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I don't know what is going on with me I'm worried about it though I feel like I'm vibrating really really fast n can't move my body and my heart will be pounding
@@irenehudson3383 I hope this video was helpful. If you are concerned by anything in connection to your health, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor.
I get these jerks sometimes while fully aware what's happening. Sometimes I can tell when I'm seconds from falling alseep, so I would jerk myself awake just to try to fall asleep again. If I don't get up after a jerk, they would just repeat. I know I should wake myself up fully but when I'm in that state, all I care about is sleeping.
The part that sucks about this is that it happens once, you get anxious about sleeping and then it happens because you're anxious about it happening. It becomes a cycle.
I wonder if there might be a way to tackle this cycle? Sometimes it's not the anxiety itself that generates these symptoms but our attempt to suppress or avoid that anxiety - when we do that, the anxious thoughts often become even more powerful and create the very symptoms we are trying to avoid.
@@ElissaNWOPrincess Since anxiety cannot harm us, and since anxiety comes from our thoughts (which are only thoughts), perhaps accepting anxiety and thoughts might be more helpful than trying to fight or avoid anxiety and thoughts?
Two years ago, I suffered from this anxiety cycle that was initially triggered from a full night of hypnic jerks, i remember that night i went to the ER two times, and i spent three weeks without proper sleep (barely 10 hours of sleep for full three weeks) also in this three weeks i suffered from constant panic attacks thinking that i might be developing some kind of an epileptic disorder (yes that much i was overthinking). What helped me after three weeks and what made made have my first anxiety-free and hypnic-jerks-free full sleeping night was that I accepted the anxiety as it is; i accepted all my fears about not being able to sleep because of hypnic jerks, i pictured the anxiety as an angry person that is part of me and trying to attack me, and i pictured myself hugging this person and giving love back, anxiety went away immediately, and an occurring thought hit my mind, that even if i dont fall asleep tonight, eventually my body will have to crash and i will have a full sleep no matter what, next thing i know is that i am opening my eyes in the morning and checking my phone to see that i slept for more than 10 hours, since then i BARELY had hypnic jerks and whenever i have them, im okay with them (as i acknowledged that they are a part of the whole sleeping process) and i remind myself that i will fall asleep eventually and i immediately fall asleep afterwards. Hope this helps whoever is suffering from this now, felt i had to share this.❤️
All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I’m not the only one! Knowing that loads of people go through this normalises it which takes away some of the anxiety. Thanks so much for making this video. It makes so much sense. 🙏
Here's some encouragement and help for anyone going thru this. I just had my first full night's sleep in many months where I was averaging 1-4 hours. The night before last, I may have gotten 20 minutes total!!! They are definitely related to my anxiety and stress levels. I was so sleep deprived that my anxiety was on 10 all day (heart pounding) and the hypnic jerks were nonstop for the last 2 nights. I have never been so exhausted, nor had I had multiple hypnic jerks like that. I realized my issue was I couldn't stop worrying about NOT sleeping. I am a chronic worrier anyway and always have anxiety. So I would go to bed every night almost fearing sleep and any sensation (jerks) or anxiety (stomach) that would come about. So when I laid down, I got a really hard jerk on my arm. My whole arm jerked, even up to the shoulder. Never had that before. Normally it's my leg. My fingers were trembling too. I thought I was having a seizure, but I was just hyper from sleep deprivation. Instead of instantly worrying it would not go away and start catastrophizing like I normally do.... I said aloud "It's OK. I'm safe. It will eventually go away. Just relax." I focused on my breath and took super long, loud exhales. Long exhales are such a great hack for relaxing the body. Now, because I had just had a few jerks and my adrenaline had surged a bit, I was no longer as sleepy. (I would also get a few butterflies in my stomach along with the jerks that also kept me up.) In the past, I would worry about how awake I was and how I hope I don't have any more anxiety episodes (of course that would just give me more anxiety or jerks). So the cycle would continue all night long. But instead of panicking and worrying that it would happen all night, I just kept telling myself, "It's OK. I can rest." I noticed by saying that and breathing, I was not as anxious as I normally was after having a few jerks. So I turned to my side and before I knew it, it was morning. The lesson for me was you have to learn to accept it. That's soooooo hard to do when you want sleep so badly. Also, it's so important to busy yourself the evening before. I did 30 minutes of cardio and every time I tried to worry about sleep, I would distract myself. Thinking all day about how you can't sleep also fuels your anxiety, so by the time you are in bed, you are still carrying that adrenaline with you. That doesn't help. So try your best to stay busy all day. This is HUGE!!! Plus, cardio can tire your body and make it easier to stay asleep. By coaching myself gently and accepting the sensations that were keeping me awake, it re-wired my brain to know I'm safe. So the anxiety stopped. I wish you the best. I know how scary this can be if you've been going through this a long time, but it will eventually go away.
@@amanialgh4014 Better. I have been averaging 7-8 every night for the last 3-4 weeks. It was a gradual process. Trust me, your problem is temporary. It will get better. I started exercising daily and that helped. Also magnesium too!
Those jolts of adrenalin in the middle of the night makes me feel like I'm going to have a heart attack then I'm up the rest of the night.. Such a miserable feeling. 😭
To anyone that's experiencing hypnic jerks, i want your'll to know it does go away, but takes time and patience, i had this a year ago n i was in a very horrible state, but now im ok. I think this was all caused by the physical stress and importantly mental stress. If you're doing any heavy exercise, just avoid it for the time, do your regular work which keeps your mind busy from the fear of not falling asleep, eat your food don't worry too much on what food u should eat or not eat, keep your self hydrated enough. (Your brain needs energy to sleep,duh) If ur feeling dizzy sit n stay calm, i used to avoid laying on the bed at day time, n only used to sleep on it at night. And plz do not worry too much about it, change your perspective towards it, any kind of negative emotions/situation/people keep them away, maybe don't react to this kind of things, spend a little time outside, be kind to yourself. Practice gratitude, at that time even if i slept for 15 minutes i told myself good job. And with this attitude i got my sleep back, n no longer afraid of hypnic jerks.
Thank you for sharing. I experienced this last night. It was horrible as I got so scared and started calling God. I couldn’t sleep as I was dizzy and very weak inside. Around 3 am I finally slept and woke up around 9am. This is horrible. I was thinking of going to the hospital this morning cos I felt I was just going to die. 😭
@@akosuasafowaah1771 don't worry too much about it, just don't think about the previous nights or what will happen the next night (tell yourself it never happened), even by chance it happens again just laugh through it, don't think of it as something dangerous, i think the reason why we get these jerks is because we're stressed out, n our body is reminding us to stay calm through those hypnic jerks.
I am glad to hear that all those scary feelings leave once you are completely awake, Tammy! The mind can play funny tricks on us as we transition into sleep and different stages of sleep. I hope this video was helpful.
This sounds like a RERA (Respiratory-effort related arousal) and can be a sign of sleep apnea. It’s worth getting a sleep study to check, because insomnia is also commonly caused by untreated sleep apnea due to the interruption of the sleep cycle.
@@TrinitronX That is a valid point, James - thank you for sharing! Very often sleep apnea is not accompanied by the heightened arousal we see in individuals with insomnia but the two conditions certainly can exist together, at the same time.
Man, it really shows how much my sleep issues were all in my head/anxiety. As soon as I used these flight or flight moments as a positive sign of sleep, they calmed down. I felt that my heart was beating so fast, then I checked my Fitbit at 55 Bpm! It's like my body was trying to play tricks to make me worry, so when I stopped trying to worry all night and just accepted these things come and go, sleep changed for me. Thanks so much!!!
today i haven’t got sleep at all bc of these jerks im so frustrated. i got mental breakdown at like 12 am and try to sleep after that but i cant im so tired. got a panic attack and im afraid to got to sleep and every night time i got so anxious. good god make it stop
Insomnia Coach yes and i feel way better. i dont really have a panic attack now but im still kinda worried during night time like afraid not be able to fall asleep but those thoughts indeed doesnt make me fall asleep.
@@frozenpeas15 A great insight there, Fiona - if your worry stems from the idea that you won't fall asleep it can be helpful to evaluate how accurate that thought might be. How accurate or how likely do you think it is that you won't fall asleep? Do you feel that you might remain awake forever, or do you think that after being awake for long enough, sleep will always happen in the end? Even if you don't fall asleep one night, why is that a concern? Will it absolutely destroy the following day? If not, perhaps wakefulness doesn't require that much worry or concern! I hope this gives you some things to think about and proves to be helpful!
Hy Fiona i hope ur doing well now. I used to have hypnic jerks and a anxiety attack months back for a long time than through this same technique ive managed n it stopped it came back few days ago. After watching this video i reminded my self what ive done earlier to stop it n it stopped. I doubt its gonna come back but its something that i have to manage as early as possible. For me this happens because of my anxiety n wrong diet (gut issue maybe cuz i have digestion problem too) n lifestyle. If u want i can share few things I've done to help myself
This started happening 3 days ago when my anxiety started getting really bad. I would lay in bed and try to go to sleep while constantly opening one eye to try to see if I was ok and I would get this shock wave feeling in my chest. It also happened when my mom came in my room which startled me and caused my chest and body to jolt. I can't even sleep anymore because I'm scared it will happen again.
@@LongCOVIDAdvocator It gets better as your anxiety starts to improve. Please just have faith I recommend looking up anxiety sleep meditations. I would go to sleep listening to it every night.
It's been happening to me quite a bit lately. I'll start falling asleep and usually I become aware right before it happens. Then I feel I am forced awake gasping for air but I immediately catch my breathe and feel fine shortly there after. The feeling i have is that if I don't force myself awake, I'd die. It can be terrifying sometimes.I feel it happens less often when I sleep on my stomach.
That does sound scary! Thanks for sharing that you find it happens less often when you sleep on your stomach. Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor to rule out an issue such as sleep apnea?
I know exactly what your talking about . It happens to me for the entire night sometimes. The night after drinking . As soon as i nod i wake imediately as if i have stopped breathing and its an awful feeling when it happens 30 times a night
@@jonathansmith2656 it does pass, i would recommend going to the ER or urgent care for peace of mind. Tell them whats going on and they will most likely give you hydroxyzine. For panic attacks.
after the jerk you will feel weird and a little scare since it the same.. i trend to had feeling i forgot to do something... afterward...so this may made it harder to sleep...
I get these pretty randomly. When it happens I feel SO exhausted trying to fall back asleep but as soon as I start to again jolt and grab my chest to catch my breath again but I start panicking and have anxiety/ panic attacks and feel like I have butterflies in my chest and stomach. Been trying to calm down for about an hour now.
I thought this only happened to me. It would be hard to describe to someone. I thought it was a strange thing. It is very frustrating wanting to sleep but as soon as that might be happening, I get a sensation that gets me out of it. Thank you for explaining this. I know I will be less anxious when this happens in the future and will be able to fall asleep.
3:00 is literally me, but I'm stuck in that OCD type cycle where I can't stop obsessing about it, and the more I try 'not to' the worse it gets. They're sometimes so strong I feel like I'm going pass out or even have my heart stop... scary how powerful the mind can be when turned against itself!
No surprise you find it hard "not to" think in a certain way - I am not sure anyone can permanently control the thoughts their mind chooses to generate. When we try, things often become even more difficult!
I recently recovered from Covid but I have not been able to sleep for the past month due to this scary jerk feeling when Im abt to fall asleep, I get this mostly in my chest, so I fear I’m having heart trouble which causes anxiety and now Im scared to go to bed every night.. i end up staying up all night almost every night 😓
I am glad to hear you have recovered and I hope this video was helpful, Kelly. What do you think you might be able to do after watching this video to improve the current situation with those jerks and the nighttime anxiety?
alot of time. it happen becuase you worry about something... so when you about to go to differnt stage you body jerk so you don't sleep... apart of a old factory.. best to do is try to taken mind of thing before go to sleep... and accpet what will be ...will be.. if you not sleep tonight just accepted that you not sleep but it don't stop you to relex... so it all in your mind...
My guess is this has something to do with anxiety. This started happening to me Sunday. Went twice for 30+ hours of no sleep. But what I did the past 2 nights ignore them and continue falling asleep. Worked hopefully it works this night. Another thing that helps is staying in bed do not leave. I am the type that once I get up I am cant fall back to sleep. So even if I havent fallen asleep after 2-3 hours I just stay lying down with eyes close.
A follow up incase anyone is interested before this happened I was on anti anxiety medication and weaned myself off by taking one every other day for the last 30 days. This was in Feb in March I noticed i had trouble sleeping. Got back on my medication for the past 2 weeks and have been sleeping better I notice the jerks or muscle spasms but just dont care enough to keep me awake. Last night I had a few but just was tired.
