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. Hi all,
    I found the forum a while back and posted. A couple of questions for those out there having chronic hypnic jerks.

    Has anyone found anything that helps remedy these?
    Do any of you have these enough that they keep you up for hours on end? I have anywhere from 12-40 of these in a night. Does this sound familiar to anyone out there? They seem to come and go in waves.

    Anyone know of a good resource to research this more?

    Is there any medical institue that has specific information on chronic hypnic jerks?

    CJ

    • Hi CJ

      I will leave your comment open to other readers since you have addressed them.

      If you can be specific about where you are it might help if anyone has any info. for you.

      Regards
      Ethan

    • Hi CJ:

      I have that many, and the only thing I’ve found that helps is to get up and do something. Turning on a light, getting a snack, reading, checking my email or watching TV for an hour will often allow me to finally fall asleep, but not always.

      I used to only get hypnic jerks when I was falling asleep, but now I get them upon awaking if I’m not completely awake. I don’t find those quite as upsetting as I’ve already gotten some sleep, but I still hate them.

      One thing I’ve noticed is that mine are often far worse during the full moon. I’m one of those people who are afflicted with full moon insomnia where I can’t sleep to save myself on full moon, the night before or after. I’ve done as much research on it as I can, and it seems that there must be some electromagnetic something going on either in the atmosphere or my body that causs the insomnia, and probably makes the hypnic jerks worse. All I know is around full moon I’ll flailing around like I’m having a grand mal seizure!

      I do find that magnesium and calcium help it, but it’s not consistent enough to say that it’s a home remedy. What I would recommend is soak in a hot tub with epsom salts for 12 to 20 minutes if you’re having a terrible night and see if that helps. Keep in mind that magnesium [epsom salts are magnesium sulfate] is a laxative so you might want to take an extra calcium supplement lest you get diarrhea.

    • I do have a chronic case of this thing. Some nights are worse like you describe and some a bit better with only a few jerks. For me it feels like I’m loosing my breath at the moment I am going from awake to sleep. It can really ruin ones life

  2. Try transdermal magnesium, it is absorbed through the skin, directly into the area that might be deficient in mag. Good luck.

  3. I have these jerks pretty regularly. sometimes my limbs would twitch or violently flail. Sometimes my whole body will seemingly become airborne and crash back on the bed. I also hear loud banging noise or a voice that would awake me abruptly. I have had sleep paralysis for 30 years and the scary visual auditory hallucinations which would include a scary shadow man just standing their watching me as I lay paralyzed; or little demons frolicking around; or a grotesque old woman right in my face to the point that I can actually smell and feel her out bad breath. There is no doubt in my mind that these two conditions are related.

    • Hi Leon

      Thanks for the comment. Wow, 30 years of sleep paralysis. Have you gotten used to it, or does it still frighten you a lot every time it happens?
      Regards

      Ethan

  4. I have been experiencing these jerks since college where my then girlfriend had them. They have continued through the years, sometimes worse then other times. Now, some 35+ years later they have been much more consistent. They happen when I am either awake and very tired, jerking slightly with my head which I try to cover quickly if there is anyone around. The main time is when I am just about asleep. The jerk can be simple and at other times quite violent, a much more severe jerk starting with the head area but quite often the main torso twitching violently. So much that I have to get up and try to calm down. What bothers me in particular are two things. First, the head twitch seems to be often just with inside my head giving me like and anxiety attack more than a muscle twitch but not quite that either – like a brain flip? It’s like it has the effect of a electrical shock or simply shock that is frightening and last but a few seconds. These will continue for awhile off and on. Finally, I am usually so tired I fall asleep. Secondly, it is the gasping for air just before I fall asleep. It’s just a split second and never really feel I am dying but close in ways. It is at least extremely uncomfortable and this is new in the past 5 years, after 40 years of experiencing this thing. I will admit, even though I drink a lot less than when I was young, the times I do increase the twitching experience and more all over the body and more violently. No doctor has really said anything about it when mentioning it. — so it’s the gasping for air just before I fall asleep, scarring me as well as that sharp pain-like shock in the head for second or two off and on exclusive of the muscle twitch that bother me.

    • Hi Jeff,

      Thank you for your comment and for sharing your story. Sorry to hear you’ve been experiencing these twitches for so long, and had such a torrid time with them. Your story does seem similar to that of a few other readers, and I am not sure if I have any great words of wisdom.

      One thing I always say to anyone who reports breathing problem, such as gasping for breath, is to make sure their doctor knows about that because of the possibility of it meaning a sleep-related breathing disorder. You don’t mention if you’ve spoken about that specifically to your doctor?

      Otherwise, as I’ve been saying recently – perhaps slightly lazily! – there is now such a wealth of practical ideas from other readers, that if you have the time and motivation to read through, you may well find something which can help.

      All the best
      Ethan

    • Hi Jeff,

      What you’ve described here is exactly what happens to me every single night. It feels like someone jump started your brain and it’s damn scary! The sensation is usually accompanied by tingling either in my head or chest, kind of like when your foot falls asleep but less severe. I can also relate to the gasping after “the shock”. It’s not so much that I feel as though I’m out of breath but I think it’s more of a panic gasp because I feel like almost died.

    • Hello Jeff….please look back at my comment Jan 9 2014 because you will see that in addition to these extremely annoying Hypnic Jerks I too suffer with gasping for air just as I am falling off to sleep. That can be in the day…trying to have a nap as well as at night! It has not improved over time…some nights are just awful and others, I may experience one or two episodes then sleep peacefully. All I know is that I am getting very tired of this strange phenomenon ….. I don’t think it will ever go away….I’m afraid that I might have this for life…! I thought you might like to know that you are not alone in this…

  5. Hi,
    My name is sohail and its happening with my father namely abdul qadir he is jerking when he go to sleep especially in night he cant sleep whole night for this jerking and we can see his jerking it is too badly jerks. And with jerks pain is also backbone to legs.his age is 48
    We concern too many doctors nuerologist but they cant handle this problem the doctor said that he is normal we cant understand and my father is taking medicine namely tramal sr and rivotril 0.5 mg with this he taking some rest but doctor said that dont take these medicine
    So kindly refer some good doctor or idea or any other exercise or medicine
    Thanking you please reply me
    From pakistan

    • Hi Sohail

      Sorry to hear about your father’s troubles. I am not able to recommend doctors in your country. Sorry about that, but I know nothing about your medical system, and I am not a doctor myself. I usually recommend going to your own doctor – which you have done and more by the sounds of it. And then, relaxation exercises such as you can find on the section I talk about above. Otherwise, you can read the comments people have left before, as some have found things which they think can help. And maybe something will also help your father.
      Sorry I am not able to help more.
      Regards
      Ethan

      • I am a pharmacist and see that your father is taking medicines whose generic names are tramadol and clonazepam. Tramadol is a mild narcotic pain reliever and clonazepam is a tranquilizer that is also used for myoclonic seizures — like the jerking when your father falls asleep. Both of these medicines are very addictive. I have had the “jerking” for over 20 years myself and many nights I cannot sleep because every time I fall asleep, I “jerk” myself awake. The doctor put me on clonazepam 1mg many years ago and it helped for a while, but then didn’t seem to do much and I have had much trouble trying to wean myself off of this addictive medication — currently down to 0.25mg. Stretching, drinking plenty of water — even through the night — and making sure to take my calcium and magnesium before bedtime usually helps but I still have bad nights. Be careful with the Tramal (tramadol) and Rivotril (clonazepam) because becoming addicted will only make things worse.

