Why does the human body jerk/shock itself awake sometimes while trying to sleep?
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I would like to add that the answer to your question isn’t fully known by scientists. Everybody saying they know for sure is bullshit.
The most commonly accepted reason is that your mind thinks your body is paralyzed as it is during some stages of sleep and, when you move, your brain is like “what the fuck i thought you were paralyzed already”
That doesn’t mean this one is correct obviously
It’s a reflex where the body thinks it is potentially about to fall, so jolts you awake. It’s probably most commonly experienced if you are asleep sitting up and your head starts to fall, but can happen somewhat randomly. It’s from our evolutionary history where sleeping somewhere you could fall from actually was a thing.
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Nobody here saying but its when your body go too fast to the rem sleep phase.
Thats why you usually already dreaming of something.
“Hypnic jerks or sleep starts are benign myoclonic jerks that usually occur on falling asleep. Various factors like excessive caffeine intake, physical, and emotional stress can increase their frequency.”
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481805/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4481805/)
Brain going to sleep check list.
~~1) No threats near by~~
~~2) No foreseeable threat~~
~~3) Not too cold/hot~~
4) Turn off the part of the brain that checks for threats
~~5) Get feel good chemicals to encourage sleep as a thing we want to do in the future~~
~~6) Get the paralysis chemicals so we can stop feeling the environment and turn off the rest of our brain~~
OH MY GOD WE”RE FALLING! THERE’S A THREAT! UNPARALYIS UNPARALIS!
I have chronic myoclonic jerks. Sometimes it can happen about 20 or 30 times a night. Been happening for 3 years. Its a special kind of torture. Pretty sure its related to mirtazapine. Trying to taper off the med, been in withdrawal for 7 weeks so far. Awful medication 0/10.
Acid reflux can also cause this. You get a tickle in the back of your throat and it might interrupt your breathing, and that can cause rapid arousal from sleep.
Not the only cause but, when your body/brain is addicted to alcohol these are too common and it’s quite hellish. You could be absolutely exhausted, sleepy, tired, and anytime your body finally goes into that lull your brain gets scared and jerks you awake. Because it’s a scary event your brain probably releases a bit of adrenaline or other chemicals to keep you alert. So now you’re wired awake again despite being tired a few moments ago. And it takes a good 15-30 minutes to calm down and rest again, but oh ho, another jerk reaction and you’re awake again. Repeat until it’s well into the morning and the only way you can sleep is that your body is completely hammered on alcohol (making you feel “normal”) or you’re so exhausted that the body just passes out. Oh, and if you don’t know what is going on you could go into a panic or get anxious. So yeah, bonus points if you get a panic attack while all this is happening.
It sucks. Might be triggered by traumatic events too.
Immediately thinking of *the kick*
It’s an ‘inner ear recognizing balance is off’ kinda circumstance
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