Yes, exactly that. If I get out I will never be able to return. It is crutial to stay in bed. I need a lot of time for my overwired brain to calm down. Not just 10 minutes.
I suffered with this from October until like late December early January. I literally slept less than an hour a night for months and months. It was crazy going to bed at night and not sleeping. Horrible. I found myself envying regular ppl knowing they’re going home and gonna have a nice sleep. All because of vertigo I was suffering with which gave me insomnia then the jerks. Better now
@@flyersluver4eva I'm literally having same thing and I go for walk in the day and still having insomnia /hypnic jerk...what else can I do for a better sleep?
Last night , for the first night ever , I felt asleep deeply like a baby -I am 80years old- I just following your instructions such as : don't look at the electric clock which I turned it facing the wall like times out , don't worry if You can sleep or not , let your body adjust itself , turn all the iPad , iPhone , video and breath 4/7/8 in the peace of mind . That's it . Again , Thank You . 😊
Thank you for speaking about this. The first few minutes were promising. These jolts of adrenaline are followed by a real surge of adrenaline in our system. Ignoring them or reframing doesn’t stop or alter the wide awake feeling for hours after. The wakefulness is real after the jolt hits. Maybe some can talk themselves down, but many of us have already tried that for years.
They can definitely be challenging - I think the key to moving past them is to change our relationship with them and, as you have pointed out, that can be far easier said than done.
For some people in this string sleep starts are just an annoyance like the hiccups. But for others like myself, sleep starts deprive us of restorative sleep. It's discouraging to hear about New Age anecdotal remedies.
Wow, I have those jumps every single night..sometimes they are ok, sometimes funny and sometimes they suck..bc you just want to fall asleep and they wake you up. 😁
@@Rudi1984 That's quite unlikely, especially if they only tend to happen at the start of the night. If you are concerned that something other than what was mentioned in this video might be going on, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor!
@@Rudi1984 they can be a sign of b12, b6 deficiency or just magnesium or calcium or potassium deficiency !! you need to check with your doctor especially if you keep getting those jerks everynight i have been jumping for the last 7 months and been to many many doctors all they tell me is that i'm stressed and prescribe me anti depressed medications which made things lot worse !! finally i discover that i was magnesium and potassium deficient because of junk food that i use to eat whole my life !!
We be gettin towe up! I almost died a half a hour ago! Now I’m here in these comment sections lmao in tears because I can relate too all y’all. And just thinking about how freighting and how stupid we must look as it happens got me over here surviving Thru laughter afraid too go back too sleep... at least the laughter is good for the heart . You ever had one so bad you start praying for another day ? Lol this disease sucks ...
Being concerned about uncomfortable and worrying experiences is definitely not stupid, Jada! I am glad you found some comfort in the video and in the comments here! Laughter certainly can be great medicine!
@@InsomniaCoach even though it is scary at times i images all the commenters flying up out they bed and it was comical but this disease or whatever it is a trip boy I tellya!
Please they happen a lot at night 😭 I don’t know what to do I’m cry Update y’all. Just exercise and eat healthy plus sleep early. Make sure u don’t sit around all day lol like me. It went away after a week and half. Don’t stress abt it. Trust me a person with anxiety and a overthinker. This was difficult for me and my mind scared me more than the actual problem. But don’t stress about it and just watch a tv show until u are sleepy. I reccommd sleeping with someone for comfort. :) it will get better Ik it feels like u aren’t gonna sleep or your gonna die but you will be fine.
@Beng Chan I’ve been having the worst weekend ever dealing with this, I literally have slept 1 hour in the last 2 nights. I read your comment and it makes me feel so much better lol, I’ve been eating so poorly and not exercising at all, add in a ton of anxiety and heart issues and bam no sleep 2 nights in a row from these jerks. I’m flipping my life around asap lol. New year new me. Thanks for leaving that reassuring comment haha.
@@test-ky8tu yes don’t worry I’m glad it made u feel better. I was expirancing the same thing u are and trust me I know it’s fustrating. UA-cam videos telling you do this do that, and as a person who’s lazy I thought I needed surgery or I was dying 😂 I wish someone had wrote this comment to me when I needed. But stay healthy and happy new year!!!
@@test-ky8tu and I’m sorry for the anxiety. I also have and anxiety and health problems don’t go well together cause your brain is telling u that ur gonna die or something bad will happen. And I also had no one too reassure me and I know u need reassurance so I’m here to reassure you that you will be fine and it will go away fast. If you are still having issue feel free to message me on my Instagram and discuss dw if u have social anxiety is fine :)))) u will get sleep even tho you feel like you won’t. Take some same melatonin pills and drink lots of water!!!
@@bangchan4305 thank you so much for the comment. i finally had a good night of sleep and i feel so much better now. i was so worried that i wasn't gonna get good sleep again and that my life would be like that forever, but as you and many others have said, eventually everyone has to go to sleep. i am gonna get some melatonin and try it if i can't sleep normally tonight, but i'm just so glad that i was able to get some good sleep in the first place. i have a heart history which made my health anxiety so horrible lately, but emergency room doctors have said that i'm fine. i have an appt with my cardiologist and we're gonna do a bunch of in depth tests and if that goes well then i think my health anxiety will really start to take a turn for the better which could lead to my sleep getting back to normal. at least that's how i hope it goes lol. again thank you so much for your comments, i think that reassurance is so important with anyone who has any sort of anxiety. my trip with this is not over, but i have a ton of optimism for the future now. i think that all this stuff is gonna make me better a better person after it's all done. i've been eating so much healthier and taking care of myself physically and mentally so much more than i did in the past. again thanks for the comments it really did help me :)
I had it for a few days except the last two nights. Seems like it reduced. Step outside in daylight for 45 minutes or more. You can be under shade if its too sunny. The other thing is, avoid/ignore the thought of the anticipation of not getting sleep. It gives anxiety and makes things bad. Try and go to sleep like you did before the jerks started. And do it everyday. It will reduce or even go away. I've posted this comment on a few videos so more people can be at ease.
omg yes i definitely start to associate bed with the anxious jolts and right before going to bed I'm like "omg it's gonna happen again, i'm never going to sleep ever again and i don't even want to fall asleep because i'm going to feel unpleasant".
For me it feels like my heart completely stops and I fight to stay alive. I’ve found myself literally waking up or saying “no no no” like I’m about to die and my heart is just pounding. This really sucks.
I can not sleep without taking sedatives to get past hypnic jerks. They are horrrendous. I relax down just to the edge of sleep and then give a jerk, a split second snore and all these alert swirling awake thoughts pass over the front of my brain. It's beyond hell. I am only getting knocked out by Zopiclone but my doctor says I have to go off it. I will die the most horrible death from no sleep.
@@skinndawg1 If you feel breathless when you wake from these jerks, you might want to discuss those symptoms with your doctor since they could be a symptom of sleep apnea.
@@InsomniaCoach I sleep on my side and it feels like I get pulled from my legt side backwards. Its been happening for e days now. And it makes me not sleep. But it usually happens when I don't fall asleep like on my own and I fall asleep from tiredness and trying to stay awake . some times the jerk is small but it sometimes is big too
@@InsomniaCoach I found a way to completely get rid of them. In my case ot was because i tried sleeping with too much stuff in my mind. I slept thinking about what I would do tomorrow or stressful things and the jerks happened. But once I ignore those things it was completely gone
I'm so desperate to be rid of these. They started randomly out of nowhere 5 years ago, and has since then stopped me from getting natural sleep ever since, at least a full-night (6-8 hours). I get these so much, and it feels like a heart-attack each night. And I'm slowly but surely losing hope that there is a fix or a "cure" for this. I cannot nap or sleep.
Yea that happens all the time to me. It's like I have the jerks and cant breathe and I fight so hard to move my arm to wake myself up and then I can finally breathe. Its terrifying
I hate it. It’s been only 3 days of having this and it’s already annoying. I’m so tired. I swear I’m falling asleep and I can feel my brain relax. Then it feels like I’m falling and I wake up. Feeling like I can’t go back to sleep and feeling a little anxious and worried. I hate it. I’m an over thinker and one night I just told myself I don’t like the feeling of sleep because I don’t feel anything. And now I’m here. Ugh. Hope this stops soon
It feels like an electric shock and I get really awake I also get sleep paralysis. I'm gonna try experiment if a pillow on my chest reduces the feeling of falling. The jolt feels powerful and I normally bounce quite bit.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.The body will heal from this,
I have been getting these jerks constantly and I’m scared to go to sleep which keeps me awake for ages sometimes for the whole night and mostly until 3 am. When I try to sleep I can’t stop thinking about these jerks and they keep on coming no matter what i do
That does not sound pleasant, Oscar. I am sorry that you are dealing with these jerks and only hope that this video proved to be somewhat helpful and perhaps even a little reassuring.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
I used to have those jerks when I had major depression and chronic insomnia. My sleep patterns were so bad and i was so tired that I would cry because I could never sleep well. As soon as I treated my depression it slowly disappeared and I very rarely get those jerks anymore. I know some people aren't that lucky and need to resort to therapy or something else to treat it.
I've actually been thinking I'm the only one, but looking at the comments gives me great comfort. I've been having gastroenteritis that had caused so much dehydration that I had to visit the doctors and get admitted. Days later, it feels like it's come back, and my sleep jerks have gotten stronger. But I'm trying to stay calm, and I hope that with acceptance, can i actually have a proper bed rest. Fingers crossed, and thank you for the insightful video.
That makes sense, especially if you are paying more attention to sleep because you have been experiencing difficult nights. I hope this video was helpful.
if they not sleep spicilist they had no fucking idea about it.. since it happen to some people.. some people they fall to sleep easily and some don't since maybe their anceastor is hunter or worrier since it ability for gurd...
I had this too. The floating feeling is due to the sleep paralisis which starts to kick in after this loud sound. And you stop feeling your legs and the gravitation on them so this creates the ilusion of floating feeling.
@@InsomniaCoach No, it's a well known sensation in sleep paralysis. Man you're completely clueless aren't you. I recommend reading more and writing less.
@@EvaPev I'll be the first to admit that parasomnias aren't my area of expertise - and I certainly don't claim to have expertise in this area! I appreciate you sharing your experience and opinion.
Just posting here in case this info helps anybody. I started getting hypnic jerks for apparently no reason and it was a horrible experience as I couldn't sleep without pills or alcohol for a while. After speaking to my GP friends, they deduced that the jerks were likely due to a 5 day fast I had attempted a couple of weeks beforehand (hypnic jerks can be caused by an imbalance in your electrolytes). I was told they would clear up, which they did gradually over 3 to 4 weeks. Thankfully they have gone now. For anyone still suffering, I'd recommend making sure you have a healthy, balanced diet. Try eating potassium and magnesium rich foods. Magnesium supplements help a lot of people, as many of us are deficient in it. I think I actually overdid the magnesium, as I was taking it during the fast! I also found a hot bath helped relax my muscles just before bedtime. The advice to accept the jerks was also very useful. I'd recommend 'Dare: The New Way To End Anxiety And Stop Panic Attacks' by Barry MacDonagh, which has very applicable techniques for acceptance. I wish all of you still suffering from this the very best. Good luck!! Update: they actually came back again for a while, but not as bad. Over the last few months I've had them on and off, but mostly off. They are pretty much gone now and not a bother.. Drinking lots of water is something I forgot to mention (2-3L a day) This helps your body rebalance its electrolytes.
Physical jerks are one thing. My problem is that my mind goes into alarm mode as soon as I can fall asleep. I get an adrenaline rush and after a couple of adrenalin rushes my heart is racing and it takes hours to calm down and then it starts all over again.
Any idea why you get that adrenaline rush and feel your heart racing when you want to fall asleep? Do you think it might be connected to worry about nighttime wakefulness?
@@InsomniaCoach I think it's because my mind forgot how to sleep. It's on alert as soon as it starts drifting away into something else than being awake. But I'm not en expert, I just think a lot about it...
@@Chili-pg2jl The good news is that the mind never forgets how to sleep - but if we worry about sleep or feel anxious, we often have to spend more time awake to overcome that worry/anxiety before sleep will happen. The result is less time asleep and symptoms of heightened arousal (such as a rush of adrenaline). You might want to discuss these issues with your doctor just to rule out a health issue or a separate sleep disorder (such as sleep apnea). If you are diagnosed with chronic insomnia, the recommended first-line treatment is usually cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
Just a bit ago i got one of these jerks. It made me really anxious and now every time I try to fall asleep I get anxious. Haven’t watched this yet but hopefully it helps
I hope you find the video helpful, John! If nothing else, perhaps you can recognize that the jerks aren't a sign that something is wrong or that your insomnia is somehow unique.
after the jerk you will feel weird and a little scare since it the same.. i trend to had feeling i forgot to do something... afterward...so this may made it harder to sleep...