        • Hi Carol,

          Thank you for responding to a previous reader. I’m sure they will appreciate your sensible advice.
          It’s also good advice for any other reader who considers, or is prescribed, these medications. It’s also interesting that you mention calcium and magnesium. This is something which has come up a few times from previous readers. As a pharmacist do you have any particular views on how well they could help with hypnic jerks? It would be great to hear from you again.
          Thanks,
          Ethan

  6. Well I’m a 13 year old kid who gets about 2-5 jerks EVERY NIGHT. Should I see a doctor? Or is it fine?

    • Hiyah

      It’s probably nothing to worry about at all, but if you want reassurance, you can talk to your family about it. There is a good chance they will also have experienced it and you can talk it through together.
      Don’t panic though, you’ll be fine:-)
      Regards
      Ethan

  7. There are three occasions when I seem to get them.

    1 is sleeping I knew nothing about them and just assumed they were my muscles releasing tension this came from the other times I get them too that led me to think this.

    2 is when I am relaxing for any reason or sometime when I seen something I do not approve of and find “icky”.

    3 is when I am meditating.

    In 1 and 3 it is usually from my legs and 2 results in my getting these jerks in my upper body though the upper body is quite rare.

    I never worried about these due to my assumptions on the course, I actually enjoyed them and started to tense and jerk a little by choice before bed as I found that it does actually make me feel more relaxed after doing so. Since I started doing it consciously the involuntary jerks have trailed off.

    • Hi Clucker

      Thanks for your comment and sharing your ideas. There have been a few interesting suggestions recently from readers as to things which they find help. But consciously tensing/jerking first is a very interesting idea. I wonder if doing progressive muscle relaxation where you actively tense, or contract, muscles throughout your body and relax them would be helpful for you? Have you tried that at all?
      Regards
      Ethan

  8. If i know I’m going to suffer from this, due to a late night and/ or too much to drink the night before, then i take a paracetamol , not sure if it’s just me but it definitely stops this from happening. also i do the same thing if i have a spate of bad dreams, just take some paracetamol at night and maybe again when it wears off around 4 to 6am ..

    • Hi Aeron

      Thanks for sharing something which you find helps. I’m not sure taking paracetamol is a good idea in the long run to deal with something natural. But if it’s occasional and let’s you sleep well, then that’s a personal choice of course.
      Regards
      Ethan

  9. Hi, Mr. Green.

    I feel so thankful having found this site because you take time to answer the comments. It is a great thing for us, to have answers or even explanations. So thank you.

    I am Jarol, 36 years old and lives in the Philippines. This happened to me two days in a row already and I am very scared because I really felt like dying in my sleep. First it was the palpitations, very severe palpitations. My pulse rate is 132 per minute. The first time it happened to me was two days ago. I have been asleep for one to two minutes already then I suddenly woke up with very fast heartbeat. I had to get up, drink water then try to sleep again. Same thing happened every time I try to sleep for the next five hours. It was so scary, with the palpitations and the difficulty to sleep even for a minute. It was almost 5 AM when I realized I have kava capsules and rhodiola sent by a very good friend (he is also the one who makes them). I took 3 caps of kava and 5 caps of rhodiola and within minutes I fell asleep. It was a bliss being able to sleep and I owe it to the herbal capsules I took. I really thought that kind of jerk will only happen once to me but I had it again last night. I was so tired from a trip and when I closed my eyes, I felt as if my soul is leaving my body or something like that. I am not sure if that was some kind of OBE but the feeling is I am actually leaving my body. I tried to fight the urge to leave my body and every time I try to do it, I wake up. I sat down, took some deep breaths and contemplated of taking the herbs (only few left and I was thinking to “reserve” them for an emergency need). I finally decided to try sleeping again in a different position, and thank God, I fell asleep. It will be night time again in a few hours and I am a bit worried it might happen to me again. Hopefully, not anymore!

    • Hi Jarol

      Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m glad you have found this site useful. That sounds like quite an unpleasant experience you had. I know it has been a while since you wrote the comment and I’m replying now, so I wonder, have you had more experiences or was it a one off? And did you have a look at my article on sleep paralysis? Perhaps the OOB experience you are describing might have some explanation there.
      Let me know if you’re following this comment.
      Regards
      Ethan

  10. Hi Ethan and thanks for initiating such an intriguing discussion, it never ceases to amaze me the extent of suffering which many people must endure because of the appalling lack of information and care provided by the medical fraternity. If a condition is not regarded as directly connected to something serious it simply isn’t investigated and yet it’s in these peripheral conditions where so many bigger answers lie. I often experience hypnic jerks and I know for me they are a clear alert of an overstressed nervous system, nothing else. Like all such neurological reactions they can be exacerbated by, or triggered by alcohol, tiredness etc. but the real problem lies elsewhere. I believe that many of of us don’t realise how deeply and insidiously we have ben affected by trauma. Like some of your other correspondents I suffered a traumatic childhood which provides a clear explanation for my problems but unfortunately many people like me often develop far too sucessful compensatory techniques to survive; like hair-trigger aggression, trusting only in empirical rationalisation, elaborate fantasizing, intellectualisation, etc., and these become so critical to our survival that we don’t know how to switch them off when we grow up. We believe that because we can now fully acknowledge the cause and effect of trauma, therefore we must have dismantled it and we neednt’t look further. But I know from first hand experience that it’s often the person who has been the most superficially successful at resolving trauma, and who thinks they’re over it, who has the greatest unresolved problems.
    It was a violent hypnic jerk which presaged the worst experience of my life, my first and completely debilitating episode of essential myoclonus, a very loud repetitive “put-putting” in my ear which continued day and night for three months and had me in the end, mentally and physically so scared and exhausted that I lay curled up on the floor in foetal position trying to re-connect enough of my brain together to work out a way to kill myself. And all the while doctors and esteemed physicians basically stood by almost contemptuously, and told me to get over it because it wasn’t a “life threatening” condition. They couldn’t hear or see it so if I tried hard presumably nor would I! Normally I experience jerks falling asleep but this one occurred as I woke up very suddenly, just after falling asleep whilst listening to a mind entrainment tape, (as suggested I think perhaps unwisely, in your link on relaxation techniques). The system was Holosync and I have since found out that many other users have experienced equally distressing consequences by donning head phones and effectively installing a dangerous “brain virus” in their subconscious. And these new neural pathways can become permanently susceptible to high levels of stress. I still curse myself for being so lazy as to want to to expedite my lacklustre attempts at achieving deeper mediation this way. I’ve since had another two horrendous 4 month long myoclonal episodes, which just proves that the brain and our central nervous system are not to be casually experimented with and that even seemingly minor nervous reactions like hypnic jerks are connected back into a far more complex neurological matrix, one which currently the medical fraternity at large is not prepared to investigate.

