insomnia so I can eventually wean off clonazepam. Lunesta has also helped me get to sleep and stay asleep longer. I recently started taking a Cal-Mag supplement as recommended by the nutrition doctor.

  5. Sorry for all the predictive typos. I meant to say run down (not running) and rather than hypnotic state, hypnagogic state.

  6. Hi, I have read all these comments and found them all so interesting, so I hope my experiences will add a little light.

    I have had these starts since I was very young up to now (I am 48). They nearly always occur only when I am running down, or if I try to sleep at an irregular time, like napping in the afternoon.

    I lie down, letting my mind drift of and suddenly (it takes only a second) I have this terrible feeling that I am dying and I therefore need to jerk myself awake to survive. It’s like when you try to escape from a bad dream, or even lucid dreaming, which I have been able to do.

    When I awake it is with a trtremendous jolt and gasp of air which I feel at that moment has been my subconscious need to survive.

    I do have various health problems including atrial fibrillation, and as I said before these episodes usually occurs when I am running down (mineral and vitamin deficienct?).

    Lastly, I read somewhere that there is a theory that during this hypnotic state, to an unsettled mind the sensation of falling asleep is the same as that of dying, and so the “self” fights to survive, hence the gasp for air. But I will stress that in all of my experiences without exception is have felt a desperate need to fight imminent death.

    Anyway, super article and site, very reassuring knowing I’m not alone.

    Cheers

    • Hi Angusmoo,

      Thanks for your comment. How long did it take you read all the comment?? I think you’re right in that it often gets worse when feeling run-down, or sleeping with some break from the normal routine.
      I’m not sure about the self fighting for survival though! My personal feeling is that our brain, and self, is smart enough to know when it’s falling asleep or dying.
      That said, if that’s the feeling that you personally get, then I guess that’s something perhaps to look into a bit more. Maybe it’s somehow connected to worries you have? But you’re not alone in that though, in any case. I know many people find it very unsettling, and also have the feeling that something serious is happening, as opposed to the harmless hypnic jerk that it probably is.
      Anyway, I hope you found something useful in the article, and perhaps as you suggest, if it is a deficiency, you could try and boost those minerals and see if it helps.
      All the best

      Ethan

  7. Last night I experienced this ALL NIGHT LONG. I didn’t even ever fall asleep. I must have Did this jerk thing about 700 times. No joke. I don’t think I ever was able to fall asleep without jerking right before. What the hell was that about?

    • Hi Kristina

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you had such a horrible night. That does sound like an extreme amount of times to have hypnic jerks. Hopefully it was a one-off, with a reason you may never know. But I would say if it continues with the same intensity tonight or in the future, you might want to talk to your doctor just to rule out anything else other than harmless hypnic jerks.
      All the besT
      Ethan

  8. Hi,

    I started getting hyping jerks when I was 18 – 25 years ago….the first time it happened, I was so scared that I stayed up all night as I thought I was going to die! Since then, they have increased in both frequency and severity. Now, I get them every night, my whole body jerks, I gasp and scream and this can happen from just a couple of times a night to over 20. I saw a new doctor yesterday who said the word ‘hypnagogic”, I came home, looked it up and have finally found a name for this horrible condition. I have been prescribed amitriptyline as I also get the hallucinations (usually a red hand coming over the side of my bed!). My doctor seems to be heading down the narcoleptic route.
    These attacks are scary and sometimes hurt as they are so violent – I have even filmed myself which is interesting. It seems the more tired I am, the worse they are – other than that, there is no set pattern. I have tried all sorts to try to overcome it but so far, nothing.
    I am pleased (sort of) that there are people out there who also get this and I’m not alone.
    Best wishes
    Lou

    • Hi Lou,

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear you’ve been troubled by these sleep disturbances for so long. Interesting that your doctor is talking about narcolepsy – do you fall asleep during the day at unwanted times too? And did they rule out any apnea type sleep disorders, as you mention gasping.
      It’s interesting that you filmed yourself. Does it appear that you move as much on the video as you feel like you do when having hypnic jerks?
      Hopefully you’ll get some peace though when your doctor has identified exactly what you have.
      You’re definitely not alone!
      All the best
      Ethan

  9. i am a 27 year old male with chronic asthma and i have been experiencing hypnic jerks even with being in comfortable positions and fully asleep and the hypnic jerks i have had have made me bounce like that of someone going flatilined and having their heart being shocked to beating again i dont have sleep apnea at all and also recently i been having issues of trying to fal asleep at night it just doesnt happen anymore so now i sleep at 3am til whenever i wake up because ive gotten so used to sleeping in the day its like my comforting sleep time

    • Hi Jai,

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry you’ve been having such dramatic-sounding hypnic jerks.Hopefully you’ll find something in the article you can try to see if you can reduce the intensity or frequency. I can understand the shift in your sleep pattern, but maybe in the future you can slowly bring your sleep pattern back to what you would most like, especially if you manage to get a grip on the hypnic jerks.
      Regards
      Ethan

  10. I was not able to read through all of the comments, so I don’t know if anyone else has had a similar experience to mine. I became ill about 3 years ago. It turns out that I most likely have a severe allergic condition called MCAD (MCAD), as well as joint pain caused by inflammatory arthritis. The allergic reactions cause severe abdominal pain. In addition to other medications, I take several sedating meds: anti-histamines, pain medications- opioids and canaboids (Hydromirphone and nabilone), as well as clonidine (I am working on tapering off the Hydromirphone.). I have hypnic jerks that at times are so bad that I simply cannot sleep. Without a doubt, the more sedated/fatigued I am, the worse they are. I have found that two things help. The first is caffeine. A cup if coffee right before bed, and I would be off to sleep in minutes. The other thing that helps is sleeping in a recliner. I also went from ~2 hour chunks of sleep to ~6 hour chunks. I have not have a sleep study, yet, but I am assuming that I have some form of apnea (I am overweight, in my 40’s). It also feels to me like I am gasping for air as I startle awake. Thank-you for doing research in this area. Hypnic jerks definitely not ‘harmless’ for me. On one hand, it’s a vital protective mechanism (in my case anyway. Breathing is kinda important, and I think it’s good to have a warning system) It means that I have to sleep in a recliner in the living room, instead of our bed, and I’m pretty sure that sleeping in a recliner for 6 hours is better than sleeping in a bed for two, but sleeping in a bed for 6 hours would be even better…

    • Hi Karen,

      Thank you for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having such a torrid time sleeping. I would definitely recommend getting yourself checked out for apnea if you’re having breathing problems in your sleep. It could be that dealing with that helps the jerks you experience.
      I would also suggest telling your doctor about the jerking, and ask if any of your meds could be contributing to it. For example, some anti-histamines have been reported by other readers to make them much worse.
      All the best
      Ethan

    • I have had that gasping upon arousal for 2 years now along with jerks. It is NOT sleep apnea. Seems like it would be but it is not. I am on a CPAP and I can turn it all the way up and still gasp. It is an arousal of some sort. It is maddening.