Thankyou so much for these advices and tips I really hope this will help me because this is one of the reasons why i cant sleep because when im about to sleep this thing happens and im starting to worry that what if there is more something serious behind it but just like what you have said theres nothing to worry about and this is not an indication that something is bad, again thank you💙 much love from the philippines
The transition of conscious to unconscious is always terryfying for me i always feel like im playing a game of tetris then suddenly realise that I'm not and jump feet panicking
I twitch around once or twice every 10 minutes or so. When I try to sleep it gets more intensified, feeling like I have been electrocuted or shot in my back and chest. I've learned to live with it since I can't seem to stop them.
Thank God there is name for this . From past one week im facing this problem , please help me to overcome this sir . I stopped sleeping for days because of these jerks fear
This is the first explanation of this awful experience I have with these jerks. But "don't worry" is very difficult when, like the other night I didn't sleep at all and was suffering from these jerks 3 or 4 times per minute for hours and hours. Any advice?
I don't think it's possible to delete worry from our brains - it'll always come back, right? Perhaps a more workable approach might be acknowledging the worry, (acknowledging the jerks and any other thoughts and feelings they might generate), to be kind to yourself in return, and to practice moving away from trying to fight or avoid all this difficult stuff that cannot be directly controlled anyway?
this has been going on for over 2 years now... it absolutely has overtaken my nights... the dr has put me on gabapentin, ropinrole, and lunesta... all of which do NOTHING except the lunesta which ecventually knocks me out....i barely get 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night.... I dont feel like this is restless leg.. I truly feel like it is the hyptic jerks... because it always happens at onset of sleep ..even if I try to take a nap in the afternoon.... I just cant...It is absolutely miserable....It has dominated my life for over 2 years at this point...I hate taking meds especially when I feel they do absolutely nothing for me. My quality of life has been severely altered...I used to LOVE night time...and relaxing in bed....
I wonder if there might be an opportunity to start taking back your life, Kandy - even when this really difficult is still present? I hope you found the video (and all the comments here) helpful.
My experience with this was years ago, once i fall asleep, i will dream of a staircase, no matter what i trip and fall and experience these hypnic jerks, that would happen to me everyday maybe for a year, until my friend died, he died asleep, i didn't experience hypnic jerks for a month since, but then i started to feel afraid before going to bed, and i would shiver and i couldn't sleep for a solid 3 days then until i collapsed, i was afraid of dying sleeping, maybe or maybe not it was influenced by my friend death, i moved on when this happened, i learned that is irrational fear and i still try to control it, but now, about 2-3 years later, i experience a weird sensation before falling asleep and viola, the only thing that bothers me really about it, it messes up my sleeping schedule, those earlier troubles would fade away if i take sleeping pill, this video motivated me to keep being positive, and i loved the message at the end
Believe me the first time i watched this clip, my search for the exact teacher ended. I can say my sleep has become a bit better. The main advice you gave in this video "to welcome the hypnic jerk", helped me a lot. I don't believe accepting the twitch would be so much beneficial and sweet. I was afraid of the jerk just for nothing and i am in sleep in no time. Thanks to you. But thanks to you Martin, i am sure i will become normal as i used to be. I rate this video as Golden Video of You Tube. Lots of love and lots of respect.
I've had something like this since 1999 . They suck!! I have 30 plus some nights, (on those nights I get NO sleep at all,) but most nights I suffer about 10-15 of these strange happenings. They can be in the chest, legs, head, stomach, back..anywhere. They are not just little jerks either, and they don't feel like the "falling" sensation. I jump so hard when they happen. Sometimes, as I start to doze off, I can feel a type.of pressure sensation building up in my upper stomach/chest area and then.....POW! They are massive, and powerful, they make me cry out which scares the crap out of everyone in the house. They feel like someone just slugged the living daylights out of me.And the ONLY time I experience them is when I start to fall asleep. I hate them and wish they'd just disappear. .Some have been so danged powerful I've literally jumped out of bed.
@@bubbles2868 bubbles!!! So hey, I get that super tired feeling and want a nap. I fear what will start happening, but like a fool, I get and drift off for a little nap. Then suddenly I'm interrupted by this horrible jerk somewhere on my body. There's no specific spot or muscle either. But boy do they scare the hell out of me. It's so frustrating. I waiting to see a neurologist to see if any kind of answers can be given. For me, they just started happening within the last 2 weeks. Only happens as I start to close my eyes and think getting ready to drift off to sleep. Yesterday I got 13 of them all over in the span of 5 mins. At that point I gave up on trying for a nap. Is this what you're experiencing as well?? Everyone I speak to has no idea what I'm talking about. Again, it's beyond frustrating. Hope to hear back from you
@@markv2012 YES!!! Even had one doc...top neurologist in Austin, back in 2004 tell me I was epileptic....turned out that wasn't the case (which I already knew). Can happen anywhere on the body and ONLY when those eyes close and start drifting off to sleep. People think I am just nuts when I try to explain it.
@@bubbles2868 you know, as frustrating as it all is, you just put a huge smile on my face!!! I have been dealing with some unintentional weight loss and have been obsessing over it for the past 2 months now. I have pretty much lost all sleep. I just simply cannot naturally fall asleep anymore. Then I noticed these sleep jerks the past couple of weeks. I've been thinking maybe it's because of the anxiety paired with little to no sleep that they are happening. One thing is for certain, they suck!! Start to almost drift off to sleep, and BAM! There goes another one. Random spots too. The worst ones for me seem to be the stomach. Those are awful 😭 I almost dread bed time anymore. Think I just found a new penpal lol. Haven't had one of those since 4th grade and now I'm 36. Hope you're having a good night. Let's connect again
Thank you thank you! I started having these ever since i got covid in november ,not sure if it's connected or caused by the anxiety of it all. the jolts combined with the pounding heart when it happens has freaked me out. glad to know that it's nothing more serious
So glad to know you found this video helpful! Of course, it's always worth discussing any health concerns with your doctor - but if there's no medical explanation for the symptoms you described, they're almost certainly down to heightened arousal.
@@InsomniaCoach yup i agree that's the cause; before finding this video ive had an echo test, blood work, xrays, all came back clear and normal🙏 so this does explain why its happening
I get these Hypnic jerks awake all night every night when I need the sleep the most. For me it turns into anxiety where I find myself checking my pulse. Sometimes the only way to break the cycle is to pass out drunk and force a full night of sleep to happen. I hate it when this happens. I feel fluttery and anxious the next day If I miss out on sleep. I wanted to sleep well tonight so I could meet a friend in the morning but instead I’m up late on UA-cam looking for connection with others who experience this.
If you hate drinking to the point of passing out as a way to avoid these jerks, that might not be a workable or sustainable approach. The anxiety you described is understandable - and, since it's unpleasant we will often try to fight or avoid it. Sometimes it's all the effort we put into trying to fight or avoid certain thoughts and feelings that causes a lot of struggle. I hope you found some helpful tips in the video and the comments here, too.
Hello, this happens to me everytime i try to sleep. I feel my arm, leg or fingers twitch and it makes me alert. I find i can fall asleep for a short period of time but then im woken back up again, not sure if i even rested at all. Usually i can sleep for about 3 hours a night (in broken up sleep) due to this. Is there anything i can do for this? In my case, its caused by anxiety. I can be tired and these sensations will still occur. Its making me feel hopeless.
Have you spoken to your doctor about this? If specific parts of your body seem to twitch during sleep, it might be worth talking to your doctor about periodic limb movement disorder. If nothing else, it's something that might be worth ruling out!
@@iffyk I was taking a quarter of a pill of mirtazapine for sleep, which also helped with the anxiety that caused the twitching. Eventually I didn't need to take anything anymore to sleep and I'm pretty much back to normal 🙂
@@xkm11x So happy to hear this for you! I take Lexapro and this definitely cures the issue but I've been having a tough time getting off of it. I think i need to taper more slowly. Also alcohol makes it worse so I've decided to cut that off. But glad to hear there's hope!
@@iffyk oh definitely there is! For almost 3 months I'd research all day long how to overcome insomnia which put me into a state of derealization from being anxious all the time. I found that the best thing I could do was just to accept what will happen will happen! If you can't sleep then so be it! Get up and go play a game or anything you want to do! If you try to stay up you'll eventually get tired 😊 hope that helps a bit! I know first hand it's easier said than done!
Why does this happen too me so much? I never used too get these jerks but now it happens multiple times a night and sometimes even while im awake. Any guesses?
If this happens many time before go to sleep and then you cant sleep for whole night so i suggest miratazapine 15mg half hour begore go to bed . Having these jerks last year atleast for 3 months and this year also it depressed me realy hard now taking miratazapine 15mg . Easily sleep now and also deep sleep .
I've been having this issue the last three nights. Not the physical jerks but the mental "fight or flight" jerks that send that anxiety to my chest. Seems to happen when I enter the first stage of falling asleep. I'm going to try to reframe them as a sign that sleep is starting to settle in because usually once they happen I lay there for awhile, toss and turn, and feel extremely anxious. It's been a struggle lately. I also need to get back into sleep restriction. Seems I go through phases of sleeping okay without having to take Ambien, then I get back into a crap cycle.
Thanks for sharing, Matthew. That anxiety is coming from your brain doing its job and looking out for you - it doesn't usually feel good though, right? Unfortunately the more we try to control what our mind chooses to do, the more we can get tangled up in a struggle.
My issue is I’m actively trying to keep my eyelids shut, they keep opening slightly. I also have a condition called visual snow syndrome which doesn’t help. Furthermore I quit medicinal cannabis 3 days ago which I was heavily relying on to generate sleep. Yep my life is tougher than it needs to be
I have been dealing with this since December 2020. It got so bad I went to my doctor for Lunesta which has helped me fall asleep, but I only stay asleep for 3-5 hours. I have had the sleep starts where you have a sudden image like you're about to fall down stairs....this is different. It's like a hard exhale/puff...something very strange, I can't really explain it. Sometimes I get it during the day too if I zone out and then realize I'm zoned out. I'm scared something is actually wrong with my brain. I'll be getting an in-lab sleep study in the next few weeks. Nothing seems to help except sedation.
I get it a lot when I’m still conscious, if im close to the edge of my bed it feels like im about to fall off a cliff even though I know I’m only 3 feet off the ground.
These happen to me sometimes when I even just close my eyes if one night I start it is hard to stop I can’t even close my eyes for more that two seconds without shooting up feeling like I got jump scared sometimes
This sounds a bit like me but a little different. Once I get the first sleep start, I try to go drift off straight away, but a few seconds later it happens again... and again ... and again. Sometimes it feels like I'm having a nightmare though I'm not even alseep yet. I would have to move my body to wake myself up fully to start from the beginning. Its a drag
@@chocfortress This repeated awakening with a start can be caused by a sleep breathing disorder. If you find yourself awakening with a feeling of needing to gasp for breath, it can be what’s called a RERA (Respiratory-effort related arousal). It is worth it to get checked out by a sleep doctor and do a sleep study to check for sleep apnea.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
It’s weird because I can literally feel myself drifting... then I feel a chest discomfort... it makes me scared to ‘let go’ or ‘drift off’ even further... I noticed these jerks have been happening more often recently... I think once or twice ever other night or every few nights... that and my heart race appears to be ‘too fast’ for a relaxed state of mind and body... not necessarily racing... but not slow and relaxed either See I’ve got tinnitus... and that more often than not affects my ability to fall asleep comfortably and quickly... I can deal with my tinnitus so long as I have a background sound, but this other stuff is absolutely scary and makes me feel like there is something horribly wrong!
I'd suggest talking to your doctor just to rule out any medical explanation for what you have experienced. If you get the all-clear, then you can be confident that what you are experiencing is likely down to hyperarousal/heightened monitoring.
@@InsomniaCoach Thank you for your response! The last few nights I have been falling asleep pretty easily! I guess there are just some nights that are harder than others... as long as it’s not a nightly issue, I’m fine! Also, regarding my tinnitus, I’m seeing an ENT specialist this month! Hopefully I’ll have some relief in no time!
Hi Martin, how can I stop the intense feelings of anxiety at the point of falling asleep? I think I’ve conditioned myself to amplify this feeling by worrying about it cos it’s such a horrible feeling.
