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Hypnic Jerks
Hi B and Daniel,I’ve noticed that my husband has multiple muscle twitches/jerks when he’s falling asleep almost everyday, and he’s had them for over a year. They are usually in his upper body (so flexing arms, squeezing fingers, chest jerking up) and occasionally lower body.
They don’t seem to correlate with stress as they happen around the same amout when he’s stressed and when he’s not. He doesn’t grind or clench his teeth for the most part.
His sleep quality is not great, and we are trying to incorporate better sleep hygeine practices but it does need more work. Currently, we are trying to do: no electronics in the bedroom or if a phone is present, it’s on airplane mode, wifi off, cold room, use bed only for sleeping, dim house lights after sunset, limiting electronics usage 1 hr before bed.
Are these a cause for concern?
Thanks!
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2 Replies
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Hey ,
Seeing someone jerk/twitch when they fall asleep can be quite unsettling. This phenomenon is called a ‘hypnic jerk’. A hypnic jerk is not:
• a form of epilepsy
• a form of a seizureIn fact, it is pretty common (this article suggests 60-70% of the people experience hypnic jerks) and most of the time harmless. It can however cost quality sleep since a lot of people wake up after a jerk… inclusive bed partners.
Hypnic jerks are not yet a fully understood phenomenon, but we do know that stimulants like caffeine (Don’t only think of coffee, energy drinks or pre-workout supplements, but sources you might not expect like some caffeine-rich teas including kombucha), nicotine and physical exertion prior to sleep can increase hypnic jerks.
Having good sleeping hygiene is indeed a really good starting point! In addition, you could use magnesium. Magnesium has been shown to reduce hypnic jerks in individuals as well (just take a look at this study where they talk about magnesium and nocturnal leg cramps)
My advice would be to use magnesium glycinate (since glycinate is calming as well) for example from Pure Encapsulations (Just click here)or Designs for Health.
Another interesting magnesium choice is magnesium L-threonate (sometimes called Magtein) since in this form magnesium can pass the blood-brain barrier. It is however more expensive. You can find magnesium L-threonate here.
Are hypnic jerks dangerous? Most of the time not. Sometimes they can be an overlooked indicator of an early disease state like for example with Parkinson’s. This is not of diagnostic value. They need to be evaluated with other symptoms of course.
I hope this answers your question!
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It does, thank you!
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