  11. I have been experiencing these jerks more frequently the last two years. I am 52 and my husband says I had them since the 80s. I have anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and snore. Everyday my sinus seems to clog up and i feel like i have a sore throat, my tonsils cut off airway when I sleep and blow my nose. I am seeing a Therapist for the anxiety. Today I had a mild attack in the bank. Everything started closing in on me, I started shaking and wanted to bolt out of there. I was on the verge of collapsing but held onto the pillars marking the line for next teller. I was still shaking while I talked with my Therapist. By the end of my appointment I was feeling a lot better. On the nights I can’t sleep I take half a zanax and I am positive the apnea and jerks don’t bother my sleep. My Therapist tells me I may need to get a sleep apnea test and hormone test due to my age. It has been 5 years since being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, take Paxil 2x a day. My goal is to be free if all medications.

    • Hi Genie,

      Thank for your comment, and that sounds like a very unpleasant experience in the bank. I do hope you manage to overcome the anxiety with the help of the therapist. It sounds like it could have been a panic attack, which is a horrible thing to go through.
      I would definitely also recommend speaking to your doctor to check if you have apnea, and if so what you need to do to manage it. And hopefully you will have found something useful in the article to try and reduce the hypnic jerks.
      All the best
      Ethan

      • Hi Genie; You’ve been doing like me, which is seeing the wrong type of doctors who prescribe meds to treat symptoms. (I’m a few years older than you). They didn’t get to the root cause of my hypnic (or myoclonic) jerks, etc. My other symptoms include ongoing insomnia and restless legs syndrome and sometimes numbness forearms. I’d also been getting the tremors at night off and on. I just recently saw an MD who is also a GYN and nutrition doctor. She prescribed 400 mg of magnesium since it’s hard to get enough from diet alone, sometimes even if you’re on a diet of whole organic foods. So I’ve been taking a Cal-Mag supplement. I rub magnesium oil on my lower legs which provides some relaxing relief. I’m also taking vitamin D3 (with vitamin K) supplement since my blood test shows deficiency. I also have low ferritin (iron stores) so she prescribed “Ferralet 90”, a tablet consisting of fiber, vitamin c and vitamin b12. She said I’m in beginning stage of being anemic. She also tests hormones levels and prescribes a light dose of bioidentical hormones if necessary. She’s also testing my melatonin and cortisol levels, that’s a saliva test. Sleeping with your head elevated (like a hospital bed) can help your breathing. I just got one and think it’s helping already. Like you, I’ve been taking a low does of a “benzo” but not zanax. They do help but are just another band aid fix. A wide variety of healthy foods (grass fed beef and organic produce if you can afford it) and consistent exercise may be all some people on here need, especially if you’re younger. I’ve been told that meditation or yoga can help too if you’re under too much stress.

        • Hi Sylvia,

          Thanks for this comment. I won’t reply any further as you have addressed this directly to the other reader. I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to give your advice in case they aren’t following the thread.
          Regards
          Ethan

      • Genie, oops, I meant to say that the “Ferralet 90” tablets are an iron with the additives to help with absorption, etc. Anyway, you’ve been suffering for way too long. I’ve been trying to get the right help for ongoing insomnia and nerve disorders for over 2 yrs now and just recently came across doctors who ran more extensive blood tests. A lot can be checked by saliva tests too which I think comes from alternative medicine. I plan to get off my “Benzo” fix which is a light dose of Clonazopam. It was prescribed to me by a neurologist and it does help for now.

  12. Hello! I just wanted to leave a comment here to say that I, too, had been getting hypnic jerks when trying to sleep, and during April of 2014, I couldn’t sleep for almost 3 days straight because they were so bad. For a while, I used Ambien to get to sleep, but I didn’t want to use it long term, so I took the advice of others here to try magnesium. I no longer am having the jerks! I don’t know if it’s due to a deficiency or if it’s even a placebo effect, but I’ll take it either way. :) I have been taking one pill usually every other night, only started about a week ago. So far so good! I hope others are able to take care of this problem, as it’s maddening. I told my doctor about it, and they had absolutely no clue what I was talking about.

    • Hi Kaiserin,

      Thank you very much for your comment. It’s a particularly valuable comment because you are one of the first readers to say that you tried magnesium on the back of the advice from readers here and that it has worked. That makes me really happy to hear, as it gives me a feeling that the community which has developed in the comments on this article is making a difference to people’s lives. And that’s probably the best thing I could hope for:-)
      So thank you once again, and I hope others also find some help through the advice of previous readers. And of course that you continue to not be bothered by hypnic jerks.
      All the best
      Ethan

  13. I’m going to try a regular sleep schedule as best I can. Another thing is a bedtime routine including relaxation exercises topped off with lotion on my feet and covering them with socks.:-) aahh – a simple luxury does wonders for my body and soul.

    • Hi Judy,

      Great – I hope it works out well for you. Remember it can take a couple of weeks to settle into a new routine and for both your body and mind to become accustomed to it. To stick with it even if at first it doesn’t seem to be having an effect.
      And yes, there’s nothing wrong with a little luxury, especially if it saves your sleep!
      Regards
      Ethan

  14. I have been meaning to post more about magnesium so I’m glad to see it’s getting the attention it deserves.

    I have something along the lines of fibromyalgia without the pain, and according to my naturopath, my body is unable to hold on to nutrients so he gave me a series of vitamin injections that really helped the hypnic jerks even when I was still taking Benadryl that has that as a side-effect. Once I realized that, I went off it and they calmed right down, but in the last 6 weeks, they started up as bad as ever. Finally I got out one of my books on magnesium by Dr. Carloyn Dean and read that if you have any sort of myoclonus type jerking, it’s a sure sign that you’re deficient in magnesium.

    I immediately started using my magnesium oil and soaking in epsom salts as that’s the quickest, easiest method of increasing your cellular magnesium level. Within a day or two, the hypnic jerks were under control again!

    As Denise mentioned, meds can lower or inhibit your body’s ability to absorb magnesium. And those of us with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome are unable to absorb it properly as well as hold on to it. One article I came across in researching the role of magnesium and fibromyalig prostulated that it’s really caused by being deficient in various minerals including magnesium. I believe this as I know that I started improving as soon as I started taking magnesium.

    The tannins in black and green tea remove the minerals from your body according to Dr. Dean’s book. You also want to take the magnesium between meals with calcium, vitamins D3 and K. If you have low stomach acid [if you get bloated a lot, that’s a sure sign], you need to be taking a good betaine HCI supplement as the body has to have enough stomach acid to utilize both the magnesium and the calcium.

    There’s a great series on youtube about transdermal magnesium therapy by Dr. Mark Sircus that’s worth watching.

    After reading so many comments from younger readers in their teens and early 20s, I just would like to point out that if they aren’t on meds or doing other drugs that would interfer with their body’s ability to absorb magnesium, they need to look at their diet. The modern American diet of mostly processed foods is woefully deficient in every nutrient known to man, and most of the food won’t even mold! You need to get on a good nutritional program not only to stop the hypnic jerks, but because if you don’t, you’re going to end up with degenerative diseases by the time you’re having your family.