You know, I think the very act of trying to stop, avoid, or otherwise suppress anxiety is often the bigger problem. If we can get to a place where we accept and allow anxious thoughts to enter our minds, they tend to have far less of an effect on us and tend to leave a lot faster, too! I recommend the book "Dare" by Barry McDonagh since he explains this in a very approachable and compassionate way. I hope this helps!
Hey Justin. I also took MDMA before this started for me. Don't want to scare you but that was 7 months ago and I am still experiencing them almost nightly. How are yours now? Feel free to DM me as well. I'm interested in hearing your story because I have not found a lot to do with MDMA and hypnic jerking.
@@simpsy5900 Weird. I had a very mellow great time and felt fine. Even got to sleep fine lol. You almost sound like you are suffering some sort of ptsd from the trip maybe?
@@niilo2852 it's probably just severe anxiety if it was ptsd i would be panicking every night, keep in mind I have had a lot of trips and enjoyed them but all it takes is one to send you over the edge
So glad to find out the name of these things! Every time I've been trying to go sleep lately, I've been getting these. It's like I'm suddenly drifting off and I'm jolted back awake. When it happens to me it makes me heart pound so fast. Is that part normal too? Thank you for making this video.
It's impossible to say for sure - this can be connected to arousal and can certainly happen when you are jerked awake! I'd recommend talking to your doctor if you are concerned by the heart pounding. If nothing else, this might help put your mind further at ease about those hypnic jerks - and it's always good to rule out any other potential issues (one of which could be, for example, sleep apnea).
@@InsomniaCoach Hello Coach, I have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and I have been using the machine for 3 months now, the doctor says that the CPAP is doing its job properly because my IAH is stable and normal now. However, I am jolted back awake from 3 to 4 times before i get 3 hours of sleep. Then I wake up and it would take another 2 hours or so to get back to sleep. I will try to apply what your video says, any other insight ? Thanks
@@BigSocksProds Glad to hear your sleep apnea is responding well to treatment! No additional insight at the current time on the hypnic jerks - it's entirely possible for the heightened arousal associated with insomnia to be present alongside sleep apnea.
It can definitely be more difficult to relax when you are startled awake! Getting out of bed when conditions don't feel right for sleep and doing things you find relaxing and somewhat enjoyable can help bring back the right conditions for sleep. Sleep drive will always win in the end and make sleep happen!
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
Interesting! This might make sense if we consider that these jerks/starts could be related to heightened arousal since the brain is often a bit more active as we adapt to sleeping in a new environment.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works. The body will heal from this.We're all in this corrupt agenda together. Don't tolerate it anymore. Get a landline and minimize exposure to your microwave radiation phone.
I get these as I'm falling asleep and as I'm waking up bt went to a nuerologist and they're definitely a type of seizures called myoclonic where it lasts a few moments I'm fully aware of it too and my body will shake as if I'm trying to wake myself up and my eyes will roll and I'll feel like I stop breathing I'm fully aware it's happening and yes sometimes insomnia for me it happens when I wake up around 2am and can't fall back asleep
Thank you for sharing and for connecting your experience with a diagnosis of myoclonic seizures. Since my work is focused solely on chronic insomnia, all my content relates to the experience of individuals with chronic insomnia. It's important to recognize that outside of chronic insomnia, there can be other explanations for these jerks/twitches.
@@free4life009 thanks for responding. I completely agree with you on this, never depend on medications rather work on reducing stress/ environmental triggers diligently they work more on the long run than just medications.
@@free4life009 my jerks were intense when i used to overthink while entering into half sleep! Potassium & magnesium (chloride salts)have been of tremendous help along with listening soothing music whilst sleeping also thunderstorm rain sounds can be a great way of deviating your mind from overthinking and avoiding restlessness at night. This is my personal experience. Hope it helps
Grateful for this video and the comments. I've been aware of hypnic jerks and have experienced them in the past a few times, but back then they were always full-body jerks and always one-offs. Nowadays, it's more common for me to have just one limb like a leg or arm or even just a few fingers to suddenly jerk and force me awake while I'm falling asleep. This all started after a horrible period of severe anxiety which left me twitching and shaking randomly during the day as well. I started taking magnesium supplements which have helped the day-time twitching enormously, but the night-time sleepy hypnic jerks still bother me. They're also often accompanied by a very faint itchy/tingly feeling. I'm lucky enough to still manage to get a decent night's sleep most nights, but it does still make me feel scared and anxious and miserable for those first few hours of trying to sleep when my body keeps forcing me awake and startling me. If I wake up in the middle of the night for some other reason, I instantly feel depressed because I know it'll take me ages to fall back asleep thanks to the jerks. If I I think the root of this is my chronic anxiety which I need to get a handle on. I've started exercising recently so we'll see how that goes.
Thanks for sharing. I hope things improve for you soon. You might also want to ask your doctor to evaluate you for restless legs syndrome and/or periodic limb movement disorder just to rule those issues out.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
When I about to sleep any time in the night or afternoon, just before going in deep sleep my arm or body starts jerking or involuntary movements or shivering arms and wakes me up. Happen many times during night and finally sleep.. frustrating
The hypnic jerk when fall asleep it's wake me up like the brain send some sign to body including muscle twitching too that wakes me up. I would like to ask you please. Is that can be chemical unbalance in brain or not ? Such as serotonin, melatonin. I don't think about hypnic jerk when fall asleep .Im tired and want to sleep It's just happened itself. I thought something wrong in brain. Thank you. Please give me advice.
*My partner told me a few weeks ago that I always twitch or jump in my sleep but I didn’t know anything about it because it doesn’t wake me up and i never remember falling in my sleep so I’m glad to know I’m not the only one and thankful it doesn’t wake me* 😊
I’ve actually found that watching funny or cute videos WHILE in bed helps me associate the time before sleep in bed as a pleasant time and it helps me relax while in bed and forget about my sleep anxiety. I use the blue light filter on my tablet.
I started having hypnic jerks after starting exercises in the gym.I have stopped all exercises and that time I was taking magnesium glycinate.I think it made my condition worse.this is my fourth month with hypnic jerks,dr prescribed low dose clonazepam,as my MRI and EEG were normal . mediation helps but what should I do because, I can't do anything except thinking that I will be able to sleep or not at night.. please help
Unfortunately I cannot provide medical advice, Mark. Do you recognize any of the symptoms of hyperarousal, as described in this video? If so, that might be worth investigating.
All content found on the Insomnia Coach UA-cam channel is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
I don't know what is going on with me I'm worried about it though I feel like I'm vibrating really really fast n can't move my body and my heart will be pounding
@@irenehudson3383 I hope this video was helpful. If you are concerned by anything in connection to your health, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor.
@Irene Hudson I feel the exact same!!! This super anxiety riddled vibrating feeling when I try to ignore the hypnic jerks. How’s your journey going?
I get these jerks sometimes while fully aware what's happening. Sometimes I can tell when I'm seconds from falling alseep, so I would jerk myself awake just to try to fall asleep again. If I don't get up after a jerk, they would just repeat. I know I should wake myself up fully but when I'm in that state, all I care about is sleeping.
@@chocfortress I wonder if that strong desire to sleep might be contributing to the jerks and additional difficulty falling asleep?
The part that sucks about this is that it happens once, you get anxious about sleeping and then it happens because you're anxious about it happening. It becomes a cycle.
No fucking lie
I wonder if there might be a way to tackle this cycle? Sometimes it's not the anxiety itself that generates these symptoms but our attempt to suppress or avoid that anxiety - when we do that, the anxious thoughts often become even more powerful and create the very symptoms we are trying to avoid.
@@InsomniaCoach so what is the solution? Give into the anxiety?
@@ElissaNWOPrincess Since anxiety cannot harm us, and since anxiety comes from our thoughts (which are only thoughts), perhaps accepting anxiety and thoughts might be more helpful than trying to fight or avoid anxiety and thoughts?
Two years ago, I suffered from this anxiety cycle that was initially triggered from a full night of hypnic jerks, i remember that night i went to the ER two times, and i spent three weeks without proper sleep (barely 10 hours of sleep for full three weeks) also in this three weeks i suffered from constant panic attacks thinking that i might be developing some kind of an epileptic disorder (yes that much i was overthinking). What helped me after three weeks and what made made have my first anxiety-free and hypnic-jerks-free full sleeping night was that I accepted the anxiety as it is; i accepted all my fears about not being able to sleep because of hypnic jerks, i pictured the anxiety as an angry person that is part of me and trying to attack me, and i pictured myself hugging this person and giving love back, anxiety went away immediately, and an occurring thought hit my mind, that even if i dont fall asleep tonight, eventually my body will have to crash and i will have a full sleep no matter what, next thing i know is that i am opening my eyes in the morning and checking my phone to see that i slept for more than 10 hours, since then i BARELY had hypnic jerks and whenever i have them, im okay with them (as i acknowledged that they are a part of the whole sleeping process) and i remind myself that i will fall asleep eventually and i immediately fall asleep afterwards. Hope this helps whoever is suffering from this now, felt i had to share this.❤️
All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I’m not the only one! Knowing that loads of people go through this normalises it which takes away some of the anxiety. Thanks so much for making this video. It makes so much sense. 🙏
You're welcome! You definitely are not alone!
Same. I was legit concerned I had Parkinson’s at 25. Sleep deprivation brings out my health anxiety.
@@laurenspringob541 Thank you for sharing.
I fell yesterday and this started happening last night.everytime I almost fall asleep they are really huge.
@@kathlenesims767 They can be really difficult, that's for sure!
Here's some encouragement and help for anyone going thru this. I just had my first full night's sleep in many months where I was averaging 1-4 hours. The night before last, I may have gotten 20 minutes total!!! They are definitely related to my anxiety and stress levels.
I was so sleep deprived that my anxiety was on 10 all day (heart pounding) and the hypnic jerks were nonstop for the last 2 nights. I have never been so exhausted, nor had I had multiple hypnic jerks like that.
I realized my issue was I couldn't stop worrying about NOT sleeping. I am a chronic worrier anyway and always have anxiety. So I would go to bed every night almost fearing sleep and any sensation (jerks) or anxiety (stomach) that would come about.
So when I laid down, I got a really hard jerk on my arm. My whole arm jerked, even up to the shoulder. Never had that before. Normally it's my leg. My fingers were trembling too. I thought I was having a seizure, but I was just hyper from sleep deprivation.
Instead of instantly worrying it would not go away and start catastrophizing like I normally do.... I said aloud "It's OK. I'm safe. It will eventually go away. Just relax." I focused on my breath and took super long, loud exhales. Long exhales are such a great hack for relaxing the body.
Now, because I had just had a few jerks and my adrenaline had surged a bit, I was no longer as sleepy. (I would also get a few butterflies in my stomach along with the jerks that also kept me up.)
In the past, I would worry about how awake I was and how I hope I don't have any more anxiety episodes (of course that would just give me more anxiety or jerks). So the cycle would continue all night long.
But instead of panicking and worrying that it would happen all night, I just kept telling myself, "It's OK. I can rest." I noticed by saying that and breathing, I was not as anxious as I normally was after having a few jerks. So I turned to my side and before I knew it, it was morning.
The lesson for me was you have to learn to accept it. That's soooooo hard to do when you want sleep so badly. Also, it's so important to busy yourself the evening before. I did 30 minutes of cardio and every time I tried to worry about sleep, I would distract myself.
Thinking all day about how you can't sleep also fuels your anxiety, so by the time you are in bed, you are still carrying that adrenaline with you. That doesn't help. So try your best to stay busy all day. This is HUGE!!! Plus, cardio can tire your body and make it easier to stay asleep.
By coaching myself gently and accepting the sensations that were keeping me awake, it re-wired my brain to know I'm safe. So the anxiety stopped.
I wish you the best. I know how scary this can be if you've been going through this a long time, but it will eventually go away.
Thank you so much for sharing! I just know this comment is going to help a LOT of people!
God bless you!
How are yu know?
It is stop?
@@amanialgh4014 Better. I have been averaging 7-8 every night for the last 3-4 weeks. It was a gradual process. Trust me, your problem is temporary. It will get better.
I started exercising daily and that helped. Also magnesium too!
Those jolts of adrenalin in the middle of the night makes me feel like I'm going to have a heart attack then I'm up the rest of the night.. Such a miserable feeling. 😭
They sure can be very disruptive to sleep.
@@InsomniaCoach forget disruptive I be feelin like I’m gon die no cap
@@jadamane
Do you have muscle spasms as well?
@@bigvanvader3122 no
Yeah.. mee too. Same feeling.
The first 13 seconds and I’m like YES!!!
So glad to hear this, Liam!
