The feeling of shuddering or muscle twitching when falling asleep or during sleep is common in both children and adults; this phenomenon may be initial symptom epilepsy (Simmonds' myoclonus) or simple hypnogogic twitching of muscle groups: sometimes a person wakes up from a sharp jolt, which in a dream is seen as a fall or a collision with something.
There are several theories that explain why a person starts off while falling asleep. Immersion in sleep in a person is accompanied by a decrease in heart rate and breathing, and a decrease in the activity of all body systems. For the brain it is like a small death. And in order to check whether the owner is alive, he sends impulses to the motor structures. Complete muscle relaxation can be interpreted as a fall, so flinching is an attempt by the brain to wake up a person and warn him of danger.
Scientists also define hypnogogic seizures as a reaction to stress. For example, during a session, students' sleep is more intermittent, restless and often accompanied by twitching.
Or it could be a manifestation of the syndrome restless legs. A person complains of a feeling of discomfort in the muscles of the lower leg (itching, burning, tingling, pressing or bursting pain). Moreover, such sensations are more pronounced in the evening or at night. Rhythmic movements often occur during sleep lower limbs: they are stereotypical, repetitive; most often accompanied by bending or spreading the toes or moving the entire foot. Sometimes the condition progresses and spreads to the upper limbs.
With insufficient nutrition muscle tissue convulsions may occur. This compensatory mechanism is designed to increase blood flow to a certain area, which improves trophism and eliminates the cause of “starvation.”
Simmonds nocturnal myoclonus is recorded in half of patients with epilepsy. These are stable seizures that occur mainly at night and tend to progress. In the future, they can be replaced by tonic attacks of a generalized and focal nature.
Twitching may be limited to one muscle group, or may affect several at once. They also often change their location: one night maybe hand twitch or both legs, and the second one already uses the facial muscles. Myoclonus may be asymmetrical or may affect adjacent muscle groups; the joint is rarely affected. The appearance of seizures may be associated with an acute lack of oxygen in the brain tissue, the presence of pathological epileptic impulses or degenerative changes in cells (which is more typical for older people).
The real reasons for this phenomenon have not been studied 
still. In the Middle Ages, a startle while falling asleep was called the touch of the devil.
Now scientists disagree: some believe that seizures appear during the change from one phase of sleep to another; while others blame the hypothalamus. This part of the brain responds to changes in breathing and heart rate and sends signals to make sure “everything is going according to plan.” Thanks to sharp muscle contractions, the vital functions of the body are checked.
Startling during sleep is more common in children. In this case, the child sweats when falling asleep, is restless, and rushes about in his sleep. A child's dreams are different from the dreams of adults. The subconscious of children is not so heavily loaded with experiences and consequences of nervous overstrain.
The structure of the brain contains two systems that are opposite in their activity. The reticular activating system is most “energetic” during wakefulness, responds to vital functions (breathing and heartbeat) and is located in the brain stem. But the hypothalamic nucleus is responsible for the process of falling asleep and regulates sleep phases. At the end of the working day, the second system is activated, and the person gradually goes to sleep. But the first system is not going to give up so easily and fights for control over movements. And therefore, against the background of falling asleep, legs and arms twitch, sudden movements appear, and convulsions are myoclonic in nature. Sometimes these sensations are integrated into a dream, which is manifested by a feeling of flying or falling.
If the sleep-wake system is disrupted, sleep paralysis may occur. This is a frightening phenomenon, which is accompanied by a feeling of lack of air, fear of death, and hallucinations.
Sleep paralysis occurs due to the fact that the brain “gets ahead” of the body. In fact, you have already woken up, but the processes motor activity haven't launched yet. This is where the sensations of stopping breathing, suffocation, “the feeling that someone is sitting on me, my heart is stopping, I’m suffocating, my legs don’t obey.” Panic fear may cause visual and auditory hallucinations which are hostile in nature. The more impressionable the person, the more obvious these visions are. Some see flashes of light, others see frightening creatures, and some describe furry paws that squeeze the neck or chest.
Speedy relief from sleep paralysis possible with full awareness of what is happening. Prevention methods include normalizing the sleep cycle, active physical exercise and reduction of stressful situations.
If shaking during sleep is a sign of epilepsy, then successfully use drug treatment clonazepam, carbamazepine, valproic acid in injection or oral form. Good results gives the use of neuroleptics.
If muscle twitching is a reaction to sleep disturbance or stress, then it is better to take preventive measures.
Try to regulate your sleep schedule: it is better to fall asleep at the same time in a well-ventilated room without irritating stimuli. It is better to avoid overeating before bed, as this does not contribute to easy sleep and a peaceful awakening.
Of course, it would be ideal to try to avoid stressful situations and protect the nervous system. You can take light ones before bed sedatives: tincture of valerian or motherwort.