    • Hi Hayley

      Great to hear from you again, and thanks for posting such an informative comment, full of new ideas and further thoughts about magnesium. You are one of a few extremely helpful readers, so thank you!

      The idea of magnesium being an important factor in controlling hypnic jerks does seem to be a common theme here. I’m glad you’ve found out more about it, and also like Denise, are in a position to report back on the results of improving how much is in your body.

      I especially like the idea of looking at your diet. I don’t think that’s in the list of reader tips, so after publishing this post I am going to add it. I think you rightly point out something very important there, and logically if something is caused by a vitamin or mineral deficiency, the first step should be to assess your current diet.

      Thanks once again and keep in touch!
      Ethan

  15. Hi, although it is not a complete cure my hypnic jerks have decreased very significantly after taking 2 x 500mg of magnesium citrate every day. I have not had any side effects and have now been taking them for several months. It really does seem to take this long for them to make a difference.
    I also take Inositol twice a day and I do think this helps with anxiety.
    I tried magnesium spray, salts in the bath etc., but they made very little difference.
    One of the reasons why magnesium levels can be low I’d due to ACE inhibitors which I have been taking for many years.
    Please, anyone reading this, don’t despair, give the magnesium citrate a good trial. I hope you get results that help you with this very frightening affliction.
    Best regards,
    Denise

    • Hi Denise

      It’s great to hear from you again, and hear more about your on-going experiments. Thanks so much for staying in touch and giving this update. I have added your specifics about the quantity and type of magnesium to the reader’s tips section just now. Perhaps it will help someone else, even if it’s unlikely sadly to help everyone. But if just one person benefits, then it will be worth it.

      Let’s hope your hypnic jerk rate continues to decrease, and if you find anything else which helps, please do pop back.
      Stay in touch
      Ethan

  16. Hi,
    I’m 32 male suffering from GAD and panic since adulthood, taking 10 mg of cipralex daily since last 7 years and my life went stable under control with minor anxiety.
    last year I had a relapse and my anxiety was high due to panic attacks and started to go afraid to bed fearing of not falling to sleep because of anxiety making me alert to not be able to sleep as i have work next day but after several attempts of calming my self i would sleep normal.
    then after couple of weeks and having this anxiety at bed I started to have this symptom the “Hypnotic jerk” it started to appear when am stressed at bed but at first it was not daily and frequent.

    now if negative thoughts takes over my mind even for a very short period like 10 seconds which triggers a start of a panic attack but I can control panic attacks immediately and don’t let it last for more than a few seconds but this leaves me alarmed and my sleepiness state will be affected so after this I try to sleep the jolt will happen very frequently and won’t let me sleep so I end up taking xanax after trying for two hours as i have work next day.

    some days I manage to be calm and can escape to sleep like a thief if negative thoughts didn’t hit me and would sleep even if the jerk hit me for couple of times..

    why this physical change came, iam facing this every time I’m stressed or anxious before bed the link between the anxiety and this jolt is very strong now as it like short circuited . as i used to sleep normally before with much higher anxiety at bedtime even without a single jolt what is changed in my mind!

    what is the way out of this as iam anxiety sufferer and this fuels it more and leaves me in this circle.
    am taking calcium magnesium supplement since two weeks the jolt is weaker but still the inner feeling that comes with the jolt make me wake.

    pls. help me..

    • Hi Baso,

      Thank you for your comment, and I am sorry to hear that you’ve had to deal with such a high level of anxiety. Panic attacks are very unpleasant, and so I can understand how having hypnic jerks and sleeplessness on top of that must be stressful.
      I think you’re right about the possibility of a vicious circle making sleep problems worse. It’s amazing how worrying about not sleeping can itself become a primary reason for not sleeping well!
      Fortunately, I think that being aware of the cycle is the first step in controlling it and hopefully putting a stop to it.
      I can only suggest two things really – one is to tackle the hypnic jerks themselves, possibly trying out one or two of the techniques listed in the article.
      The other is to put lots of attention on your bedtime relaxation routine, assuming you have one. And if you don’t, create one you find relaxing.
      Other than that, you could try something I’ve been doing recently and finding very helpful, as I also sometimes have problems with anxiety and insomnia. I’ve been researching new guided meditation videos for our relaxation section, and so every night I’ve been going on youtube and playing a different recording to see if it helps me go to sleep. And I’m glad to say that some of them have been very helpful and effective! If you just search for ‘guided meditation sleep’ then you’ll find lots you can try until you find a voice and a technique that works for you. It’s worth a try!
      All the best
      Ethan

  17. I get exactly this, however it only ever happens when I am flying on a plane, as soon as I fall asleep, about 30 seconds later I will jump awake, and when it’s a 9 hour night flight it is realllllllllllllllllllllllllly annoying!

  18. Hi Ethan, thanks as always for all your suggestions and tips. Just wanted to update and say I’ve had some luck with taking valerian root before bed. It puts me in a nice relaxed mood, especially when listening to mellow music or doing deep breathing exercises. It doesn’t completely get rid of the jerks at night but it muffles them so they’re not so intense and can help give me that extra little boost to help fall asleep. It seems to work better when I combine it with a some l’arginine, I’m not sure why. And unlike alcohol and benzos it gives you good REM sleep; I have crazy dreams when I take it. It smells awful but taking it in capsule form makes this not a problem. From what I’ve read about it it seems pretty safe with few side effects, definitely compared to benzos. I’m trying to find some alternatives to clonazepam, though i still have to resort to that some nights. Hope someone else finds this useful.

    • Hi Ben,

      Nice to hear from you again. I’m really pleased to hear you’ve found something which seems to be helping a little. Perhaps in time it’ll become even more successful as an alternative and you get into the pattern of trying something natural. I think the effects of doing relaxation exercises can be cumulative, so the more you do them, the more they help over the long run. That’s what I’ve found personally. Keep at it and it would be great to hear back from you in the future if you’ve been continuing to try these kind of remedies.
      All the best
      Ethan

  19. I just wanted to follow up on how I have been dealing with this and plan on trying to deal with this. The first few nights it has caused me to have an anxiety attack and I relied on alprazolam to get me to sleep. I noticed one day I was completely anxiety free and fell sleep just fine with no jerks. If I can get my anxiety under control I think this can be resolved.