Yea.....and he said they can happen often, because I get at least 1 every single night
To anyone that's experiencing hypnic jerks, i want your'll to know it does go away, but takes time and patience, i had this a year ago n i was in a very horrible state, but now im ok. I think this was all caused by the physical stress and importantly mental stress.
If you're doing any heavy exercise, just avoid it for the time, do your regular work which keeps your mind busy from the fear of not falling asleep, eat your food don't worry too much on what food u should eat or not eat, keep your self hydrated enough. (Your brain needs energy to sleep,duh) If ur feeling dizzy sit n stay calm, i used to avoid laying on the bed at day time, n only used to sleep on it at night.
And plz do not worry too much about it, change your perspective towards it, any kind of negative emotions/situation/people keep them away, maybe don't react to this kind of things, spend a little time outside, be kind to yourself. Practice gratitude, at that time even if i slept for 15 minutes i told myself good job. And with this attitude i got my sleep back, n no longer afraid of hypnic jerks.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and this message of positivity, hope, and encouragement!
Thankyou💘💝
Thank you for sharing. I experienced this last night. It was horrible as I got so scared and started calling God. I couldn’t sleep as I was dizzy and very weak inside. Around 3 am I finally slept and woke up around 9am. This is horrible. I was thinking of going to the hospital this morning cos I felt I was just going to die. 😭
@@akosuasafowaah1771 don't worry too much about it, just don't think about the previous nights or what will happen the next night (tell yourself it never happened), even by chance it happens again just laugh through it, don't think of it as something dangerous, i think the reason why we get these jerks is because we're stressed out, n our body is reminding us to stay calm through those hypnic jerks.
@@donnavazz1681 how were you able to get rid of them btw I'm experiencing it barley today and I wanna sleep but I can't 😅
I first have the sensation of falling then immediately the feeling like I am suffocating/dying, once I am completely awake the scary feelings leave.
I am glad to hear that all those scary feelings leave once you are completely awake, Tammy! The mind can play funny tricks on us as we transition into sleep and different stages of sleep. I hope this video was helpful.
This sounds like a RERA (Respiratory-effort related arousal) and can be a sign of sleep apnea. It’s worth getting a sleep study to check, because insomnia is also commonly caused by untreated sleep apnea due to the interruption of the sleep cycle.
@@TrinitronX That is a valid point, James - thank you for sharing! Very often sleep apnea is not accompanied by the heightened arousal we see in individuals with insomnia but the two conditions certainly can exist together, at the same time.
Mine too when I try to call asleep I feel like am falling and baam I woke up suddenly with a racing heart beat
@@TrinitronX But when I fall asleep I don't have any further problem. It's like my brain won't shut down, but body wants.
Man, it really shows how much my sleep issues were all in my head/anxiety. As soon as I used these flight or flight moments as a positive sign of sleep, they calmed down. I felt that my heart was beating so fast, then I checked my Fitbit at 55 Bpm! It's like my body was trying to play tricks to make me worry, so when I stopped trying to worry all night and just accepted these things come and go, sleep changed for me. Thanks so much!!!
Thank you so much for sharing!
today i haven’t got sleep at all bc of these jerks im so frustrated. i got mental breakdown at like 12 am and try to sleep after that but i cant im so tired. got a panic attack and im afraid to got to sleep and every night time i got so anxious. good god make it stop
Have you got started implementing any of the techniques you learned about in the video, Fiona?
Insomnia Coach yes and i feel way better. i dont really have a panic attack now but im still kinda worried during night time like afraid not be able to fall asleep but those thoughts indeed doesnt make me fall asleep.
@@frozenpeas15 A great insight there, Fiona - if your worry stems from the idea that you won't fall asleep it can be helpful to evaluate how accurate that thought might be. How accurate or how likely do you think it is that you won't fall asleep? Do you feel that you might remain awake forever, or do you think that after being awake for long enough, sleep will always happen in the end? Even if you don't fall asleep one night, why is that a concern? Will it absolutely destroy the following day? If not, perhaps wakefulness doesn't require that much worry or concern! I hope this gives you some things to think about and proves to be helpful!
Hy Fiona i hope ur doing well now. I used to have hypnic jerks and a anxiety attack months back for a long time than through this same technique ive managed n it stopped it came back few days ago. After watching this video i reminded my self what ive done earlier to stop it n it stopped. I doubt its gonna come back but its something that i have to manage as early as possible. For me this happens because of my anxiety n wrong diet (gut issue maybe cuz i have digestion problem too) n lifestyle. If u want i can share few things I've done to help myself
Dona Vaz yes please share
This started happening 3 days ago when my anxiety started getting really bad. I would lay in bed and try to go to sleep while constantly opening one eye to try to see if I was ok and I would get this shock wave feeling in my chest. It also happened when my mom came in my room which startled me and caused my chest and body to jolt. I can't even sleep anymore because I'm scared it will happen again.
I hope this video was helpful. Since sleep always happens when we have been awake for long enough, you will definitely sleep again!
The same thing happens with me, from 2 years, always i think that i don't awake if i slept 😭😭
Happens to me every night when I'm going to bed I still have not saw a doctor and it's happen for years now
Same. I'm in the same boat.
@@LongCOVIDAdvocator It gets better as your anxiety starts to improve. Please just have faith I recommend looking up anxiety sleep meditations. I would go to sleep listening to it every night.
Thank you brother. I’m diagnosed with anxiety and I became such a hypochondriac. This video really helps give me peace.
You're welcome, Joshua - thanks for sharing!
It's been happening to me quite a bit lately. I'll start falling asleep and usually I become aware right before it happens. Then I feel I am forced awake gasping for air but I immediately catch my breathe and feel fine shortly there after. The feeling i have is that if I don't force myself awake, I'd die. It can be terrifying sometimes.I feel it happens less often when I sleep on my stomach.
That does sound scary! Thanks for sharing that you find it happens less often when you sleep on your stomach. Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor to rule out an issue such as sleep apnea?
I know exactly what your talking about . It happens to me for the entire night sometimes. The night after drinking . As soon as i nod i wake imediately as if i have stopped breathing and its an awful feeling when it happens 30 times a night
Yes this is what happens to me!
@@goldieswitzerlox past 2 nights in a row for me... all night long now I am terrified to sleep
@@jonathansmith2656 it does pass, i would recommend going to the ER or urgent care for peace of mind. Tell them whats going on and they will most likely give you hydroxyzine. For panic attacks.
i’m 16 and i have this. last night i keep falling asleep and every time i would get woken up by my body twitching and i would get anxious right after.
I hope you found the video helpful, Sanarya!
after the jerk you will feel weird and a little scare since it the same.. i trend to had feeling i forgot to do something... afterward...so this may made it harder to sleep...
Wow you are 16 and have this? That is very young I was 24 when mine started.
@@micahwilkening1706 I’m 18 and I got it
Updates, how long does it last?
i have this for the last 4 months, for me, anxiety and depression play a big role
Me too. How are you now?
@@uzumakif5 still have it, but way lesser when i sleep alone , so i have to sleep separately with my wife every night
I get these pretty randomly. When it happens I feel SO exhausted trying to fall back asleep but as soon as I start to again jolt and grab my chest to catch my breath again but I start panicking and have anxiety/ panic attacks and feel like I have butterflies in my chest and stomach. Been trying to calm down for about an hour now.
I hope that now you know a bit more about these jerks, you might be less worried by them, Maddy.
It’s so gratifying to see videos and discussion about things that you thought you were unique to you and your “messed up” brain.
When i am about to fall asleep, suddenly i am feeling a sudden stop in breathing along with a jerk!.I am feared to fall asleep
Yes! I've noticed that too. It's terrifying...like I had to remember to breathe again.
I thought this only happened to me. It would be hard to describe to someone. I thought it was a strange thing. It is very frustrating wanting to sleep but as soon as that might be happening, I get a sensation that gets me out of it. Thank you for explaining this. I know I will be less anxious when this happens in the future and will be able to fall asleep.
How are feeling now?
3:00 is literally me, but I'm stuck in that OCD type cycle where I can't stop obsessing about it, and the more I try 'not to' the worse it gets. They're sometimes so strong I feel like I'm going pass out or even have my heart stop... scary how powerful the mind can be when turned against itself!
No surprise you find it hard "not to" think in a certain way - I am not sure anyone can permanently control the thoughts their mind chooses to generate. When we try, things often become even more difficult!
I recently recovered from Covid but I have not been able to sleep for the past month due to this scary jerk feeling when Im abt to fall asleep, I get this mostly in my chest, so I fear I’m having heart trouble which causes anxiety and now Im scared to go to bed every night.. i end up staying up all night almost every night 😓
I am glad to hear you have recovered and I hope this video was helpful, Kelly. What do you think you might be able to do after watching this video to improve the current situation with those jerks and the nighttime anxiety?
alot of time. it happen becuase you worry about something... so when you about to go to differnt stage you body jerk so you don't sleep... apart of a old factory.. best to do is try to taken mind of thing before go to sleep... and accpet what will be ...will be.. if you not sleep tonight just accepted that you not sleep but it don't stop you to relex... so it all in your mind...
@@campkira Acceptance can be so helpful!
Same
@@azitarehman7845 I hope things get better for you.
My guess is this has something to do with anxiety. This started happening to me Sunday. Went twice for 30+ hours of no sleep. But what I did the past 2 nights ignore them and continue falling asleep. Worked hopefully it works this night.
Another thing that helps is staying in bed do not leave. I am the type that once I get up I am cant fall back to sleep. So even if I havent fallen asleep after 2-3 hours I just stay lying down with eyes close.
A follow up incase anyone is interested before this happened I was on anti anxiety medication and weaned myself off by taking one every other day for the last 30 days. This was in Feb in March I noticed i had trouble sleeping. Got back on my medication for the past 2 weeks and have been sleeping better I notice the jerks or muscle spasms but just dont care enough to keep me awake. Last night I had a few but just was tired.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and for the update, Zack!
@@zackg6216 Hey zack how are you now? I am also facing the same issue like you right now what to do
Yes, exactly that. If I get out I will never be able to return. It is crutial to stay in bed. I need a lot of time for my overwired brain to calm down. Not just 10 minutes.
I haven't gone to bed for 55 hours and have had hypjerks for two nights in a row. Have never had this happened. It's frustrating
How are you feeling now?
I suffered with this from October until like late December early January. I literally slept less than an hour a night for months and months. It was crazy going to bed at night and not sleeping. Horrible. I found myself envying regular ppl knowing they’re going home and gonna have a nice sleep. All because of vertigo I was suffering with which gave me insomnia then the jerks. Better now
glad to hear you improved! how did you get better?
@@SamuraiPoohBear yes I got better. I did the eply manoeuvre day in day out. And I went out more in the days to tire me out
Thanks for sharing that you are doing better now - I am sure that will be comforting and reassuring to many others here!
@@flyersluver4eva I'm literally having same thing and I go for walk in the day and still having insomnia /hypnic jerk...what else can I do for a better sleep?
@@sacq13 Hey bro you are not alone, I am also feeling like that from last 1 week how are you now? I will follow you from here
Last night , for the first night ever , I felt asleep deeply like a baby -I am 80years old- I just following your instructions such as : don't look at the electric clock which I turned it facing the wall like times out , don't worry if You can sleep or not , let your body adjust itself , turn all the iPad , iPhone , video and breath 4/7/8 in the peace of mind . That's it . Again , Thank You . 😊
Thanks for sharing! When we are able to move away from "trying" to sleep, it often gets a lot easier!
Thank you for speaking about this. The first few minutes were promising. These jolts of adrenaline are followed by a real surge of adrenaline in our system. Ignoring them or reframing doesn’t stop or alter the wide awake feeling for hours after. The wakefulness is real after the jolt hits. Maybe some can talk themselves down, but many of us have already tried that for years.
They can definitely be challenging - I think the key to moving past them is to change our relationship with them and, as you have pointed out, that can be far easier said than done.
I completely agree Sam. The chanel seems to be for casual sleep issues, not serious insomnia.
For some people in this string sleep starts are just an annoyance like the hiccups. But for others like myself, sleep starts deprive us of restorative sleep. It's discouraging to hear about New Age anecdotal remedies.
OK so we no it's not dangerous, we let them be but the issue is it's still preventing us from sleep. So what happens after 2 or 3 days of no sleep ?
Wow, I have those jumps every single night..sometimes they are ok, sometimes funny and sometimes they suck..bc you just want to fall asleep and they wake you up. 😁
I hope this video was helpful, Rodolfo!
@@InsomniaCoach It was :) Thank you. Martin, those jumps might be also an indication that something is going on, in a worst case scenario?