    • Hi Ralph

      First of all, thank you for your very well written and interesting comment. You have clearly thought about hypnic jerks and the other issues you mention at length, as is only natural having been through so much.
      I am slowly winding down the length of replies I give to people on this particular thread because of the sheer quantity of time it takes to think about what I want to say, and then write it. So please don’t take offense if your long comment doesn’t receive a long reply. However, I imagine one or two other readers, either past or future, will connect with what you have said.
      It’s interesting that the trauma theory has recently surfaced with a couple of readers. I might do a bit of research into your ideas and see what turns up.
      And interestingly enough, I recently removed the brainwave entrainment section on the relaxation techniques page. Not because I think it’s bad for you though, but because feedback has told me that people found the other techniques more helpful.
      Thanks again for sharing your personal story, and I wish you all the best and an end to the myoclonal episodes.
      Ethan

  11. I have started treating my hypnic jerks using magnesium oil, it is concentrated seawater salts that you rub into the skin, in my case, in the area where you felt the jerk, like calf muscle. It works! Instead of having more jerks that night, they are gone, often for days. My only concern is this is a salt and may be taxing on your system, so I use it sparingly. Perhaps this will help others? I only found it on the internet, not my local health food store. Good luck, and let me know if it works for you! Could it be a magnesium deficiency, not treatable by oral supplements, that causes hypnic jerks? Bad news for big Pharma, they would poo-poo results, so would doctors!

    • That answers my previous question…I hadn’t seen your second comment! I’m not an expert on natural medicine, so can’t comment on your magnesium theory. Perhaps one of the other readers will come back and give an opinion, if they are still following these comments.
      All the best
      Ethan

    • I also find that magnesium oil helps calm my hypnic jerks, but it usually only lasts a day. Extra calcium also helps.

      One thing people need to understand about magnesium is that just because your magnesium blood serum level comes back normal doesn’t mean your body has enough magnesium as it pulls all available magnesium into the blood to keep you from having a heart attack. You need a special blood test to check for the cellular magnesium level. There’s a good series on youtube by Dr. Mark Sircus on magnesium. He has a book on transdermal magnesium therapy. It’s worth watching and reading if you have sleep, energy or constipation problems.

      • Hi Hayley,

        Thanks for the comment, and the interesting information about Magnesium. I will have a look at those videos and see what he has to say.

        Regards,
        Ethan

  12. I have had a hypnic jerk before. I had one last night where I was staying awake all night and close to morning I lied down and closed my eyes. I was still awake in my mind but the hypnic jerk just happened.
    I had one where I left my heater on at night. it turns on and off automatically by temperature settings. I had a hypnic jerk when it happened.
    I was watching video of one man and he had done astral projections a lot. He said the hypnic jerk happens when a demon tries to get you to come out of the body.

    • Hi Joe

      Thanks for your comment. I sometimes wonder whether hypnic jerks are sometimes caused by your brain being startled, such as with an unexpected noise as you suggested.
      Personally I think that the demon theory is very silly, and I’m not going to publish the video you suggested as the guy is, in my opinion, talking nonsense and using it as a very bizarre opportunity to do what he really wants to do and promote his particular religious ideology. Sorry!
      Regards
      Ethan

      • Quick comment. I said a prayer after 90 straight days of jerks. I had not prayed in 30 years. They went totally away for weeks. Still have them not near as bad here and there and I have my opinions about why I have them out of no where. Take it for what it is but they stopped cold turkey for weeks after I said my prayer. No one is more shocked than me.

        • I started experiencing these about 6 months ago and was getting NO sleep the first week because of it. I went to a neurologist who prescribe medication that did help. With prayer to Jesus I was able to go months without needing any medicine and am sleeping great. Truly a miracle from God

  13. I started experiencing this last week the night after a horrible hangover from binge drinking. I’m an anxious person in general, and bad hangovers make things much worse. So this definitely seems stress related. At any rate, this has been debilitating — there are nights where I do not sleep at all because I physically cannot fall asleep without being jerked awaken. Not feeling great right now ans not sure what to do.

    • Hi Annie
      Thank you for the comment and sharing. Hopefully if you hadn’t has them before, then you can find a way to go back to not having them. Obviously try not drinking for a while and see if it settles down again. And try not to start stressing about it, though I know that’s harder to do than simply deciding not to. Perhaps try some of the relaxation techniques I’ve mentioned previously in this post. You can do them in bed to try to help you deal with the stress before sleeping.
      All the best
      Ethan

  14. Just found this site! In response to Denise (aug 29 2013)….you are the first person i’ve found who has a similar experience to myself….when drifting to sleep I suddenly have to “sit up” and “swallow” in order “to breathe” again….this is made difficult by the fact that my mouth/throat is completely “dry”….I call it my “dying mode”…it is so frightening/distressing. It may not happen for months or it may happen 3 or 4 nights in a row…there is no pattern to it….sometimes it happens if i “nod off” in the chair or in the car (as a passenger of course!) I think it may happen when i am very tired/relaxed….i have thought it may be related to the fact that i have asthma….sometimes when it happens my whole body goes “completeley cold” and I find i need to wrap up in a fleecy dressing gown (even in the height of summer)….i find if i get up and have a cup of tea then take a “heat pad” back to bed to “cuddle” it helps me “drift off” to sleep……..i never go to bed thinking that it “may happen” so it cant be the fact that i’m anxious about it….when it does happen though it is the most frightening experience ever!! good luck to all!!

    • Hi Joan

      Thanks for the comment, and sorry to hear you also have unpleasant moments due to hypnic jerks. Again, I would recommend talking to a doctor if you have any kind of breathing issues in your sleep.
      Perhaps Denise will come back and reply…otherwise you can leave a comment directly on her’s rather than here, as she may be following that thread rather than this one.
      Regards
      Ethan

  15. Over my life I have experienced all of the described symptoms. As a child I regularly had the terrifying falling experince, only to wake with a jolt, but the worst was waking suddenly from a ‘presence’in the room, but completely without voice..unable to scream out.
    As I grew up the jolt awake, after the falling experience, was a regular occurrence. When I got married, my wife would wake with a sudden muscular spasm, here described as a hypnic jerk. After a few of these, I noticed that my falling experiences dwindled and I too was getting the same ‘jolt’ awake as my wife. I thought at the time that it was sudden release of electricity in the brain as a more controlled version of epilepsy and was transferable as electric behaviour can be. I also had a few years when I suffered sleep apnoea and that was truly horrific. There have been countless times that I have been awoken by the ‘exploding brain’ syndrome, but I eventually learnt to stop getting out of bed to search for intruders.
    Over the years the jolt has become stronger and more frequent, however it is always worse when fallig asleep sitting up on the sofa, which now I am in my mid 60’s, is everyday. There have been a few times when the jolt was so violent, the laptop on my knee was thrown across the room. (fortunately never damaged)
    For the last 35 years, I have been plagued by restless legs which involves grinding my knees and my hips. This wakes me several times a night.
    My GP has prescribed Amimtriptyline to aid sleep, but it is not nice sleep and I feel over-tired the next day.
    What I would really like is just a few nights,in my life, of around 8 hours of undisturbed natural sleep.
    Just to know what it feels like.

    • Hi Charlie

      Thank you for your comment and sharing your story. And I think you must have some kind of record (not the nicest one of course…) for the most sleep disorders ever experienced by one person! I’m not surprised you’re yearning for a few good night’s sleep with all of that going on. Has your doctor ever suggested getting a sleep study done? I imagine you’ve probably seen specialists during the apnea stags, but still, it might be worth re-visiting them if you still have such difficulty sleeping.
      Otherwise I hope your GP manages to work with you to find something which helps, and that you find tolerable. And if you read the comments here, you might find something useful from one of the other readers who have been kind enough to share their thoughts.
      All the best
      Ethan

  16. Hi Ethan did you get my msg abt the newspaper article? I don’t see it above. I also sent a couple of msg to Mark in response to his comments and don’t see them either. Never am sure if things go thru as connection fails some times. Hope all is all with you. Dee.