    • Hi Dave,

      Thanks for your comments, and sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with several different things. I think your analyses could well be accurate, though it’s hard to say of course.
      But on the surface, anxiety and stress are known to possibly exacerbate hypnic jerks. And both Magnesium and Calcium are also thought to play a part.
      So I think working on your anxiety could be helpful. How you go about doing that is of course a different matter! Have you considered trying a taking therapy? It can be really helpful for anxiety. And if you like the self-help route, you could always look into Mindfulness techniques. You can search online for more about it.
      And if you want some ideas of things you can do just before going to bed, or even in bed, then take a look at this section about relaxation techniques for sleep.
      All the best and I hope you manage to make progress with it.
      Ethan

  20. I recently started experiencing hypnic jerks. When I first started getting them I was dealing with esophagitis and sinusitis at the same time. During this time I had, and still have anxiety. At first I attributed it to the antihistamines but it still happened off the antihistamines. I am on prilosec 20mg everyday to manage my acid reflux. The prilosec decreases the absorption of calcium and magnesium.

    The hypnic jerks could be from one of two things. Anxiety/Fatigue or low Magnesium and Calcium in my case.

  21. I am 66 years old and have experienced these involuntary body movements for about 3 years. They started when I was having treatment for severe headaches and, although I have now seen a neuro surgeon, they have got more regular. The NS thought they could be SLEEP JERKS and said they were quite common and advised not to have treatment but live with them. He said they may have been brought on by medication I was on at the time, AMITRIPTYLINE and advised I should come off them and see what happens. I did this but they continued , also had a head scan which was clear. My experience only happens when I am relaxing, within seconds of closing my eyes these movements happen. They can be nodding or head movements, mouth opening wide, arms or legs flying into the air or a combination of any. They last for seconds but if I relax and close my eyes again they will happen again. Not sure if they happen when I am actually sleeping as they happen during the daytime.
    Fortunately these jerks do not happen whilst I am moving about. I am aware of having them and often smile because I must look so funny. Wishing all other ‘sufferers’ well.
    kind regards
    Theresa

    • Hi Theresa

      Thanks for your comment, and it sounds like you’ve learned to deal with hypnic jerks in exactly the same way as me – by seeing the funny side. I know not everyone can because it’s so disruptive to their sleep, but I think if you’re able to, then that can help a lot with reducing the stress they can incur.
      Do they happen during the night as well, or only during the daytime for you? And when you say relaxing, do you mean with your eyes shut, or just doing relaxing activities?
      Regards
      Ethan

      • Again exactly what I have and most of us have. You are one of the few to mention your mouth opening, mine does the same along with every other part of my body at one time or another.. Lately my thumb has been moving..And waking me up of course. The shoulder is a big one when they are bad..And the sit up like you are tightening your stomach. I do know women report these as they go through menopause. I must say mine started when I got on testosterone therapy also but remained after I quit abruptly..

  22. Hiya I had a operation to stop my period and had a heart attack during it since then I’ve suffered with the jerk could the heart attack cause them many thanks Bren

    • Hi Brenda,

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m terribly sorry to hear you’ve had such a difficult chain of events happen. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know the answer to that question. I think you’d need to talk to your own doctor and see what they think. But if it happened at the same time, then I can see your logic in thinking it’s connected. Have you also been under a lot of stress or anxiety because of what happened? I wonder if even that could perhaps contribute to it.
      I hope it resolves though, whatever the initial cause.
      Regards
      Ethan

  23. Hi over the last 8weeks I have been having
    trouble sleeping, I am just about to drift off
    then suddenly I joit .I get this kind of sensation
    across my chest and down my left arm . I’ve had
    an ecg to check my heart is ok which it is.
    I still get the jolts , im 50 years old and scared
    to go to sleep now. Can you suggest anything please
    to help me. Thanks

    • Hi Des

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear you’ve been having problems with what could well be hypnic jerks. You did the right thing in getting yourself checked out just to be one the safe side.
      In terms of help, I recommend having a look at the section of reader’s tips in the main article. I compiled them carefully from the many comments people have left, and many of which have been corroborated by several readers as potentially helping.
      The main thing though in my opinion is to try not to get too stressed by it. I think worry and stress can play a part in how much they disrupt your sleep. Personally I always try to shrug them off and tell myself what a funny feeling it was, but that’s all it was. An remind myself it’s quite normal and no harm can come to me.
      Hope that helps a little!
      Regards
      Ethan

  24. I have had hypnic jerks my whole life, just about every single time I go to bed, sometimes at the computer (annoying when I fling the mouse across the room), and with various effects.
    Most of the time it is my whole body, but sometimes it is only one limb.
    What it feels like is an electric shock, or a huge kick of adrenaline, kind of a cool-temperature sensation like drinking cool mountain water out of a stream or breathing in fresh, cool air. If I could attach any sort of emotion to it, I’d say it is a happy or joyous feeling, like a spark of life.
    That is why I completely disagree with those who want to say it is because of a dream of falling or similar. There is NO dread or fear associated with my spasms.
    I only slightly fear a hypnic jerk, similarly to how one fears getting a static electric shock. I know it won’t hurt me, but that it could surprise me.
    Generally, before I have a HJ I will feel wound up tight as a spring. Then when I have this spasm it is like something snaps, and I instantly feel less tension. Sometimes it takes several ‘snaps’ before I sleep, but then I will sleep very well, with no more tension. In fact I’d say that they ALWAYS relieve tension.
    I have worked a rotational 12-hour schedule since I was 25, and I’m now 54 years old, so yes, my sleep is irregular and I drink lots and lots of coffee and caffeine drinks.
    I hope this input helps someone.

    • Hi Gordon,

      Thank you for your comment, and it’s always good to hear from someone that has managed to find a way to cope with a sleep issue in a positive way. I agree that it doesn’t have to be associated with fear or dread. But for some people it unfortunately is, and that’s just their experience.
      But I think you’re right in distinguishing between the worry about something bad happening and the worry of being surprised. Even now with the knowledge that I have of them, I sometimes get quite a big surprise when they happen. It doesn’t induce fear, but there is definitely a moment when it feels like a little surge of adrenalin kicks in with the jerk, especially if it’s an unusually big one.
      But as always I laugh it off, roll over and fortunately don’t tent to have too many repeats in one night.
      It’s interesting what you say about it being a tension relief. That’s something I’ve not thought of before. And perhaps thinking about it that way might help some people.
      Thanks again for sharing your story.
      All the best
      Ethan

    • ANY caffeine will set them off big time. I think you are lucky you fall asleep after a few. Many of us are up all night. And after a certain age I think your body will not process the caffeine as fast. If I have a cup at breakfast Ill jerk out of the bed that night.

  25. There really is something to taking calcium for Hypnic jerks. My Doctor advised me to take 1200mg daily for a deficiency and i read an article about taking calcium 2 hours before bed will improve quality of sleep. After a short time of doing this my sleep improved and have no jerks or twitches after suffering for a year of violent head to toe jerks for up to 2 hours trying to fall asleep. Hope this helps.

    • Hi Tracey

      Thanks for your comment, and I’m really pleased to hear you found a way to stop what sounds like very bad hypnic jerks. I think the Calcium and Magnesium theory is coming up time and time again, so there is growing evidence from readers that it can help. So thanks for adding another thumbs up for the possibility that it could help.
      Regards
      Ethan

  26. One jolt wow. I have about 60 a night when it’s bad over and over and over upon waking and going to sleep. Which red pill has helped if I can ask . I am trying clonazepam now seems to be helping. Also Xanax er works but it will take away libido. In me any way.