@@Rudi1984 That's quite unlikely, especially if they only tend to happen at the start of the night. If you are concerned that something other than what was mentioned in this video might be going on, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor!
@@InsomniaCoach oki. Thank you, Martin 🙂👍
@@Rudi1984 they can be a sign of b12, b6 deficiency or just magnesium or calcium or potassium deficiency !! you need to check with your doctor especially if you keep getting those jerks everynight
i have been jumping for the last 7 months and been to many many doctors all they tell me is that i'm stressed and prescribe me anti depressed medications which made things lot worse !!
finally i discover that i was magnesium and potassium deficient because of junk food that i use to eat whole my life !!
i've been going through a lot of messed up stuff lately, so i think the stress is my reason for these jerks
That's entirely possible!
We be gettin towe up! I almost died a half a hour ago! Now I’m here in these comment sections lmao in tears because I can relate too all y’all. And just thinking about how freighting and how stupid we must look as it happens got me over here surviving Thru laughter afraid too go back too sleep... at least the laughter is good for the heart . You ever had one so bad you start praying for another day ? Lol this disease sucks ...
Being concerned about uncomfortable and worrying experiences is definitely not stupid, Jada! I am glad you found some comfort in the video and in the comments here! Laughter certainly can be great medicine!
@@InsomniaCoach yea idk know why it was so funny but it was just funny cuz we be gettin clipped in our sleep like that ... oh shoot!
@@InsomniaCoach even though it is scary at times i images all the commenters flying up out they bed and it was comical but this disease or whatever it is a trip boy I tellya!
Please they happen a lot at night 😭 I don’t know what to do I’m cry
Update y’all. Just exercise and eat healthy plus sleep early. Make sure u don’t sit around all day lol like me. It went away after a week and half. Don’t stress abt it. Trust me a person with anxiety and a overthinker. This was difficult for me and my mind scared me more than the actual problem. But don’t stress about it and just watch a tv show until u are sleepy. I reccommd sleeping with someone for comfort. :) it will get better Ik it feels like u aren’t gonna sleep or your gonna die but you will be fine.
Sorry to hear this - I hope this video helped, even if only a little.
@Beng Chan I’ve been having the worst weekend ever dealing with this, I literally have slept 1 hour in the last 2 nights. I read your comment and it makes me feel so much better lol, I’ve been eating so poorly and not exercising at all, add in a ton of anxiety and heart issues and bam no sleep 2 nights in a row from these jerks. I’m flipping my life around asap lol. New year new me. Thanks for leaving that reassuring comment haha.
@@test-ky8tu yes don’t worry I’m glad it made u feel better. I was expirancing the same thing u are and trust me I know it’s fustrating. UA-cam videos telling you do this do that, and as a person who’s lazy I thought I needed surgery or I was dying 😂 I wish someone had wrote this comment to me when I needed. But stay healthy and happy new year!!!
@@test-ky8tu and I’m sorry for the anxiety. I also have and anxiety and health problems don’t go well together cause your brain is telling u that ur gonna die or something bad will happen. And I also had no one too reassure me and I know u need reassurance so I’m here to reassure you that you will be fine and it will go away fast. If you are still having issue feel free to message me on my Instagram and discuss dw if u have social anxiety is fine :)))) u will get sleep even tho you feel like you won’t. Take some same melatonin pills and drink lots of water!!!
@@bangchan4305 thank you so much for the comment. i finally had a good night of sleep and i feel so much better now. i was so worried that i wasn't gonna get good sleep again and that my life would be like that forever, but as you and many others have said, eventually everyone has to go to sleep. i am gonna get some melatonin and try it if i can't sleep normally tonight, but i'm just so glad that i was able to get some good sleep in the first place. i have a heart history which made my health anxiety so horrible lately, but emergency room doctors have said that i'm fine. i have an appt with my cardiologist and we're gonna do a bunch of in depth tests and if that goes well then i think my health anxiety will really start to take a turn for the better which could lead to my sleep getting back to normal. at least that's how i hope it goes lol. again thank you so much for your comments, i think that reassurance is so important with anyone who has any sort of anxiety. my trip with this is not over, but i have a ton of optimism for the future now. i think that all this stuff is gonna make me better a better person after it's all done. i've been eating so much healthier and taking care of myself physically and mentally so much more than i did in the past. again thanks for the comments it really did help me :)
I had it for a few days except the last two nights. Seems like it reduced.
Step outside in daylight for 45 minutes or more. You can be under shade if its too sunny.
The other thing is, avoid/ignore the thought of the anticipation of not getting sleep. It gives anxiety and makes things bad.
Try and go to sleep like you did before the jerks started. And do it everyday.
It will reduce or even go away.
I've posted this comment on a few videos so more people can be at ease.
Thanks for sharing, Faraz!
omg yes i definitely start to associate bed with the anxious jolts and right before going to bed I'm like "omg it's gonna happen again, i'm never going to sleep ever again and i don't even want to fall asleep because i'm going to feel unpleasant".
Same here
For me it feels like my heart completely stops and I fight to stay alive. I’ve found myself literally waking up or saying “no no no” like I’m about to die and my heart is just pounding. This really sucks.
Same here bro, it's if i have to fight for a moment to not to die. I hope it get's better for you
Yes this happens to me to.. I have not been to sleep in 36 hours
@jermainegaskins3901 how are you feeling now?
I can not sleep without taking sedatives to get past hypnic jerks. They are horrrendous. I relax down just to the edge of sleep and then give a jerk, a split second snore and all these alert swirling awake thoughts pass over the front of my brain. It's beyond hell. I am only getting knocked out by Zopiclone but my doctor says I have to go off it. I will die the most horrible death from no sleep.
Brah I thought I was having a seizure👀
Yikes - that must have been scary!
I twitch and hav muscle spasms, cant breath , numb face and hands , dry tongue , i get so scaired
@@skinndawg1 If you feel breathless when you wake from these jerks, you might want to discuss those symptoms with your doctor since they could be a symptom of sleep apnea.
@@InsomniaCoach I sleep on my side and it feels like I get pulled from my legt side backwards. Its been happening for e days now. And it makes me not sleep. But it usually happens when I don't fall asleep like on my own and I fall asleep from tiredness and trying to stay awake . some times the jerk is small but it sometimes is big too
@@InsomniaCoach I found a way to completely get rid of them. In my case ot was because i tried sleeping with too much stuff in my mind. I slept thinking about what I would do tomorrow or stressful things and the jerks happened. But once I ignore those things it was completely gone
I'm so desperate to be rid of these. They started randomly out of nowhere 5 years ago, and has since then stopped me from getting natural sleep ever since, at least a full-night (6-8 hours). I get these so much, and it feels like a heart-attack each night. And I'm slowly but surely losing hope that there is a fix or a "cure" for this. I cannot nap or sleep.
Does anyone also experience this while also sometimes gasping for air?
Yea that happens all the time to me. It's like I have the jerks and cant breathe and I fight so hard to move my arm to wake myself up and then I can finally breathe. Its terrifying
If you find yourself gasping for air, it would be worth seeking medical advice in order to be assessed for the possible presence of sleep apnea.
Yes. I have an involuntary gasp as I'm about to fall asleep.
I hate it. It’s been only 3 days of having this and it’s already annoying. I’m so tired. I swear I’m falling asleep and I can feel my brain relax. Then it feels like I’m falling and I wake up. Feeling like I can’t go back to sleep and feeling a little anxious and worried. I hate it. I’m an over thinker and one night I just told myself I don’t like the feeling of sleep because I don’t feel anything. And now I’m here. Ugh. Hope this stops soon
It sure is difficult. I hope things improve for you soon.
It feels like an electric shock and I get really awake I also get sleep paralysis. I'm gonna try experiment if a pillow on my chest reduces the feeling of falling. The jolt feels powerful and I normally bounce quite bit.
That does sound quite intense. I hope this video was helpful.
@@InsomniaCoach It helped getting a rational explanation about what's probably happening. It also calmed me down. Thanks
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.The body will heal from this,
I have been getting these jerks constantly and I’m scared to go to sleep which keeps me awake for ages sometimes for the whole night and mostly until 3 am. When I try to sleep I can’t stop thinking about these jerks and they keep on coming no matter what i do
That does not sound pleasant, Oscar. I am sorry that you are dealing with these jerks and only hope that this video proved to be somewhat helpful and perhaps even a little reassuring.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
I used to have those jerks when I had major depression and chronic insomnia. My sleep patterns were so bad and i was so tired that I would cry because I could never sleep well. As soon as I treated my depression it slowly disappeared and I very rarely get those jerks anymore. I know some people aren't that lucky and need to resort to therapy or something else to treat it.
Thank you for sharing, Julian.
Hey julian how you treated your depression??
I've actually been thinking I'm the only one, but looking at the comments gives me great comfort.
I've been having gastroenteritis that had caused so much dehydration that I had to visit the doctors and get admitted.
Days later, it feels like it's come back, and my sleep jerks have gotten stronger.
But I'm trying to stay calm, and I hope that with acceptance, can i actually have a proper bed rest.
Fingers crossed, and thank you for the insightful video.
You are definitely not alone, Suman!
Do you find any cure ?
Do you find any cure ?
I get these on bad insomnia nights, usually when I'm already sleep deprivated
That makes sense, especially if you are paying more attention to sleep because you have been experiencing difficult nights. I hope this video was helpful.
I legit thought I was the only one with this problem, went to the doctors and told them about this and they didn’t know wtf I was talking about
if they not sleep spicilist they had no fucking idea about it.. since it happen to some people.. some people they fall to sleep easily and some don't since maybe their anceastor is hunter or worrier since it ability for gurd...
Glad to know this video was helpful for you, Dayjon!
You are endowed with wisdom and practical tips unlike the standard don't worry about sleep it comes naturally.... Thanks a ton Martin
I appreciate your kind words, Andy! Thanks for sharing that you are finding the channel practical!
I start hearing louder sound and my body feels like it’s starting to afloat but it makes my mind feel so paranoid to go back to sleep 😴
That floating sensation might be caused by your muscles relaxing as sleep is starting to happen.
I had this too. The floating feeling is due to the sleep paralisis which starts to kick in after this loud sound. And you stop feeling your legs and the gravitation on them so this creates the ilusion of floating feeling.
@@InsomniaCoach No, it's a well known sensation in sleep paralysis. Man you're completely clueless aren't you. I recommend reading more and writing less.
@@EvaPev I'll be the first to admit that parasomnias aren't my area of expertise - and I certainly don't claim to have expertise in this area! I appreciate you sharing your experience and opinion.
Just posting here in case this info helps anybody. I started getting hypnic jerks for apparently no reason and it was a horrible experience as I couldn't sleep without pills or alcohol for a while. After speaking to my GP friends, they deduced that the jerks were likely due to a 5 day fast I had attempted a couple of weeks beforehand (hypnic jerks can be caused by an imbalance in your electrolytes). I was told they would clear up, which they did gradually over 3 to 4 weeks. Thankfully they have gone now. For anyone still suffering, I'd recommend making sure you have a healthy, balanced diet. Try eating potassium and magnesium rich foods. Magnesium supplements help a lot of people, as many of us are deficient in it. I think I actually overdid the magnesium, as I was taking it during the fast! I also found a hot bath helped relax my muscles just before bedtime. The advice to accept the jerks was also very useful. I'd recommend 'Dare: The New Way To End Anxiety And Stop Panic Attacks' by Barry MacDonagh, which has very applicable techniques for acceptance. I wish all of you still suffering from this the very best. Good luck!!
Update: they actually came back again for a while, but not as bad. Over the last few months I've had them on and off, but mostly off. They are pretty much gone now and not a bother.. Drinking lots of water is something I forgot to mention (2-3L a day) This helps your body rebalance its electrolytes.
Thanks for sharing, John! I'd recommend Dare, too - it's a great book!
Physical jerks are one thing. My problem is that my mind goes into alarm mode as soon as I can fall asleep. I get an adrenaline rush and after a couple of adrenalin rushes my heart is racing and it takes hours to calm down and then it starts all over again.
Any idea why you get that adrenaline rush and feel your heart racing when you want to fall asleep? Do you think it might be connected to worry about nighttime wakefulness?
@@InsomniaCoach I think it's because my mind forgot how to sleep. It's on alert as soon as it starts drifting away into something else than being awake. But I'm not en expert, I just think a lot about it...
