Hypnic jerks, or sleep starts, are the falling sensation we sometimes feel while drifting off to sleep.
The term hypnic, which is the short form of the word hypnagogic, represents the transition between wakefulness to sleep. This is the phase when these jerks occur. Researchers don’t know the exact reason why these jolts happen, but they do provide various theories.
These jerks are involuntary, meaning the person is not making their body to move willingly. In fact, they are described as muscle contractions felt in the entire body, or certain areas, like the arms or the legs.
When falling asleep, the muscles relax entirely so the brain mistakenly assumes the person is really falling and reacts by twitching the muscles.
Although these jerks are harmless, they can sometimes affect the person’s quality of sleep.
Researchers suggest that stress, caffeine, or physical exhaustion can make these jerks more frequent.