    • Hi there,

      Sorry to hear you have such a problem with hypnic jerks. I’ll leave it for the previous poster to reply to your question, if they are following the comments. Hopefully you might find something that helps in the article as well. If you can find a natural way to deal with it rather than taking strong medication, then that’s of course a better option. Let us know if you find anything which helps!
      Regards
      Ethan

  27. I had these happen to me for decades before I figured out what was wrong with my parents and upbringing. In a nutshell it was unidentified anxiety (causing adrenal spiking) as a result of being raised by a narcissist mother and psychopathic father.Parents like mine instilled a ton of brainwashing and undealt with childhood trauma in my subconscious. I have only had one “jolt” since taking the red pill and healing (still dealing with slight PTSD) from the trauma.

    • Hi Curt

      Thanks for your comment, especially as it such a personal one. You’re not the first person to talk about trauma being a potential trigger for increased hypnic jerks. The anxiety or stress that this can cause may well lead to experiencing more hypnic jerks than most people, or being more sensitive to them.
      I’m glad to hear that things are improving for you though. That’s the most important thing!
      Regards
      Ethan

  28. Hello Ethan…I’m 27 year old from India. I’ve quite a different experience to share with you. I started having hypnic jerks/sleep starts after playing vigorous badminton on Sep 2013. I’ve been playing for a long time, but that day it was long and intense. I could never fell asleep that night. Every time I sleep, I get these jerks especially more in the areas that I exercise much for the play like wrist, shoulders, neck etc. Probably, this might explain the jerking due to lactic acid build up in working muscles. I can still remember those pathetic night full of these sleep killer jerks.
    Every time I try to sleep, these jerks would jolt me awake. And, I never slept at all for next 2 nights. Moreover, anxiety would follow these jerks. The fear of not being productive in the university due to lack of sleep made me dread those nights. I always slept good, for about 8 hours and I’m super active the next morning. However, after this jerking episode, I could never catch sleep for more than 4-5 hours. I still wonder why. Interestingly, even this 4-5 hour sleep was more accompanied with frightening dreams/nightmares. And, I never initially suspected it was the workout/play that gave these jerks.
    When I went to a GP on the 4th day, she thought it could be RLS or PLMD. She put me on magnesium and multivitamin supplements. Meanwhile, the frequency of the jerks were decreasing. Probably this could be attributed to supplements. Somehow, I managed to catch 4-5 hours sleep. Then, I started playing badminton . Ohh!!! things turned ugly this time and I spent 4 nights without sleep disturbed by the jerks. I hated my life on some of those days. And, I stopped playing badminton or doing any exercise.
    I met the neurologist on one of the subsequent days. Initially, he suspected stress and anxiety could be the cause and put me on EndDep/Amitriptyline. But it never worked. I still had these jerks (about 20 of them) every night distracting my sleep, even without exercise. The frequency of the jerks never decreased and my sleep quality never improved. I found that when I sleep in some positions (in a relaxed manner), it made me fall asleep faster. I understood that as I fell asleep, my muscles suddenly lose tension (this is called atonia and is normal) just before you enter stage 1 sleep. My experience-This is the phase when the jerks kick in. I think the jerks somehow make, especially, the working muscles not to lose the tension.
    Later, my neurologist planned for a sleep study and EEG, may be after 3 months. He told me that I took long time to fall asleep due to these jerks. My sleep cycles were slightly abnormal. It had more REM sleep. He was convinced that I’ve hypnagogic jerks and prescribed me clonazepam which worked for me, but I knew that it was a benzo. Still, I would have 2-3 jerks every night and by God’s grace, I learnt to stop worrying every time I jolt awake. Anyway, I would sleep for 6-7 hours with this medicine on and I felt okay next morning.
    Meanwhile, my Church started to pray for me regularly and later, after 3 months, someone suggested me to visit a particular reputed neurologist in the town. He was an old guy. I could say definitely he would have treated about a million of patients, in India, by that time. He went through my medical history and asked me some questions on my lifestyle. I don’t remember much that he said at that time. All that I remember is that anxiety would aggravate these jerks and make the sleep miserable. He prescribed me combination of sodium valporate and nitrazepam for next 2 months, and asked me to stop clonazepam. These jerks completely died after 2 months and my sleep quality improved. Thank God!!! What a relief it was for me. Today, I’m on no medicines and I sleep good for 8 hours. However, I’ve to say that when I play or work out, I do get these jerks that distract my sleep. There were intermittent days when I was on this sodium valporate and nitrazepam combo which would kill these jerks. So, I avoid any exercise that involve quick muscle response. Atmost, I jog and swim to keep myself fit.
    What medicine worked for me may not work for you. I’m writing this for the encouragement of all hoping that someone, like me, would find a hope that doesn’t disappoint :-).

    Best Regards,
    Nelson

    • Hi Nelson,

      Thank you for your comment and taking the time to explain your story and history with hypnic jerks. It’s always interesting to hear from people who have received medical advice and been to see specialists. It’s also interesting how medication usually ends up being the recommended cause of action, at least temporarily.
      But in your case, as with many others I suspect, whilst medication undeniably helps, it’s often lifestyle changes which make the difference ultimately. So it’s good to know that you found out what was causing your hypnic jerks, though of course it’s a shame that you couldn’t continue doing something you enjoyed like you did before, i.e. badminton.
      I guess you now have the choice of taking it easy when it comes to exercise, or playing badminton and either ending up with hypnic jerks or having to take medication to deal with them!
      All the best
      Ethan

  29. Hi again Ethan, I’m now going on 6 months since these hypnic jerks started and I’m very worried that this has become the new normal and it will never go away. I’ve already tried the usual home remedies (meditation, no caffeine/alcohol, vitamins, warm baths before bed, eat healthy foods, etc.). It all helps a little but not nearly enough for something so chronic like this. It’s very depressing thinking I will be having disturbed sleep almost every night for the rest of my life. I guess eventually I will get used to it, but of course I would rather find a solution. My doc prescribed me a small dose of clonazepam which most definitely helps, but of course it has the tolerance risk. I try not to take it every night, especially on weekends or vacations where I’m less stressed and can usually sleep a lot better. I’m certain that underlying anxiety is causing this in my case. If I don’t take the pills on a week day, even if i don’t FEEL all that stressed, I’m usually jerking for 1-3 hours before i can fall asleep, and I also usually wake up too early for some reason, usually not from a jerk. Maybe there is some subconscious voice telling me I’m stressed, I will have hypnic jerks, and I will be exhausted at work the next day. How does one go about turning off subconscious thoughts? I wish I could go to bed and somehow erase my memories of this bad sleep the last 6 months. If the clonazepam continues to work I want to keep taking it despite the risks. Have you or anyone else out there heard of any other prescription meds that work for this? I was thinking of asking my doc about non-addicting anti-seizure meds that might be out there. Also, I know he will bring up doing a sleep study. Anyone have any experience with sleep studies? I worry that I’ll do it and I won’t have any jerks and they’ll think I’m just crazy. I tend to sleep better when not in my usual bed. Also, if this is caused by subconscious anxiety would it be more useful to see a psychiatrist about this? Wish I had some magic solution I could share with everyone but again, more questions than answers. Thanks for listening.