  17. as long as I can remember I have been jolting up when I sleep. Maybe a couple of times a night. I literally jump out of bed wide awake and Alert . night after night I can’t fall asleep till 2 or 3, and when I do fall asleep I jolt up like every hour till wake up, which is around 5:30. My family used to wake me up just to see me Jerk awake. I don’t know what it is. During the day I’m always alert and looking around always scanning what’s around me. I don’t know if I have anxiety or what. Also when I fall asleep in the car I get the falling sensation that some other described in this thread. I have a healthy diet, exercise, and haven’t had any traumatic experiences in my life. any help would be greatly appreciated.

    • Hi Ryan

      Thanks for your comment. If you think you might have anxiety, then there is always the possibility you do in one way or another. You could always try looking into some of the relaxation exercises we have on this site. And if you look back through the other readers’ comments you’ll also find a wealth of theories, ideas and advice you can have a think about.
      All the best
      Ethan

  18. Thank you, Ethan, for your article on hypnic jerks. When they are problematic, I think they might stem from trauma. I’ll explain by sharing my story in the hope it might help others.

    This is long, I know. Bear with me.

    I’ve experienced hypnic jerks throughout my life. They were never problematic, just a normal part of falling asleep (minor twitches that did not wake me). 2.5 years ago I was in a life-threatening bicycle accident. It was late at night, there were no witnesses, and I have no memories of it. I do know I was found unconscious and somebody called for an ambulance. The only thing I remember is waking up hours later in the emergency department. I have no idea what happened. My face was broken: my zygomatic and maxilla bones were shattered and displaced about one inch, I had an orbital fracture, and nerves in the area were severely damaged. One week later I had a nearly 7-hour surgery. I had a very good surgeon and recovered relatively quickly. I never learned what happened.

    Fast-forward two years and strange things started happening. I developed an extreme sensitivity to heights and specifically the idea of falling. Stadium seating felt too steep and dangerous. Ski chair lifts which I had ridden all my life suddenly gave me intense terror while on them. I associated all of this with falling. I felt very afraid of the sensation or possibility of falling. I knew something was very wrong when I couldn’t enjoy a ski trip, as I’ve loved skiing since I was a kid. I didn’t realize it, but I was experiencing panic attacks. I thought stress and worry caused panic attacks, yet I was not consciously stressed or worried. The terror came out of the blue, yet always felt related to falling.

    Two weeks after the fear-ridden ski trip I saw the movie Captain Phillips. The final scene was completely overwhelming to me. My body began to tremble and shake uncontrollably (the shakes were large movements, not minor shivers). And I was sobbing uncontrollably. All I could think was, “That’s me. That WAS me. That happened to me.” It was so overwhelming I closed my eyes and put my hands over my face as I shook and sobbed. The movie finished, I left the theater, and I sat in my car trembling for another 20 minutes before I drove home.

    Within a week I was having major sleep disturbances: waking with a startle or a hypnic jerk accompanied by surges of adrenaline that I could feel course through my body. I sometimes experienced a choking sensation too or like a heavy weight was on my chest that I needed to get out from under. I also woke up on occasion with what I can only describe as a snarl or contortion on my face. My nostrils were flared and my upper lip was raised…the sort of face you make when you are about to burst into tears. I was not consciously afraid of anything. I was feeling the physical symptoms of fear and was thus afraid. I was not having nightmares or troubling thoughts prior to sleeping nor during sleep. It seemed that my body had a mind of its own and it wasn’t letting me sleep.

    I started trying to find professional help. And of course googling. I learned I was experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [Note: memories of a traumatic event are not necessary to develop PTSD or other symptoms of trauma.] I was not consciously worried or stressed, but my body was clearly not ok. I needed to sleep! I began seeing a psychologist, an acupuncturist, and a massage therapist specializing in structural integration (a.k.a. Rolfing). I knew something was really wrong and I needed to figure it out and get better.

    I’ve continued to see the psychologist and Rolfer and have now read scores of scholarly articles and books on trauma and PTSD. It’s been two months and I still experience these intense and terrifying hypnic jerks that won’t let me sleep about once a week (it used to be nightly), but I am now certain mine stem from trauma…in my case, the bike accident. My approach is to ride them out and try to really become aware of my body sensations. But if it’s a week night and I need to function the next day at work I will take alprazolam (a benzodiazepine) when they are too bad to ride out (i.e., won’t let me get back to sleep within 1-2 hours). If it’s Friday or Saturday night, I just ride it out and practice noticing my body sensations and not being scared by it.

    Some helpful things I’ve learned:

    What makes it WORSE
    1) caffeine
    2) alcohol
    3) working until I go to bed
    4) exercising too late in the day
    5) ignoring and pushing through my first wave of sleepiness in the evening (i.e., staying up past my bedtime)

    The common denominator of all these things is they activate your sympathetic nervous system which activates your adrenal glands.

    What makes it BETTER
    1) sticking to the same bedtime every night…even if I don’t feel tired
    2) practicing listening to my body and noting my sensations, saying to myself things such as, “I notice my heart is beating faster. I notice my legs are feeling shaky. I notice my abdomen feels tight.”
    3) knowing my body won’t hurt me, it’s only trying to tell me something
    4) Rolfing (structural integration) body work

    The common denominator here is listening to and respecting the body. Trauma is centered in the body and the body systems are integral to healing.

    If you experience hypnic jerks in a severe and troubling way, I suggest looking in to trauma as a possible cause. Keep in mind that trauma isn’t always what we think it is. I highly recommend books/articles by Robert Scaer (neurologist), Peter Levine (psychologist), and Francine Shapiro (psychologist). All have a different professional perspective, all have a highly informed view of trauma and the mind/body systems involved, and all write clearly on the subject.

    I hope what I have written here might help somebody else.

    Kind wishes to you all.

    Maria

    • Hi Maria,

      Thank you very much for your very personal story and taking the time to leave such a long comment. First of all, sorry to hear you’ve been through such a horrible experience and that it had such a profound effect on you. But well done for all the positive action you have taken to try to deal with it. That in itself is an inspiration.

      Your trauma theory is an interesting one, and I don’t doubt that for some people it could well play a role – especially in creating anxiety-related problems. But I’m not sure every reader who gets hypnic jerks needs to start wondering whether they’ve been exposed to a trauma they’ve forgotten about or not recognized fully. It can be tempting when you find an answer that works for you, to then apply it to everyone else. But hypnic jerks are an extremely common phenomenon, and often not related to much other than some of the things you rightly list such as caffeine or sleep deprivation.

      Even though you say to look into it if they are ‘problematic’, the difficulty is that some people will label just 1 or 2 jerks as problematic, when actually it’s perfectly normal.

      However, you have a lot of good advice in your comment, so perhaps someone reading this who has been having a troubling time might find it useful. I just don’t want every reader to start questioning whether they need to see a counsellor!

      Thanks again though for the time it took you and thought you put into the comment. And I hope you manage to continue making progress.

      Very warm wishes
      Ethan

  19. im 12 i thought it was just me who got these their kind of scary they happen every night and i never know when their gonna happen lol

    • Hi Tristan

      You’re definitely not alone! Hopefully you can relax now you know that it’s probably just the normal hypnic jerks that most people experience.
      All the best
      Ethan

  20. Hey all, thought I would share my recent experiences as I came across this today. I am 27yo male and work in IT so sitting all day and have potential to slouch over my desk.

