Night Jerks

Ahhhhh...the sweetness of deep sleep after an exhausting day that is until you are jerked awake by a sudden feeling of falling. Tagged with several medical monikers, including Myoclomus, Myoclonic Twitch, and Hypnic or Hypnogogic Jerk. This is a common and benign, albeit sometimes very heart stopping sign. Whatever it is called, it is actually an involuntary muscle twitch that generally occurs during the transition between wakefulness and sleep. most of us have them occasionally, and they tend to occur when we are overly tired or sleep deprived.

This nocturnal jerks may be associated with Restless Leg Syndrome, a neurological condition and other sleep related disorders.

Sometimes, however, you might be awakened repeatedly by night jerks. These movements are a bona fide medical condition called Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. It can sometimes be a sign of the sleep disorder Narcolepsy, a condition in which people fall asleep involuntarily.

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