    • Hi Ben

      Good to hear from you again, though I wish the circumstances were better for your sake. Sorry to hear it’s continuing to be such a problem for you.

      I think getting a sleep study done could be a good thing. I imagine you’ll probably still get the jerks even if in a new bed, though they might not be as severe if you’ve noticed that. But they would look out for all kinds of things and be able to help you understand your sleep in general, and see if there is anything specific they can identify.
      As for seeing a psychiatrist, they tend to be on the medical side of dealing with mental health, so may end up prescribing you medication anyway or referring you to a more appropriate service, which could be a talking therapy or psychologist. It sounds like that might be beneficial if you feel under so much stress. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting some counselling, and it might be a great help.
      You could also try more self-help methods. Something I’m a big fan of is ‘mindfulness’. You can get self-help workbooks with audio CDs which talk you through the different exercises it describes. It’s fantastic for dealing with over-active, worrying, stressful minds. So if you have got yourself into a vicious circle of worrying about your sleep, it could be a good way of helping with that. But more importantly, it’s a good way to deal with stress and anxiety in general. If you look on amazon you’ll find very high reviews from people for some books. I highly recommend it as I used it myself when I was going through a difficult patch in life, and it helped me calm what at the time was a ridiculously worrying mind! It’s worth having a look at at the very least:-)
      Also, have you had a look at the updated section with tips from readers which I added to the article? You may find something new in there that you could try.
      All the best
      Ethan

      • Try ‘Full Catastrophe Living’. It’s written by Jon Kabhat-Zinn. He was one if the ‘founders’ of mindful meditation. It will teach you how to ‘turn off your brain’. Very, very different from what I had expected, and far less ‘new age’ than I was expecting. I highly recommend it.,good luck!

        • Thanks for that suggestion. I’m a big fan of mindfulness, and can also attest to the fact that it’s not as new age as many people associate with anything which involves meditation!
          Ethan

  30. A few days ago I had keyhole day surgery for gallbladder removal, with a general anaesthetic, and stayed with a friend for the first night after the operation.
    I spent the time there resting/waking and had about 3 big hypnic jerks which were far more forceful and surprising than they ever usually are (I have them fairly regularly).

    I was also constantly ‘brought back’ from the edge of sleep by my brain? and did not actually sleep at all for many hours.
    I regularly experience Exploding Head Syndrome, and this ‘bringing back’ was just like EHS but without the exploding noise, and continued for hours, but was not disturbing as I was so relaxed it didn’t matter whether I was asleep or not.
    I had a considerable amount of painkillers inside me, which I know put me on a kind of high, so am thinking that these and the anaesthetic had created both of these events?

    My anaesthetist who I spoke to before the op. had not heard of EHS.

    • Hi Jay

      Thanks for your comment, and I hope you’re recovering well from the surgery. Your story reminded me of the last time I had surgery a couple of years ago. I was on a morphine pump in recovery, and remember not being able to sleep because every time I nodded off, I would jolt back awake, with a weird feeling of not being able to breathe properly. I spoke to the doc about this who told me I was probably having depressed breathing due to the large amount of morphine I had in my system. They changed it to a different kind, and the problem was much better not long afterwards, though still remained a little. So in my personal experience, I think strong medication, as you would have after surgery, can cause sleep disruption. I guess you’ll be ever clearer once you stop taking it and presumably stop having the sensation you described.
      All the best and speedy recovery!
      Ethan

      • Jay; I’ve been getting these snapping sounds in my head as I’m starting to doze off and my research reveals that EHS is the closest description to what I have.
        First time I experienced this repetitive jerking awake with snapping sound in the head was last June while taking tramadol pain medication for bladder pain. I only took it for a few days until another medication solved the problem. Anyway, I’d also been having ongoing insomnia and numbness problems for many months prior so my system is sensitive to about anything.
        Sometimes, these sounds are loud, sometimes soft (type of noise varies too) and sometimes comes right in unison with a strong or weak myoclonic (or hypnic) jerk. I had an MRI of my brain and neck that came back negative. My neurologist prescribed a light dose of Clonazopam which I’ve been taking 4-5 x a week as needed. Sometimes I can fall asleep in front of the TV without it. Anyway, I’m hoping to get rid of all this by working with a nutrition MD who recently prescribed treatment for my low ferritin (iron stores), low vitamin d (5000 iu every day), and magnesium (400 mg) supplements.
        I’m also pre diabetic so she said to stay off of sweets, cereal and bread (low carb). Hoping all this will help to get rid of it in the next few months. Takes time.

  31. Hi Ethan:

    I just wanted to let you know that it’s been close to two months since I stopped taking Benadryl, and my hypnic jerks are down to a couple a week. If I’ve had a tough day, they might be severe enough that I have to get up for a while, but that’s only happened 3 or 4 times. Other than that, I might get one or two every few nights. I’ve been able to sleep in bed rather than on the couch now that I’m not flailing around. It’s been very nice.

    Does anyone else notice they get a feeling of an electrical shock a few seconds before the jerking? I get it in my big toe which clues me in that one is coming.

    • Hi Hayley,

      Great to hear from you again, and I’m really pleased to hear that it’s had such a massive effect. From what I remember, that’s a very big improvement. It’s amazing how just one simple change in life can make such a difference, assuming that it is the fault of Benadryl, which it sounds like is the case for you. It must be such a relief:-)
      I haven’t had the electrical shock thing, but I know a couple of other readers have mentioned it. Maybe they’ll come and talk to your about it if they’re still following the comments.
      All the best and I hope your new found more peaceful sleep continues…
      Ethan

  32. i have been experienced this from last 10 years i don’t know how to explain but i feel some power is either gone in the body or some things have come out from the body like soul of some other loved ones because if you see it comes exact between the awakes and sleep so its not + either -.at 0 point sometimes my body goes up in the air 2 inches and drops down, but when the body lifts i does not know anything about it, when it drops i am wake from the sleep, i feel its soul which travels from our body its beyond the imagination.

    • Hi Vivek

      Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure I understood exactly what you meant in the middle, but the idea of the soul leaving the body is not unusual. I know in the past one reason many people say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes for example is because they believed your soul left your body, so the bless you was to keep it safe while the soul found its way back! So with the force of the hypnic jerk which you can feel, I understand why you may think the soul leaves the body. I don’t believe that personally, but I imagine you’re not alone with that idea!
      Regards
      Ethan

  33. Nope not unusual. I have the same thing had them for two years now.. when they are really bad I get them at onset of sleep. That is how it started. You get them in light sleep. But if you are twitching you cannot get into deep sleep. Without Lunesta and Now Zanax ER I would not have survived. The Extended release allows me to sleep way better than anything I have tried. I am sure now this is anxiety based. Even though you feel relaxed at night. It is a sleep-wake disorder brought on by Anxiety. Here is how you can tell. Take a Zanax ER. I don’t care if I have to take it for the next 100 years. Not sleeping is deadly.