@@Chili-pg2jl The good news is that the mind never forgets how to sleep - but if we worry about sleep or feel anxious, we often have to spend more time awake to overcome that worry/anxiety before sleep will happen. The result is less time asleep and symptoms of heightened arousal (such as a rush of adrenaline). You might want to discuss these issues with your doctor just to rule out a health issue or a separate sleep disorder (such as sleep apnea). If you are diagnosed with chronic insomnia, the recommended first-line treatment is usually cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
Just a bit ago i got one of these jerks. It made me really anxious and now every time I try to fall asleep I get anxious. Haven’t watched this yet but hopefully it helps
I hope you find the video helpful, John! If nothing else, perhaps you can recognize that the jerks aren't a sign that something is wrong or that your insomnia is somehow unique.
after the jerk you will feel weird and a little scare since it the same.. i trend to had feeling i forgot to do something... afterward...so this may made it harder to sleep...
Thankyou so much for these advices and tips I really hope this will help me because this is one of the reasons why i cant sleep because when im about to sleep this thing happens and im starting to worry that what if there is more something serious behind it but just like what you have said theres nothing to worry about and this is not an indication that something is bad, again thank you💙 much love from the philippines
I'm glad you found the video helpful!
The transition of conscious to unconscious is always terryfying for me i always feel like im playing a game of tetris then suddenly realise that I'm not and jump feet panicking
Sorry to hear that the transition feels terrifying for you, Zeke. I hope this video helped, even if only a little.
I twitch around once or twice every 10 minutes or so. When I try to sleep it gets more intensified, feeling like I have been electrocuted or shot in my back and chest. I've learned to live with it since I can't seem to stop them.
Thanks for sharing! When you were able to reach a place of acceptance, did you find these twitches became a bit less disruptive to your sleep?
@@InsomniaCoach Definitely. I trained myself to stop noticing them. They can get really bad here and there but for the most part I try to ignore them.
So are u able to sleep with that thing?
Thank God there is name for this . From past one week im facing this problem , please help me to overcome this sir . I stopped sleeping for days because of these jerks fear
Hello Sujay! I share my suggestions in the video - but there's lots of great stuff in the comments section, too!
Sujay emaina solution dorikinda ?
This is the first explanation of this awful experience I have with these jerks. But "don't worry" is very difficult when, like the other night I didn't sleep at all and was suffering from these jerks 3 or 4 times per minute for hours and hours. Any advice?
Hey Rob! Hope you are better. Read the comments, there are a lot of good advices! I am struggling with this as well. 😊
I don't think it's possible to delete worry from our brains - it'll always come back, right? Perhaps a more workable approach might be acknowledging the worry, (acknowledging the jerks and any other thoughts and feelings they might generate), to be kind to yourself in return, and to practice moving away from trying to fight or avoid all this difficult stuff that cannot be directly controlled anyway?
@@vanessabernardesteixeira5586 Yes! The comments here are a gold mine!
this has been going on for over 2 years now... it absolutely has overtaken my nights... the dr has put me on gabapentin, ropinrole, and lunesta... all of which do NOTHING except the lunesta which ecventually knocks me out....i barely get 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night.... I dont feel like this is restless leg.. I truly feel like it is the hyptic jerks... because it always happens at onset of sleep ..even if I try to take a nap in the afternoon.... I just cant...It is absolutely miserable....It has dominated my life for over 2 years at this point...I hate taking meds especially when I feel they do absolutely nothing for me. My quality of life has been severely altered...I used to LOVE night time...and relaxing in bed....
I wonder if there might be an opportunity to start taking back your life, Kandy - even when this really difficult is still present? I hope you found the video (and all the comments here) helpful.
Any updates?
I had one of those before i got scared i thought i was having a seizure
I hope this video was reassuring, Christian!
after the jerk you will feel weird and a little scare since it the same.. i trend to had feeling i forgot to do something... afterward...
My experience with this was years ago, once i fall asleep, i will dream of a staircase, no matter what i trip and fall and experience these hypnic jerks, that would happen to me everyday maybe for a year, until my friend died, he died asleep, i didn't experience hypnic jerks for a month since, but then i started to feel afraid before going to bed, and i would shiver and i couldn't sleep for a solid 3 days then until i collapsed, i was afraid of dying sleeping, maybe or maybe not it was influenced by my friend death, i moved on when this happened, i learned that is irrational fear and i still try to control it, but now, about 2-3 years later, i experience a weird sensation before falling asleep and viola, the only thing that bothers me really about it, it messes up my sleeping schedule, those earlier troubles would fade away if i take sleeping pill, this video motivated me to keep being positive, and i loved the message at the end
Believe me the first time i watched this clip, my search for the exact teacher ended.
I can say my sleep has become a bit better. The main advice you gave in this video "to welcome the hypnic jerk", helped me a lot. I don't believe accepting the twitch would be so much beneficial and sweet. I was afraid of the jerk just for nothing and i am in sleep in no time. Thanks to you.
But thanks to you Martin, i am sure i will become normal as i used to be.
I rate this video as Golden Video of You Tube.
Lots of love and lots of respect.
This is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing - I am glad to hear your sleep has started to improve!
Hello sir how r u now
@@rahulpardeshi6646 Much better Alhamdulillah.... much much better
my body violently jolt me awake when I'm falling asleep but only when in school and i have time too
Thank you for sharing.
I've had something like this since 1999 . They suck!! I have 30 plus some nights, (on those nights I get NO sleep at all,) but most nights I suffer about 10-15 of these strange happenings. They can be in the chest, legs, head, stomach, back..anywhere. They are not just little jerks either, and they don't feel like the "falling" sensation. I jump so hard when they happen. Sometimes, as I start to doze off, I can feel a type.of pressure sensation building up in my upper stomach/chest area and then.....POW! They are massive, and powerful, they make me cry out which scares the crap out of everyone in the house. They feel like someone just slugged the living daylights out of me.And the ONLY time I experience them is when I start to fall asleep. I hate them and wish they'd just disappear. .Some have been so danged powerful I've literally jumped out of bed.
That really does sound unpleasant. I am sorry to hear how difficult and intense those big nighttime jumps are are for you.
@@InsomniaCoach since 1999 no doctor has ever figured it out so I just gave up trying.
@@bubbles2868 bubbles!!! So hey, I get that super tired feeling and want a nap. I fear what will start happening, but like a fool, I get and drift off for a little nap. Then suddenly I'm interrupted by this horrible jerk somewhere on my body. There's no specific spot or muscle either. But boy do they scare the hell out of me. It's so frustrating. I waiting to see a neurologist to see if any kind of answers can be given. For me, they just started happening within the last 2 weeks. Only happens as I start to close my eyes and think getting ready to drift off to sleep. Yesterday I got 13 of them all over in the span of 5 mins. At that point I gave up on trying for a nap. Is this what you're experiencing as well?? Everyone I speak to has no idea what I'm talking about. Again, it's beyond frustrating. Hope to hear back from you
@@markv2012 YES!!! Even had one doc...top neurologist in Austin, back in 2004 tell me I was epileptic....turned out that wasn't the case (which I already knew). Can happen anywhere on the body and ONLY when those eyes close and start drifting off to sleep. People think I am just nuts when I try to explain it.
@@bubbles2868 you know, as frustrating as it all is, you just put a huge smile on my face!!! I have been dealing with some unintentional weight loss and have been obsessing over it for the past 2 months now. I have pretty much lost all sleep. I just simply cannot naturally fall asleep anymore. Then I noticed these sleep jerks the past couple of weeks. I've been thinking maybe it's because of the anxiety paired with little to no sleep that they are happening. One thing is for certain, they suck!! Start to almost drift off to sleep, and BAM! There goes another one. Random spots too. The worst ones for me seem to be the stomach. Those are awful 😭 I almost dread bed time anymore. Think I just found a new penpal lol. Haven't had one of those since 4th grade and now I'm 36. Hope you're having a good night. Let's connect again
Been having this tonight. That’s why I am watching this at 2am. I get a big jerk awake.
Thank you thank you! I started having these ever since i got covid in november ,not sure if it's connected or caused by the anxiety of it all. the jolts combined with the pounding heart when it happens has freaked me out. glad to know that it's nothing more serious
So glad to know you found this video helpful! Of course, it's always worth discussing any health concerns with your doctor - but if there's no medical explanation for the symptoms you described, they're almost certainly down to heightened arousal.
@@InsomniaCoach yup i agree that's the cause; before finding this video ive had an echo test, blood work, xrays, all came back clear and normal🙏 so this does explain why its happening
@@neena9202 Thanks for the additional information! I am so happy to know this video helped explain those symptoms and offered some reassurance, too!
@@neena9202 how are you knom? It is jerk go?
Neena I got the same after covid. It’s still going on. How are you feeling now?
Thank you for making this video as you have helped many improve their understanding and sleep 🙏🏼🤗
You're welcome and thank you for your kind words!
Whenever i try to sleep at school i start to fall asleep then its like i jump out of my seat
That certainly doesn't sound very pleasant!
Insomnia Coach it also happens to me every time and in the same period
@@hector9684 I think one thing the comments here have shown is that these jerks are quite common - and hopefully that, in itself, is quite reassuring.
I get these Hypnic jerks awake all night every night when I need the sleep the most. For me it turns into anxiety where I find myself checking my pulse. Sometimes the only way to break the cycle is to pass out drunk and force a full night of sleep to happen. I hate it when this happens. I feel fluttery and anxious the next day If I miss out on sleep. I wanted to sleep well tonight so I could meet a friend in the morning but instead I’m up late on UA-cam looking for connection with others who experience this.
If you hate drinking to the point of passing out as a way to avoid these jerks, that might not be a workable or sustainable approach. The anxiety you described is understandable - and, since it's unpleasant we will often try to fight or avoid it. Sometimes it's all the effort we put into trying to fight or avoid certain thoughts and feelings that causes a lot of struggle. I hope you found some helpful tips in the video and the comments here, too.
Hello, this happens to me everytime i try to sleep. I feel my arm, leg or fingers twitch and it makes me alert. I find i can fall asleep for a short period of time but then im woken back up again, not sure if i even rested at all. Usually i can sleep for about 3 hours a night (in broken up sleep) due to this. Is there anything i can do for this? In my case, its caused by anxiety. I can be tired and these sensations will still occur. Its making me feel hopeless.
Have you spoken to your doctor about this? If specific parts of your body seem to twitch during sleep, it might be worth talking to your doctor about periodic limb movement disorder. If nothing else, it's something that might be worth ruling out!
My situation sounds ALOT like yours!! were you able to find a resolution?
@@iffyk I was taking a quarter of a pill of mirtazapine for sleep, which also helped with the anxiety that caused the twitching. Eventually I didn't need to take anything anymore to sleep and I'm pretty much back to normal 🙂
@@xkm11x So happy to hear this for you! I take Lexapro and this definitely cures the issue but I've been having a tough time getting off of it. I think i need to taper more slowly. Also alcohol makes it worse so I've decided to cut that off. But glad to hear there's hope!
@@iffyk oh definitely there is! For almost 3 months I'd research all day long how to overcome insomnia which put me into a state of derealization from being anxious all the time. I found that the best thing I could do was just to accept what will happen will happen! If you can't sleep then so be it! Get up and go play a game or anything you want to do! If you try to stay up you'll eventually get tired 😊 hope that helps a bit! I know first hand it's easier said than done!
Why does this happen too me so much? I never used too get these jerks but now it happens multiple times a night and sometimes even while im awake. Any guesses?
While you’re awake??? Go to a doctor! This is actually on an episode of House M.D.
If this happens many time before go to sleep and then you cant sleep for whole night so i suggest miratazapine 15mg half hour begore go to bed . Having these jerks last year atleast for 3 months and this year also it depressed me realy hard now taking miratazapine 15mg . Easily sleep now and also deep sleep .
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience, Shakir.
I’m just glad that it’s not a seizures because I use to have them and this really calmed me down.
I've been having this issue the last three nights. Not the physical jerks but the mental "fight or flight" jerks that send that anxiety to my chest. Seems to happen when I enter the first stage of falling asleep. I'm going to try to reframe them as a sign that sleep is starting to settle in because usually once they happen I lay there for awhile, toss and turn, and feel extremely anxious. It's been a struggle lately. I also need to get back into sleep restriction. Seems I go through phases of sleeping okay without having to take Ambien, then I get back into a crap cycle.
Thanks for sharing, Matthew. That anxiety is coming from your brain doing its job and looking out for you - it doesn't usually feel good though, right? Unfortunately the more we try to control what our mind chooses to do, the more we can get tangled up in a struggle.
My issue is I’m actively trying to keep my eyelids shut, they keep opening slightly. I also have a condition called visual snow syndrome which doesn’t help. Furthermore I quit medicinal cannabis 3 days ago which I was heavily relying on to generate sleep. Yep my life is tougher than it needs to be
my eyes started to jump and my chest rapidly
its very scary, thought i was gonna die for a sec lol
It sure can feel scary at the time!