    Since December I have been getting a lot of pressure in the head and headaches that lasted days and only went away when I was asleep. I thought it was related to Beer as when I drank I would get almost a handover type headache after 2 beers so I tried more natural beers that have no preservatives added. Sadly no massive change after Xmas so I went to my GP and they thought I had a sinus infection, so started me on antibiotics. Soon it went but seemed to come back. I was also told I have very poor posture so I started to go to a Physio and do massage. I recently had some role changes at work that increased my stress and buying my first home so a lot of anxiety was thrown into the mix.
    Physio did not seem to help, the massage and dry needling did release a lot of tension I had in my back.
    Sadly the head pressure came back again worse than ever, of course all sorts off bad things come to mind when you get something like this so back to the GP again. She referred me to a ENT doctor to get sinus checked and ordered CT scans of brain and neck and sinus, all clear but CT of sinus showed a deviated septum. Off I went to ENT specialist and he found no signs of infection, he even added he thought I was a bit of a worrier and suggested I look into ways to relax more and release my stress. To start I started taking magnesium supplements, this does seem to help a bit and decided to try and tune out more when at home from work.

    Still worried I went back to the GP to ask for more help, pressure in head by this stage was not subsiding. I had put in for 2 weeks leave off work over Easter so thought this would be good time to relax also if indeed it was just a buildup of stress.
    GP decided to prescribe me a low dose of Endep (Amitriptyline) used to treat depression traditionally but also for nerve and muscle pain. This was mainly as my neck at this stage was also really stiff and was thought to be the cause of the pressure, hope was to relax the muscles in this case. Bad news was some side affects to the drug and 2-4 weeks was needed to show any improvement. First 12 days were bad, and these “jerks” started in first 3 days of taking it. I would start to fall asleep, feel a rush of awareness hit me like a tingling sensation up my spine almost as if I was asleep when I was aware of it happening but I suddenly wide awake, not jolted awake but thoughts started to flow into mind again . It was met with tingling and pins and needles, random highs and lows in my temperature and chest pain. After this I also did what I do best and started to stress about my heart, my mother has high blood pressure so I used her machine to test and all normal. I have not had an ECG but she said welcome to the club, she also gets these jerks from time to time.

    Well after speaking to friends about my neck stiffness a lot suggested I see a chiropractor or myotherapist. Today was my first day getting an adjustment and he said I had some Vertebral subluxation and with some adjustments and myotherapist visits he aims to improve my posture and muscle tension. He also said to keep up with the magnesium supplements as they are good to help relax and to start looking at taking Omega3 and VitaminD supplements too, with more exercise, more intake of water, back and neck exercises, and of course aim for better posture.
    Fingers crossed, I am a bit skeptical but I was not comfortable on the endep and tonight is the first night I have been off it in 15 days and I’m up at 3am as I am getting these jerks again when trying to fall asleep. This time more specific chest pain, as someone else mentioned I think, above the left pec seems to ache and I am getting sharp bouts of pain in toes, feet and fingers (all over body really) and feel really weak if lying down. I sit up and feel fine again, yet I do not feel tired like I need to sleep. ( May be due to me being on leave and sleeping in a bit each day)

    Anyways that is where I am at so thought I would share as others have helped relieve some anxiety from knowing this can be normal and has a name. (I am a very analytical person so research everything, good old dr google, can be good and bad)
    A lot of this all does make sense to me in a way, holding the tension in the neck and back puts a lot of pressure on the body, and thus mixed with everyday things like work and personal stress etc, gets us all down including our immune system and thus other parts of the body. I just hope that in coming weeks of chiro from now I am back to being 100%

    • Hi Corey

      Thank you for sharing your story in such depth. And as you say, perhaps other readers will connect in some way with something you have said. I am having to scale back my responses to long comments due to time constraints unfortunately, so I will just say thank you for sharing and wish you all the best. I hope that the medical professionals get you back to 100%. Incidentally my aunt is a chiropractor, and I personally have great respect for that profession!
      Regards
      Ethan

  21. I’ve been having these hypnic jerks for almost 5 years my wife says. They don’t bug me but the do disturb her all the time. The 1 thing that I don’t see is this happening all night, I’m told mine happen all the time (not constantly but often during the night) and rarely do I get woken up from them only when I’m trying to take a nap. Our just at the beginning of the night. I’m also having issues keeping my eyes open while driving but only around mid day which I’ve read is some what normal but I’m not sure there isn’t an underlying problem. I’ve never been to a specialist and this is my first attempt to reach out on the subject. Thank you for the thread although I’ve never worried about the problem it’s nice to see I’m not alone. Good luck to everyone and make light of the situation don’t let it overcome you.

    • Hi Ryan

      Thanks for the comment and positive words to other readers. I’m glad you are able to see it in a light-hearted way. Though I’m not so sure the eyes closing while driving is something to see the same way! Remember to drive sensibly!
      Regards
      Ethan

  22. I worry about going blind when I fall asleep. This causes me to jolt myself awake. Even though I’m fairly certain it’s not possible to go blind in your sleep I can’t get this thought out of my head!!

    • Hi Mike

      I’m pretty sure it’s unlikely to happen. Whatever the cause for your worry, you might find talking to a counselor about it could help you overcome it.
      Regards
      Ethan

  23. Thank God I have found this article. For the longest time I have been thinking that a ghost was shaking me awake. I have severe whatever these are and have been sleep deprived and depressed for 10 years. Just did an overnight sleep test a few days ago and hopefully I will get some drugs that will help me…

    • Hi Sally,

      I think you can probably eliminate the ghost theory now. Though you are not the first person to put it down to a supernatural explanation when you haven’t heard the biological explanation before.
      I’ll be hoping for you that the sleep test sets you on the track to sleeping better.
      Regards
      Ethan

  24. Sorry for the silly name, I couldn’t resist!

    I started to have hypnic jerks (repetitive) in December. Before that it’d be just one and then I’d fall asleep, but since December it’d happen all through the night. Some nights I couldn’t fall asleep at all. My hypnic jerks would be accompanied with a sense of dread/panic. More I would get them the more my heart rate would go up and I’d have adrenaline pumping and I’d need to start running for the toilet about once an hour to wee. I would also get bouts of hypoglycemia, where I would shake as I got so hungry. For this, super-regular mealtimes were beneficial and a light snack before bed.

    I’m not sure if my jerks were due to anxiety or if the tiredness caused by them caused my anxiety. Either way, they are very disruptive.

    I’ve stopped drinking anything caffeinated, I’ve cut down on my sugar intake and am having less carbs and more veggies. I don’t know if these changes have helped, but they certainly make me feel more “well” during the day.

    I’ve tried natural sleep remedies (apart from melatonin since I can’t get it without prescription here) and they don’t help. I do yoga, breathing and mindfulness exercises that help somewhat, but not really. I’ve refused sleeping pills and anxiety medication. I have taken some St Johns Wort and Ashwaghandha and these have seem to have lifted my spirits and calm me down somewhat. But I’ve now stopped both (St John Wort causes me to be super sensitive to sun, so I’d just burn during summer using it plus I get easily Vit D deficient [something that shouldn’t be overlooked when looking into sleep problems, by the way] so I need all the sun exposure I can get) and the uneasiness seems to be creeping up again. Or maybe it’s just me worrying about it coming back that’s making it return. Who knows.