    • Hi there

      Thanks for your comment, and I think you’re right that anxiety can play a big role in how severely you experience hypnic jerks. It’s good you’ve found something which can help you sleep. Though I personally wouldn’t recommend relying on strong medication for the rest of your life. If you find the motivation one day to find other ways to help you relax and deal with anxiety, you may find it helps in the long run even more than medication.
      All the best
      Ethan

  34. Hi, I’m 13. I have hypnic jerks maybe once a week, it depends. It varies a lot. It’s the worst feeling, it’s so scary! I’m normally not even dreaming before I jolt, I just jolt out of nowhere, but like you said, I do often feel like I’m falling before I wake up. Is there a way to prevent them, or what causes them?

    • Hi Annee-Michelle,

      Thanks for your comment. The main thing is to tell yourself that they are absolutely normal, and most people get them. When I have them they are always before I dream as well. One minute I am awake and falling asleep, then the next I am jolting out of ‘darkness’ which hasn’t been filled by dreams yet. That’s normal.
      In terms of preventing them, well once a week really isn’t very often, so you may just have to accept it as a normal thing in your life, and perhaps try to see them a a funny or interesting experience. That’s what I do! I remind myself to have a little giggle to myself and fall asleep again. If you want more ideas, then have a read of the section in the article about reader’s tips. There are lots of ideas there for you.
      I hope that helps a little.
      Regards
      Ethan

  35. I forgot to add to my post before.

    1) Supplements/Vitamins do not help either. I’m on every supplement known, a walking vitamin, even with aminos and protein shakes sups. Vitamin B, Calcium, D3-D, Omegas, nothing.

    2) Strangely, Coconut Oil (Organic from Traders Joes) helped. I have no clue why.

    3) Meditation helps immensely. Just calming the mind before sleep, staying away from stimulus, or light. And being in the moment as you fall asleep and not in your head.

    4) Dehydration and hunger also make it worse.

    5) The fear of it happening, makes it worse. But who the heck wouldn’t be afraid of it?? Can’t figure out how to master that part.

    Anyways, those are just my insights from more than a decade with this now.

    • Hi again Kevin,

      Thanks once again for the thoughts. As for the fear of it happening problem, that’s a very common issue with sleep problems in general. You can easily get into a vicious circle of worrying about your sleep problems, to the extent that even if the original cause has long since disappeared, your worry itself can continue to cause problems. Snapping out of that one can be done in various different ways. And I think your idea of being in the moment and doing relaxation exercises or meditation are good examples. But perhaps you could also try some positive mantras to deal with the fear. Exactly what the mantra would be I’ll leave to your imagination:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  36. I started to get minor hypnic kerks when I was about 23. I would ‘jolt’ suddenly while falling asleep, and sit up fast in my bed dazed for about 3 or 4 seconds like someone zapped me with a taser.

    Back then it was harmless, about once in a month.

    They went away for a while and came back when I was 29. I’m 49 now and they have pretty much been non stop and getting progressively worse. Now happening for an hour straight every night.

    They are my personal hell.

    Sometimes they’re just ‘jolts’ that run through my head from ‘somewhere’ and zap me up suddenly, and who the hell can sleep like that???

    Most times they are the muscles around my head (bands) suddenly clinching and going into spasms, so much so that my bones in my head literally crackles and pop. And it’s sudden and violent.

    Before when this started I used to get head ‘shakes’ while falling asleep, like a vibration/buzzing, then CRACK, a jolt and the energy would disperse and I would feel calmed and sleep.

    If only I had JUST that these days.

    I can’t say I’ve tried everything but dang near. There are patterns I notice though.

    1) Anxiety and stress adds to it, BIG TIME. Thinking ‘bad’ thoughts or ruminating while sleeping is the core.

    2) Regular sleep schedules: I know, it’s hard to fathom but the more regular the pattern the less invasive they are.

    3) I smoke now, again. When I quit smoking for over a year, they were very mild.

    4) Listening to rain sounds in headphones is almost like a natural sedative. It’s worked better than medications at times.

    5) hot baths or showers before sleep.

    6) The more tired/exhausted you are, the more the jerks happen.

    Exercise does NOT help. I’m in the gym hard at cardio and weights 5 days a week like religion, it has no effect.

    Diet either, I eat a strict diet of plenty vegetables, meats, no processed food, etc. Get all my macronutrients, it has no effect.

    Valerian Root, helps. Melatonin helps a little with the muscles, but sometimes I can take a LOT and it does nothing but just make me more tired.

    The NUMBER 1 thing that helped me is Klonopin and a couple other Benzos. But Benzos scare the crap out of me, have really bad side effects/withdrawal, and a new study came out linking their overuse to a 50% increase in Alzheimer’s risk. No thanks.

    • Hi Kevin

      Thanks for your comment and sharing your experiences, which sound very unpleasant indeed. Have you been to a doctor to get a medical opinion during all the years this has been going on? It sounds more severe than typical hypnic jerks, so it might be worth getting yourself checked out jut to be sure it’s nothing else – assuming you haven’t done already.

      Otherwise, I think the things you’ve noted are very sensible. Many people find that over-tiredness makes them worse, and many of the things you mention are all part of having good sleep hygiene, which can help enormously with many different sleep problems.

      And yes, whilst benzodiazepines are known to help with hypnic jerks, they’re definitely not good to be taking long-term.

      I hope you manage to find something that helps – perhaps in the tips section there was something new for you to try.

      All the best
      Ethan

  37. Hi Ethan, some good advice here.

    I can testify, as most others here can, how unpleasant these jerks can be.

    However I think my case is slightly unusual in that I don’t get these jerks at night when falling asleep, I get them in the morning when waking up. For example if I have slightly woken and try to doze off again I will get these jolts.
    They make it very hard to get back to sleep if I have woken too early and it would not be an overstatement to call them distressing.
    Its literally a shock to the system… like someone jumping out and scaring you when not expected.

    I had these quite regularly up until a few months ago when they stopped. In the last few days I have had a constant headache / migraine and I have notices the jerks once again.. starting off a few days ago quite subtly until today where they were very obvious in the morning. They do stop once i get up.

    They first started about 1.5 years ago, just after my GP and a pain specialist initially diagnosed me with a flair up of a herniated disc in my neck and put me on Lyrica (an unpleasant drug). It turns out that it was a misdiagnosis despite all efforts to get the medical professionals to hear me out about why I didn’t think they were correct. On top of that I have suffered from Chronic anxiety for 15+ years, although it has been well controlled for the majority of that time until that “flare up”.