I shouldn’t be laughing so hard at this because it happened too me too tonight . This comment got me laughing for some reason . I can relate
What if it’s only in the feet or only one foot over and over?
I have been dealing with this since December 2020. It got so bad I went to my doctor for Lunesta which has helped me fall asleep, but I only stay asleep for 3-5 hours. I have had the sleep starts where you have a sudden image like you're about to fall down stairs....this is different. It's like a hard exhale/puff...something very strange, I can't really explain it. Sometimes I get it during the day too if I zone out and then realize I'm zoned out. I'm scared something is actually wrong with my brain. I'll be getting an in-lab sleep study in the next few weeks. Nothing seems to help except sedation.
Sorry to hear you've been dealing with this for so long. I hope the sleep study provides you with some answers or at least some suggestions!
I get the same puff thing too! I think it's a jerk of the diaphragm. It expels some air and that creates the puff.
@@InsomniaCoach You seem clueless though.
@@EvaPev Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I get it a lot when I’m still conscious, if im close to the edge of my bed it feels like im about to fall off a cliff even though I know I’m only 3 feet off the ground.
These happen to me sometimes when I even just close my eyes if one night I start it is hard to stop I can’t even close my eyes for more that two seconds without shooting up feeling like I got jump scared sometimes
That definitely sounds unpleasant. I hope this video helped.
This sounds a bit like me but a little different.
Once I get the first sleep start, I try to go drift off straight away, but a few seconds later it happens again... and again ... and again. Sometimes it feels like I'm having a nightmare though I'm not even alseep yet. I would have to move my body to wake myself up fully to start from the beginning. Its a drag
@@chocfortress This repeated awakening with a start can be caused by a sleep breathing disorder. If you find yourself awakening with a feeling of needing to gasp for breath, it can be what’s called a RERA (Respiratory-effort related arousal). It is worth it to get checked out by a sleep doctor and do a sleep study to check for sleep apnea.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
It’s weird because I can literally feel myself drifting... then I feel a chest discomfort... it makes me scared to ‘let go’ or ‘drift off’ even further... I noticed these jerks have been happening more often recently... I think once or twice ever other night or every few nights... that and my heart race appears to be ‘too fast’ for a relaxed state of mind and body... not necessarily racing... but not slow and relaxed either
See I’ve got tinnitus... and that more often than not affects my ability to fall asleep comfortably and quickly... I can deal with my tinnitus so long as I have a background sound, but this other stuff is absolutely scary and makes me feel like there is something horribly wrong!
I'd suggest talking to your doctor just to rule out any medical explanation for what you have experienced. If you get the all-clear, then you can be confident that what you are experiencing is likely down to hyperarousal/heightened monitoring.
@@InsomniaCoach Thank you for your response! The last few nights I have been falling asleep pretty easily! I guess there are just some nights that are harder than others... as long as it’s not a nightly issue, I’m fine! Also, regarding my tinnitus, I’m seeing an ENT specialist this month! Hopefully I’ll have some relief in no time!
@@sophiakitto2039 Thanks for the update - glad to know you have been sleeping much better the last few nights!
The strange thing is that there are days that they suddenly apears and then days they will disappear like they never came
Hi Martin, how can I stop the intense feelings of anxiety at the point of falling asleep? I think I’ve conditioned myself to amplify this feeling by worrying about it cos it’s such a horrible feeling.
You know, I think the very act of trying to stop, avoid, or otherwise suppress anxiety is often the bigger problem. If we can get to a place where we accept and allow anxious thoughts to enter our minds, they tend to have far less of an effect on us and tend to leave a lot faster, too! I recommend the book "Dare" by Barry McDonagh since he explains this in a very approachable and compassionate way. I hope this helps!
Experiencing this about 2yrs now..I wakeup at night with a racing heart and Can't go to sleep .it's miserable and I still having it...
At the very least, you now know that you are not alone, Malik!
So i took mdma 3 weeks ago and 2 days ago i started to experience these jerks. I found this video very helpful because i didn’t knew what this was
Glad to know you found the video helpful, Justin!
Hey Justin. I also took MDMA before this started for me. Don't want to scare you but that was 7 months ago and I am still experiencing them almost nightly. How are yours now? Feel free to DM me as well. I'm interested in hearing your story because I have not found a lot to do with MDMA and hypnic jerking.
@@niilo2852 had a bad trip on acid happens to me ever since that. Don't do drugs haha
@@simpsy5900 Weird. I had a very mellow great time and felt fine. Even got to sleep fine lol. You almost sound like you are suffering some sort of ptsd from the trip maybe?
@@niilo2852 it's probably just severe anxiety if it was ptsd i would be panicking every night, keep in mind I have had a lot of trips and enjoyed them but all it takes is one to send you over the edge
you guys are not alone 🥲
cycle starts around 12-1am if im not asleep , 5-6am cycle ends 😭
So glad to find out the name of these things!
Every time I've been trying to go sleep lately, I've been getting these.
It's like I'm suddenly drifting off and I'm jolted back awake. When it happens to me it makes me heart pound so fast. Is that part normal too?
Thank you for making this video.
It's impossible to say for sure - this can be connected to arousal and can certainly happen when you are jerked awake! I'd recommend talking to your doctor if you are concerned by the heart pounding. If nothing else, this might help put your mind further at ease about those hypnic jerks - and it's always good to rule out any other potential issues (one of which could be, for example, sleep apnea).
@@InsomniaCoach Hello Coach, I have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and I have been using the machine for 3 months now, the doctor says that the CPAP is doing its job properly because my IAH is stable and normal now. However, I am jolted back awake from 3 to 4 times before i get 3 hours of sleep. Then I wake up and it would take another 2 hours or so to get back to sleep. I will try to apply what your video says, any other insight ? Thanks
@@BigSocksProds Glad to hear your sleep apnea is responding well to treatment! No additional insight at the current time on the hypnic jerks - it's entirely possible for the heightened arousal associated with insomnia to be present alongside sleep apnea.
@@InsomniaCoach I thought so as well, thanks again
I am not worried about them, but they startle me and once I get startled I am awake. I can't relax again.
It can definitely be more difficult to relax when you are startled awake! Getting out of bed when conditions don't feel right for sleep and doing things you find relaxing and somewhat enjoyable can help bring back the right conditions for sleep. Sleep drive will always win in the end and make sleep happen!
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
I usually get them when I’m traveling
Interesting! This might make sense if we consider that these jerks/starts could be related to heightened arousal since the brain is often a bit more active as we adapt to sleeping in a new environment.
Damn it, thank you so much, I break tears knowing that there's nothing wrong with my brain. I've always lived with this fear and now I'm relieved ❤
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works. The body will heal from this.We're all in this corrupt agenda together. Don't tolerate it anymore. Get a landline and minimize exposure to your microwave radiation phone.
I get these as I'm falling asleep and as I'm waking up bt went to a nuerologist and they're definitely a type of seizures called myoclonic where it lasts a few moments I'm fully aware of it too and my body will shake as if I'm trying to wake myself up and my eyes will roll and I'll feel like I stop breathing I'm fully aware it's happening and yes sometimes insomnia for me it happens when I wake up around 2am and can't fall back asleep
Thank you for sharing and for connecting your experience with a diagnosis of myoclonic seizures. Since my work is focused solely on chronic insomnia, all my content relates to the experience of individuals with chronic insomnia. It's important to recognize that outside of chronic insomnia, there can be other explanations for these jerks/twitches.
What treatment u are on for this?
@@free4life009 thanks for responding.
I completely agree with you on this, never depend on medications rather work on reducing stress/ environmental triggers diligently they work more on the long run than just medications.
@@free4life009 my jerks were intense when i used to overthink while entering into half sleep!
Potassium & magnesium (chloride salts)have been of tremendous help along with listening soothing music whilst sleeping also thunderstorm rain sounds can be a great way of deviating your mind from overthinking and avoiding restlessness at night.
This is my personal experience. Hope it helps
I gave up and except it now, after a long time.
I think that accepting and being more willing to experience these jerks can be really helpful - as others in the comments here have shared!
I cannot stress this enough but "phrasing"
Phrasing? Do tell me more!
I think I have extreme Hypnic Jerk. It can continute trew the whole night.
Last night I hade probably more than 20 hypnic jerk. ANd I was not able to get a good sleep
These are great tips, but I was having a different problem, not this situation. Thanks anyhow!
Sorry for the misunderstanding 😂
Grateful for this video and the comments. I've been aware of hypnic jerks and have experienced them in the past a few times, but back then they were always full-body jerks and always one-offs.
Nowadays, it's more common for me to have just one limb like a leg or arm or even just a few fingers to suddenly jerk and force me awake while I'm falling asleep. This all started after a horrible period of severe anxiety which left me twitching and shaking randomly during the day as well. I started taking magnesium supplements which have helped the day-time twitching enormously, but the night-time sleepy hypnic jerks still bother me. They're also often accompanied by a very faint itchy/tingly feeling.
I'm lucky enough to still manage to get a decent night's sleep most nights, but it does still make me feel scared and anxious and miserable for those first few hours of trying to sleep when my body keeps forcing me awake and startling me. If I wake up in the middle of the night for some other reason, I instantly feel depressed because I know it'll take me ages to fall back asleep thanks to the jerks. If I I think the root of this is my chronic anxiety which I need to get a handle on. I've started exercising recently so we'll see how that goes.
Thanks for sharing. I hope things improve for you soon. You might also want to ask your doctor to evaluate you for restless legs syndrome and/or periodic limb movement disorder just to rule those issues out.
This is spinal nerve damage from looking down at our cell phones for hours a day, combined with holding a microwave radiation device at the same time. The microwaves have done damage to the spine and nervous system, while the position of too much cell phone viewing has also caused damage, so dramatically reducing exposure is a critical must. Getting an MRI to see where the damage has struck and then maybe getting Prolotherapy to fix it might be helpful. I'm in the process of figuring out all the the ways that might be helpful for this new phenomena on the planet. Anyone telling you cell phones are safe are the equivalent in "informed" to the Doctors that used to tell pregnant women to smoke during pregnancy to decrease morning sickness. Massage under the skull and the cords of the neck along side both sides of the neck vigorously and make sure you're hydrated, take magnesium and you should fall asleep with no zaps b/c your neck muscles are tweaking your spine anymore. They get into that position to begin with b/c of years of cell phone use looking down which does SOOOO much damage to the neck and spinal/nervous system. Suddenly everyone has anxiety? Come on! The only thing we all have in common that is well documented in every country's scientific community is extremely dangerous cell phone radiation damage. Cut that out and massage your neck really well under your skull at night, make sure you're really hydrated, don't ingest stimulants while you're healing, and the zaps stop. The notion that is being perpetuated by doctors that it's anxiety are people that want to make money and not work very hard to think much about how the body actually works.
When I about to sleep any time in the night or afternoon, just before going in deep sleep my arm or body starts jerking or involuntary movements or shivering arms and wakes me up. Happen many times during night and finally sleep.. frustrating
The hypnic jerk when fall asleep it's wake me up like the brain send some sign to body including muscle twitching too that wakes me up.
I would like to ask you please.
Is that can be chemical unbalance in brain or not ? Such as serotonin, melatonin.
I don't think about hypnic jerk when fall asleep .Im tired and want to sleep
It's just happened itself. I thought something wrong in brain.
Thank you. Please give me advice.
*My partner told me a few weeks ago that I always twitch or jump in my sleep but I didn’t know anything about it because it doesn’t wake me up and i never remember falling in my sleep so I’m glad to know I’m not the only one and thankful it doesn’t wake me* 😊
Thank you for the video, it calmed me now.
You're welcome, Deepthi!
I’ve actually found that watching funny or cute videos WHILE in bed helps me associate the time before sleep in bed as a pleasant time and it helps me relax while in bed and forget about my sleep anxiety. I use the blue light filter on my tablet.
It sounds as though that's proving to be a helpful approach for you, Michael! All the best to you!
I started having hypnic jerks after starting exercises in the gym.I have stopped all exercises and that time I was taking magnesium glycinate.I think it made my condition worse.this is my fourth month with hypnic jerks,dr prescribed low dose clonazepam,as my MRI and EEG were normal . mediation helps but what should I do because, I can't do anything except thinking that I will be able to sleep or not at night.. please help
Unfortunately I cannot provide medical advice, Mark. Do you recognize any of the symptoms of hyperarousal, as described in this video? If so, that might be worth investigating.
@@InsomniaCoach yes hyperarousal is there.