    My hypnic jerks almost went away for about two months since February, but they have just returned. I dunno if this has something to do with stopping those remedies or something else physical or some other deficiency (I am taking Vit D every day).

    I have noticed that cutting down on my salt intake helps too as my blood pressure stays down.

    Anyway this is my two pence on the subject… I tried to be as detailed as possible. Thank you for your website!

    • Hiyah,

      Don’t worry about the silly name – I’m use to them now! Thank you for your detailed comment, and it’s interesting to see all the effort you’ve put into trying to find a solution. I’m sure other readers will also have a think about some of the things you’ve said helped or not.
      It’s a tricky one, trying to work out what role anxiety can have, with the classic ‘chicken or the egg first’ situation that often arises.
      I imagine that the key is to keep working on the positive things you do to control anxiety. Maybe you’ll have some set-backs, but in the long-run if you keep tackling it in a positive and determined way, hopefully you will see improvements.
      All the best
      Ethan

      • I FOUND OUT WHAT CAUSED MY REPETITVE HYPNIC JERKS!

        I have histamine intolerance. As soon as I cut out the foods that my body had trouble dealing with (pretty much anything aged or cured plus some fruits/veggies like aubergine, tomato and strawberries and also wine etc plus some other stuff), repetitive hypnic jerks are gone, for more than a month now. My sleepless nights are gone (and I hope they stay gone!). What a relief. I really hope other’s will find help to their condition too. The last 10 months have been extremely difficult and I’ve been depressed, but getting adequate sleep and not getting these jerks one after another every night has brought back a smile on my face!

        • Hi there ENIaJ

          Great to hear from you again, and what an interesting story you have about stopping the hypnic jerks. That’s fantastic news, and I’m really pleased for you.
          Thanks so much for coming back to tell us, and I do hope you stay this way for good now.
          All the best
          Ethan

        • After reading this again I see wine..Alcohol. Mine blow up with one beer since they started. I bet the wine was doing it.

  25. Hello,

    I’ve done a lot of internet research. There are some meds that make it worse.

    Treatment meds (in order of likely efficacy):
    Valproic acid is drug of choice, also still primidone.

    May respond to benzodiazepines e.g. clonazepam.

    • Hi Al
      Thanks for your comment. You list a couple of medications which can be used as a treatment. Which ones have you found make it worse in your research?
      Thanks
      Ethan

  26. Hi, I have this problem of hypnic jerks since forever or at least for as long as I can remember. I get these jerks at least 4 5 times every night I feel like I am falling from a building or throwing a ball or catching a ball or getting hit by a ball etc. I don’t even have any sleeping problems I work from home so I get to sleep a lot I don’t really have any stress realated issues either neither do I drink, I just smoke and that also just 3 4 cigarettes a day plus i don’t take caeffine either my bed is highly comfortable so I don’t know what’s wrong do you think there is anything to be worried about should I go see a doctor?

    • Hi Daniel

      It’s probably just the harmless hypnic jerks that many people experience. You can always visit a doctor to give you peace of mind, but they are probably unlikely to do anything if they think it is just hypnic jerks.
      Regards
      Ethan

  27. I am a 38 y/o female and I have had the jerks for as long as I can remember, I’ve actually had them so long that a lot of the time they don’t wake me anymore, so I truly wasn’t worried about them until last night when I woke up because it felt like my heart had been shocked, I was awake a while because it scared me and I couldn’t even tell if my heart was beating anymore. After I finally calmed down enough to get back to sleep I woke up a while later choking and so scared to take a breath because it felt like if I breathed in I would choke to death. I did eventually clear the fluid I was choking on and got back to sleep an hour or so later. I have never had either of these experiences before and I thought I would share a bit of them. Should probably note that I have tendencies toward anxiety but last night I was not anxious/stressed so I’m not sure what the cause for the difference is.

    • Hi Carolyn

      Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to you. And that sound very scary indeed. Have you spoken to a doctor about this? If you haven’t then it might be a good idea.

      Regards
      Ethan

  28. I have been startling awake for 2 hours every night but there is no muscle jerk. I start to drift off to sleep and suddenly I am awake. It sounds like the hypnic jerks except I know I am not jerking. I have had jerking on occasion so I know what it is. It was not as bothersome as these startles.

    I have been tired from RLS for a long time but this startling is new. I finally fall asleep and maybe sleep an hour and then the RLS wakes me up. I get very little sleep and can no longer work. I can’t even focus to drive safely.

    I am waiting to get into a sleep clinic. This is a rural area and I don’t have a lot of hope that anybody around here will have a clue. My sister wants me to try to travel to a better sleep center in a bigger city but that is impossible. I don’t have the money or the energy. My husband left me and it’s just me and my 2 teenagers struggling along.

    By the way, I am post menopausal. Sometimes I wonder if this could be hormonal.

    • Hi Kate

      Thanks for sharing your story, and I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough time. I guess with the sleep clinic it’s a difficult decision: do you save the money and wait until you do have the funds to get to a better one. Or just go with it for now and hope they can help? Have you done much research on who works in the clinic, and what experience/specialisms they have? You never know, they could be very good there. Just because it’s rural doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t good. Medical professionals don’t always want to live in the big cities, so sometimes you can find really good people in isolated areas. I would do some research on them – assuming you haven’t done much so far – before deciding one way or the other. Also, I don’t know which country you are in, but in many places, sleep clinics will do research projects. In the UK for example, most clinics have research projects going on. So it’s not impossible to do some ringing around and see if you can find one researching your particular sleep problems.
      In the meantime, maybe try some of the things you can do for free or cheap…like look at your nutrition, stress/anxiety, exercise, relaxation etc.
      Good luck and I hope you do find the help you need.
      Ethan

      • Thanks, Ethan. I did go to the clinic closest to me and found it to be very unhelpful. No interest in a possible hormonal connection. Willing to go straight to trying Ambien alternating with Vicodin without trying to get to the cause. They did say I could try a sleep study or just go straight to the drugs. Not very responsive to my questions. Also, the building is being renovated and I listened to hammering and drilling and banging the whole time I was there. Not going back. I have a friend whose husband went to a sleep clinic about an hour away and said he was happy with it. I can’t drive myself that far, but one of my children can when they can get off work. So I guess I will ask my doctor to refer me to that one. Hope she will. It is not in her network. I really want to get to the bottom of why this is happening. Not just patch it with drugs. And believe me, I have already looked at nutrition, exercise, all that stuff with my primary doctor. I have a very healthy lifestyle. Yoga, healthy diet, meditation, etc. This just came out of the blue. Well, actually, I think it came out of menopause since that’s when it started. I was surprised and dismayed to have that completely dismissed at the sleep center.

        • Hi Kate

          Sorry it’s taken me ages to reply. I’ve been exceptionally busy. It’s a shame you didn’t get the help you were hoping for. Have you been to try out the other center yet, or do you need to wait a while for the referral?
          Regards
          Ethan

  29. Hi Ethan. Hope all is well with you. Just wanted to relay something I read abt nightmares in the paper ysdy – apparently the muscles become paralysed during rem sleep – which is also when the jerks occur as I understand, I think this further confirms what happens when we jerk, Im assuming the brain is sensing the muscle paralysis and is jerking us awake to keep us safe. V clever the body.