    I do believe that stress and anxiety play a major role in this. Sometimes you may not even be aware of how stressed you are both physically and mentally and these Jerks can be an indication.

    A few things I have found useful in alleviating them are a supplement of magnesium (and calcium) before sleeping and also montmorrency cherries (available in capsule form). They are high in antioxidants and increase the melatonin levels in your body which is good for sleeping. If things are really quite bad then there is Xanax, but I wouldn’t rely on it for more than a few days in a row as your body will get used to the dosage and youll have to increase it to get an effect. Not Good.

    I would be interested to hear what opinions or ideas you may have about the morning jerks. I havent come across anyone else who gets this. Very Odd.

    Thanks for reading!

    • Hi Rafa,

      Thanks for your comment, and sorry to hear about the problems you’ve had with hypnic jerks, stress and that misdiagnosis! It is slightly unusual, but not unheard of. I can’t tell you exactly why you may be getting them in the mornings, but I could hazard a guess that it’s not too dissimilar from getting them when falling asleep initially. But in your case, perhaps rather than seeing them as happening as waking up, it might be more helpful to see them as happening as you’re falling asleep ‘again’ after waking up. Do you feel stressed when you wake up too early? I know I do, so maybe that could be a factor involved in them happening at that time. Maybe try some relaxation exercises, and remind yourself that it’s ok if you wake up early, and that you’ll fall asleep again soon enough.

      But perhaps other readers have some thoughts. There are a few people following these comments quite closely I believe, so they may connect with what you’ve experienced.

      Otherwise I’d say keep working on the stress, keep up the healthy ideas for dealing with that and sleep in general as you say, and hopefully it will pass again soon.
      All the best
      Ethan

  38. Hi Ethan, thanks for the useful tips. I think you are right that you have to stay committed to a better sleep routine and have some patience and eventually things will get better. I hadn’t looked into mindfulness before but will give that a try. I think I may have finally turned a corner in that I now have more good nights than bad nights during the week. The hypnic jerks are still there though on most nights, not all, I can deal with it and fall asleep. The doctor suggested giving it another couple weeks to see if it continues to improve, and if not would try giving me an MRI to investigate. Trying to stay optimistic about this and this site certainly helps! Thanks again.

    • Hi Ben,

      I’m glad to hear you found the tips useful and that you’re having more good nights. Mindfulness is great, in my opinion, so if you do feel like giving it a go, I’m sure you won’t regret it.

      Stay positive, and hopefully that MRI won’t be necessary.
      Regards
      Ethan

  39. Hi Ethan,

    Thanks for the quick reply!

    I have the Fitbit Flex, and wrote a review about it here: (Sorry Alex, I don’t usually permit links)

    The sleep tracker does a good job of showing when you were restless and asleep based on your movements.

    Seeing when you were “restless” is an interesting thing to see, not that there’s too much you can do about it if you’re asleep, but it is good to see that Fitbit Flex reports peaceful sleep is over the majority of the night.

    A silent vibrating alarm can wake you with 9 minute snooze cycles, but it doesn’t track your sleep cycle to wake you at an appropriate time, as with the Sleep Cycle app, but for me, sleep tracking with the Fitbit Flex is secondary.

    You don’t get this “restless” reading using iOS or Android Sleep Cycle app, but you are able to be woken up at a much better time as I’ll explain.

    The app costsUS 99c or $1.29 in Australia for iOS and 99c on Android in the US and Australia.

    I use the Sleep Cycle app on a second iPhone switched to Plane mode at night, so no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Cellular signals zapping my brain to the side and in front of my pillow where you need to place the plugged in phone, face down – the proximity sensor makes the screen turn off when you do that.

    The app tracks your sleep states – light sleep, deep sleep and when you’re awake – and wakes you in the lightest sleep state and intelligent snoozing during the wake-up timeframe, with a range of gentle tones that will get louder as necessary, rather than when you’re in the middle of your deep sleep mode with a jarring alarm.

    A 30 minute wake-up phase is set as the default setting in Sleep Cycle but you can set it from anywhere between 10 minutes and 90 minutes as desired. It can mean you’re woken up before the end of your default waking up, but if you do get up, you feel more refreshed and there’s an intelligent snooze that arrives at shorter and shorter intervals as you get to the end of your 30 minute (or custom) wake-up phase giving you extra snooze time if you need it without letting you sleep in for several 9 minute cycles and then waking up far later than you intended.

    So the Fitbit flex definitely does give you some useful sleep information, and the vibration-only “alarm” can silently wake you up, but with Sleep Cycle I’m using two different methods of sleep tracking for my information and benefitting through better morning wake-ups.

    My guess is you’ll end up doing something similar as part of your testing because it’s possible to do and provides you with useful information and with Sleep Cycle a way to safely hack your sleeping so you wake up more refreshed – whether on iOS or Android.

    There’s also an app I haven’t tried for Windows Phone called “Sleep Well” that purports to do the same thing.

    It is a bit more expensive at $3.49, but that’s still cheaper than we all paid for boxed software in stores a decade or two ago and couldn’t use when sleeping anyway even if it existed because the accelerometers and pocket sized technology weren’t affordable or widespread as they truly are today in smartphones.

    I now have to live up to my statements about getting fit and healthy but I started the day with the cayenne tea drink as I’ve described and ate a large fruit varied salad in the morning with, before having a light pasta with prawn and mushroom for lunch and a big salad and a quarter roasted chicken for dinner, with the “tea” during the day and a couple of cups tonight, and am doing more walking thanks to the encouragement from the Fitbit, so I’m happy with the progress thus far but know I still have a lot more work to do.

    I’m motivated to do it though because it all comes down to your health – the most important thing especially as you get older because as we all know, without your health, life is decidedly more difficult as we’ve all seen befall others, and it’s either now or letting things slide and trying to do all this at 65 when it will be even harder still and your body much more worn out.

    The plan is to really work on this for the next month and I’ll report back then – hopefully I will have lost at least 25 pounds (11kg) which would actually be a noticeable difference.

    Finally, I did re-read the updated list of tips last night, which I had read a few weeks ago when you had first posted it, and had noticed then and last night again the reference to Cayenne pepper with the wise advice to do some research online first, which was great to see listed on both occasions. :-)

    Good luck with your own testing and have fun until we talk again!

    Cheers,

    Alex.

    • Hi again Alex,

      First of all, my apologies for editing your comment to remove the link. I hate doing it, especially when someone makes the effort to write a comment here, and especially when you’re review was very well written, but I have to be very careful with links to other review sites as they can damage my website.

      Secondly, thank you very much for coming back and giving your thoughts on the different sleep trackers. It’s interesting that you note that Fitbit as a sleep monitor serves a secondary purpose for you, with activity tracking being the main goal.

      It’s also interesting that you make comparisons with sleep apps which are considerably cheaper! That’s something I will be looking at closely when I get round to reviewing all the various different sleep monitors.

      Once again, good luck with your new healthy lifestyle regime and I’ll look forward to hearing back from you in the future.

      Regards
      Ethan

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