    • Hi Dee

      Nice to hear from you again. I’d be interested to read that article – is there a link to an online newspaper?
      Yes the muscles are supposed to be locked down during REM sleep, partly to prevent you from acting out your dreams, and potentially injuring yourself (something which can happen in REM sleep behavior disorder).

      But the hypnic jerks as I understand it most commonly happen when you are falling asleep, not in REM sleep. They may occur during that stage, but most commonly they occur as you are entering the earlier stages of sleep. So I don’t think it’s necessarily the brain trying to keep us awake. That would mean the body is fighting its own natural process of going to sleep, which I don’t believe is the case.
      Thanks for the idea though, and I hope all is well.
      Ethan

      • Hi Ethan. Sorry I haven’t been on for a while but newspaper was daily mail ad would prob have been that day or day before – 3rd oR 4th april. Am seeing how coffee affects me at the mo. 1 cup after several months set the whole thing off again so I’m not happy but hey if it puts me back in touch with you guys and gives me another opportunity to practice facing and accepting it again. Was interested in yr reply. Thanks for that. Hope all is well with you. Blessings.

        • Hi Dee

          Nice to hear from you again, though sorry to hear you’ve had them again recently. Sounds like you need to stay off the caffeine!
          You’re welcome for the reply. Take care and hopefully it will pass quickly again.
          Ethan

  30. I read all of the comments and found it to be quite helpful but in particular, Kate’s where she mentioned heart palpitations. I suffer from terrible anxiety and it does seem to come and go. It also really seems to act up this time of the year (Spring). I had these “hypnic jerks” last night and though they don’t happen often they got me scared last night. I spent the evening worried about heart palpitations where I will take my pulse and I was skipping beats for sure. I really thought they were probably stress based. I was curious if anyone else has this issue? Also..I will admit that I am almost a daily drinker and last night I had 2 glasses of wine close to bed. I noticed some people mention it helps and others suggest it doesn’t. Wondering about that especially with the man and the beer comment. One thing I can say for certain is I am a VERY stressed person and this seems to be a big key factor in a lot of comments. Just wondering if other people notice a time of the year when it happens more and any other factors. Much appreciated!!!

    • Hi Beth

      Thanks for sharing your story, and sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with anxiety to this extent. I won’t comment too much, but leave it for other readers to hopefully reply to since you’ve asked an open question. But on a personal level, I’ve never noticed a time of year connection. But stress definitely!
      Regards
      Ethan

  31. I sprained my ankle a week ago (almost broke it) and although I have experienced the hypnic jerk on numerous occasions throughout my lifetime, since I sprained my ankle I have had these jerks on a daily basis. My hypnic jerks are always associated with a dream of tripping over and twisting my ankle and are even as detailed as me hearing the “pop” of the muscles as the ankle twists. I usually wake up and my leg and ankle jump/jerk quite considerably, for a second I think I feel pain and then realise it’s a dream. I have injured this ankle also numerous times throughout my life. My hypnic jerks could be related to a weakened muscle and mental trauma from these falls that I’ve experienced? The only other time I have experienced there hypnic jerks are when I have fallen asleep whilst seated in the upright position e.g. in an airplane or in a car and once again they are always associated with a recurring dream. I dream that I am in a fire station and that I am a fireman. I dream that the fire alarm goes off and all the firemen, including me, scramble towards the pole that the firemen slide down to get to the lower level of the fire station. I too run towards the pole and jump out to slide down but I miss the pole! It is at this point that I wake up and find my arms and legs jerking to try and grasp the pole. I feel this kind of hypnic jerk relates to my subconscious mind trying to wake me up because I have fallen asleep in the upright position and am not in the correct position to fall asleep properly. It’s like my minds way of saying “hey!! You’re supposed to be laying down if you’re going to sleep!!” Does any of this make sense??

    • Hi Dina

      Thanks so much for sharing your story, and interesting reflections on your hypnic jerks. What you say in the first part does make sense. If you feel traumatized by all your falls, and are constantly dreaming about falling, then there is clearly something going on there! How it then transferred to hypnic jerks is the difficult part to pin down. But if you are now recovering again from a fall, it would possibly make sense that the connection is stronger at the moment?
      And poor you missing the pole in the dream! It sounds to me though that this is another example of you having a worry about injuring yourself, rather than your mind not being happy about sitting while sleeping.
      Both stories contain the falling/tripping element. I think that might be your connection. What to do about that though is a different matter. It would be interesting to know whether the frequency of the starts decreases when you go longer periods without actually having a fall.
      Thanks again for the interesting story
      Ethan

  32. And I have these every night. The moment of drifting off I can jerk so hard I hit myself in the face. Sometimes my finger my twitch, eye. foot, lip, ANYTHING! And it wakes me up. They start when my Lunesta wears off again and I fight with it for the next few hours tying to get rest.

    • Hi Mark. Just found yr post and yes we do sound v similar. I’m v cross with myself cus id got to a v good place hardly any jerks and peaceful waking and because I felt so normal I fancied a coffee. Boy have I paid for that. Its incredible what one small hit of coffee can do. Ive now had 2 weeks of v unpleasant torment almost and feel generally anxious. V interested to see they couldn’t find the reason and in a way comforted as it goes back to simple cynic jerks and i’m so grateful for that explanation good luck and stay strong. Dee.

  33. I have a long story will make it short. I have been in hell for the last year. These started with me last March. No one can figure out 4(Neurologists) why or get rid of them. I had started testosterone therapy a couple of months before they started. But I got off of it and they persisted. Here is the weird part. I can no longer drink or have one cup of coffee, not even decaf. If I do it will make the jerks 10 times worse. Just one beer will make them go crazy. I have been living with this for one year. It is killing me literally. I have to take Lunesta just to get a few hours sleep. If I wake up the jerks start again and I cannot get back to sleep Early morning always jerks. I also sniff… Plus I wear a CPAP just to rule out sleep apnea/ So it is not that. My whole life has been turned upside down.

    • Hi Mark

      Thanks for sharing your story, and I’m very sorry to hear you’ve had such a terrible time with your sleep problems. It sounds very bad indeed, and I do hope at some point the professionals manage to find something that helps.
      At least you’ve been able to identify some things which make it worse. Though what a pain that they are things I imagine you enjoy like most people!
      When you do find a solution, I’d be grateful if you came back and gave an update. It would be helpful to other readers I’m sure.

      I’ll leave the comments you’ve left in response to others for them to reply to. Thanks for getting involved in the conversation:-)
      All the best
      Ethan

  34. Hi Ethan , I thought that I could pass a tip on to your readers. Ive had all sorts of theories about my Hypnic Jerk. So I started to film myself sleeping (not in the evening but while I was having a daytime nap). It was fascinating to watch back, during a 20 min sleep I had 6 Hypnic jerks, interestingly they followed a pattern. Snoring getting heavier and heavier and then bang the jerk kicks in. As i live alone I really was not aware that even during a nap I snore that heavily. So I’m going to see my GP next week to see what can be done. So I would recommend people to film themselves sleeping.

    • Hi Danny

      That’s a really interesting idea, thank you for sharing it. It would probably help people with many different sleep problems to record themselves and see what’s going on. What did the actual jerk look like on your video, if you don’t mind me asking? It’s also not uncommon for heavy snorers to wake themselves up, and this could be different from a hypnic jerk.

      And as always, it would be interesting to hear back from you once you’ve had advice from the GP.

      Thanks again for the interesting idea.
      Ethan

  35. I only experience the jerk when I am falling asleep in my recliner. They are quite frightening and I find myself grasping my chair arms and holding on for dear life as I feel like I am falling. This sensation only lasts about twenty to thirty seconds. I believe stress is the cause and they occur less now that I am retired.

    • Hi Gary

      Thanks for your comment, and I agree that stress is a big factor. It’s interesting that you noticed a change in their frequency with retirement. Definitely a good indicator that the link is there! Sorry to hear that you have them in a way that is frightening. Hopefully they will continue to decrease as time goes by.

      Regards
      Ethan

  36. I am so glad that i found this thread! I have recently started with what Im thinking may be hypnic jerks and as someone with some medical knowledge (Im an EMT), I was starting to feel as though they were heart related or that it was something more serious. These jerks occur just as I am drifting off to sleep- waking me with an unpleasant feeling. This will happen quite a few times to the point where I try to stay awake just to avoid them. It is not an every night occurence but enough to make me leary of going to bed. Eventually they do stop and I am able to just fall asleep and stay asleep but only after I feel exausted and have been fighting them off for hours. I find that the more I lie there thinking about them, the more they happen. Similarly to heart palpitations that I was having a month or two ago. Those have practically stopped so im hoping these hypnic jerks will as well. I definitely feel that they are stress related. Especially if I am thinking about something coming up the following day. Thanks for all of these postings. Theyve made me feel a bit better.

    • Hi Kate

      Thank you for your comment, and for sharing your experience of hypnic jerks. As an EMT I can only imagine the daily stress you have to deal with, as well as presumably having to do shift work.
      I totally agree that thinking about this, or any other sleep problem, can often make it worse. And even if thinking about it doesn’t directly make it worse, the worry can lead to you missing sleep, which makes you more tired, which makes you more stressed, which makes it more likely to happen…and round and round it goes!
      By the sounds of it you’ve found some solace in all the other comments here, so hopefully it will help you relax and not try to stay awake. I still think that finding a way to laugh it off, or at least accept the fact that it’s just another odd part of being human, is a great way to deal with it. It might not stop it, but it at least reduces the impact it has on you.
      All the best
      Ethan

    • Drinking makes mine MUCH worse. I was drinking for years socially quite a bit. These started while I was drinking but then I quit. I still have them.

  37. Thank you for the article Ethan!
    I was motivated to look this up since I just came in from lunch break, where I had been in my car trying to sneak in a nap. However every time I almost went to sleep, I jerked awake. I have something interesting to add about my problem: I only started experiencing these jerks awake after I started drinking alcohol. Then the only nights I have the leg/ body/ arm jerks is the nights I don’t have some to drink.. So this afternoon while trying to nap and obviously I hadn’t had a drink, I experienced the jerks. I have paid close attention and they only happen on the nondrinking nights and guaranteed it will happen on every one of those nondrinking drinks. . They happen immediately as I am about to go unconscious with sleep, and several times, 7-10 actually. I have tried distracting my mind, paying attention to what I am thinking as I am dozing off and it isn’t the falling or tripping in my dreams doing this. I have tried to remedy it with taking Advil PM or Benadryl but still get some jerks on those nights, not as bad but they still happen…

    • Hi Cristal

      Thanks to you also for your comment. Without wanting to sound rude or condescending (forgive me if it is!), do you think that there could be a connection between alcohol withdrawal and the spasms? You didn’t say how much you are drinking on the days you do, or how many days you drink in a row. And your particular body’s response to alcohol would also pay a part. But alcohol is known to cause various physical symptoms after sustained drinking, such as tremors, shakes, spasms etc. If you are drinking quite heavily and regularly, then it could possibly be this. But if you’re only drinking lightly and occasionally, then there could be all sorts of reasons, e.g. general health, overall sleep quality due to the alcohol (even a small amount reduces REM sleep), interaction with medication etc.
      I guess the thing is whether you are bothered enough by it to reduce how much you drink and see if they stop again. It’s a personal choice though of course. If my first comment is off the mark completely and you’re drinking sensibly, then it could just be that you’re sensitive to alcohol and it’s somehow creating the hypnic jerks.
      All I would suggest though is that you try to avoid getting into a pattern of filling every night either with alcohol or another substance. That’s a slippery slope to becoming depending on aids to get to sleep. If you’re struggling to find ways to sort out your sleep naturally, have a look at the sleep hygiene section here.
      All the best
      Ethan

      • Ethan you are spot on in your first deduction (I drink heavily). Sorry I didn’t include those details originally as there are important. I do agree with your thoughts and suggestions they make perfect sence, I will look into them. Thanks Again!!

  38. Am not sure I fall under this category. The end of Dec. I woke up with an absolute jolt from a sound sleep. For no reason flew into the kitchen – arriving there felt myself getting nauseous – and passed out – tried to get up, passed out again. I don’t remember getting back to bed – but when the alarm woke me up at 6:30 I felt fine – except my face was a mess. Went to Urgent Care – Dr. said I was fine. Didn’t mention a concussion or having a brain scan. I finally got around to telling my doctor and he’s ordered an MRI of my brain tomorrow – to rule out any damage I may have done. I feel fine except for a little balance problem. Not serious. But have suffered terrible anxiety over this – terrified it would happen again. Dr. gave me .25mg of Zanex – I take half of that a day and anxiety is greatly improved. As I said I don’t think I fall into the category but perhaps some of you have experienced this. Many thanks. And good luck to all of you.

    • Hi Anne

      Thanks for your comment and sharing your experiences. I’m really not sure whether this falls under hypnic jerks, as you also suggest. But whatever it is, it sounds like a worrying experience. So I wish you all the best with your scans and I hope everything turns out fine.
      Regards
      Ethan

  39. I don’t know if this hypnic jerks I’m having, but I’m having full on body jerking (like a jolt with one of those heart machines that bring people back to life) – it happens when I’m awake though, and repeatedly, up to so many times every night. It mostly happens when I’m relaxing, like lying down resting, maybe watching tv or something. I’m also getting gasping for breath when I’m falling asleep, I wake up about 2, 3 or 4 times at night gasping for breath. Although that one doesn’t happen every night, its very scary. I’ve been to the doctor so many times I’m sick of going. I can’t find an answer. Does anyone else have big jerks when awake?

    • Hi Angela

      Sorry to hear you’ve been having such difficulties, and thank you sharing your story. Has your doctor actually given you a diagnosis or told you what they think it might be? And if they think it’s a sleep-related issue, have they suggested referring you for a sleep study?
      Thanks
      Ethan

  40. Hi Ethan,

    Further to my comments a little while back, I have been taking Mogadon for the past 3 weeks 5mg and have taken it on and off, I have also cut down to half a tablet per night 2.5mg and am finding the Night Jerks reducing to maybe one or two and night.. However I am finding that just as i wake I have and feel a slight tremor (shaking feeling) all over my body.

    Has anyone else felt this as you wake?

    I have a sleep study booked in a couple of weeks and also an appointment with a Neurologist next week.

    I think and hope it’s just the medication.

    Cheers.

    Craig.

    • Hi Craig

      Thanks for coming back and sharing what’s been happening. It’s very interesting, and potentially useful for other readers to hear from people who are actually receiving treatment for their sleep problems.
      I personally haven’t experienced what you describe, though maybe others have.
      It would be great if you could take the time to let us know what happens with your sleep study.
      All the best with it and I hope they manage to provide you with help.
      Regards
      Ethan

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