Often at a doctor’s appointment you can hear the complaint: “I twitch when falling asleep. This makes it difficult to sleep further. What to do?". The problem of jerking when falling asleep is familiar to many people. It is not always the cause of disturbances in the body. It is usually associated with stress and does not require drug treatment. So, what causes shuddering when falling asleep?
To answer the question: “Why do I twitch when falling asleep?”, consider physiological mechanisms the occurrence of this phenomenon. Doctors call convulsions when falling asleep myoclonic. At one point, the brain sends special impulses to the muscles, causing a strong contraction. The reasons for the occurrence of impulses are still not fully understood. Scientists have three main versions.
The first three groups agreed that similar symptoms are not pathological. Periodic tremors in the body while falling asleep are normal in adults. For children, things are a little different. Vibrations and twitching can occur not only when falling asleep, but also during sleep. The reason for this is the imperfection of the nervous system. However, even in small patients, periodic shudders are normal.
Sometimes sedative or hypnotic drugs can cause seizures. Be sure to describe your symptoms to your doctor. The need to adjust the treatment regimen cannot be ruled out.
Periodic vibrations before sleep - myoclonus - are normal. What else is interesting about myoclonic jerks?
Individual treatment myoclonic spasms are not required. If a deficiency of any microelements is detected, the doctor may prescribe a vitamin-mineral complex.
Myoclonic spasms rarely occur in people with a strong nervous system. If you often twitch and wake up from this, you should contact a psychologist for help.
The cause of shuddering while falling asleep can be not only physiological myoclonic spasms. The second possible problem is twitching leg syndrome. As you may have guessed, this causes the leg or both legs to tremble.
“Why do my legs twitch before and during sleep? I sleep very lightly, I get scared, I can wake up, then I won’t sleep until the morning” - this question is not uncommon when a conversation arises about sleep disorders. Indeed, sometimes the trembling is too strong. So much so that you wake up in a fit and cannot fall back to sleep for a long time.
Why do your legs twitch before going to bed? The main reason is sensorimotor disorder. It causes discomfort in the limbs. It intensifies when the legs long time are in a motionless state, which is what happens at night. A person begins to subconsciously move his legs to relieve pain, burning and tingling.
There are many reasons for the disorder.
So, your leg twitches if you have:
In all these cases, the fact that the leg is twitching is the least of the problems. You need to urgently consult a doctor, look for and treat the cause.
It happens that vibrations and twitching in the legs occur for no reason in pregnant women. In this case, the discomfort will go away soon after birth. But it is necessary to be examined by a doctor. The main thing is to exclude the most dangerous diseases.
Twitching legs syndrome most often occurs in older people. Less often - in adults. Children and adolescents suffer from it extremely rarely.
How can you normalize your sleep if you periodically startle in your sleep? There are some tips.
Why does an arm, leg or whole body twitch before falling asleep? The reasons can be very different: from harmless myoclonic spasms to terrible disease Parkinson's. Severe convulsions are almost always accompanied by stress and fear, which in the long run causes even greater tremors. If the problem bothers you for a long time, consult a doctor.
Most often, shaking before bed does not threaten your health. So nervous system reacts to stress that arises during the day. If the shaking is too severe, to the point of seizures or convulsions, consult a doctor.
Human sleep is divided into several stages. Their scientific name is sleep phases. Even if you are very tired during the day and it seems to you that you are falling asleep instantly, in fact this process occurs gradually.
On average, it takes about one and a half hours for a person to enter the long sleep phase. It is at the moment of transition that a shudder, or otherwise a contraction of the muscles of the body, can occur.
One theory suggests that flinching is side effect a hidden struggle for control in the brain that occurs at the threshold between wakefulness and sleep.
Usually a person is paralyzed during sleep. Even if a person sees the most vivid dreams, his muscles remain relaxed and calm, not showing any signs of his inner agitation. Events occurring in the outside world are usually ignored.
Experiments have shown that even if a person sleeps with with open eyes and someone flashing a light in front of him, it is unlikely to affect his dreams. However, the doors between the inner and outer worlds are not completely closed.
Hypnagogic jerking as you fall asleep is completely normal, says James K. Walsh, executive director and senior scientist at the St. Louis research center. In this case, muscle contraction occurs and the body twitches. As a rule, this happens during the transition from the waking phase to sleep. This process is literally momentary.
Most researchers on this problem suggest that hypnagogic jerking occurs because the body enters a resting phase and relaxes.
The main causes of uncontrollable shuddering during sleep are overexertion, physical exertion, fatigue, stress, etc. The autonomic nervous system does not always cope with such phenomena, and during the transition to the phase long sleep the muscles contract involuntarily, trying to relax. This same factor is the reason why your legs twitch in your sleep. Also, at the subconscious level, trembling can be accompanied by dreams in the form of flying or falling from a height.
First, you need to relax before going to bed, for example, you should have dinner before 6 pm, avoid smoking and drinking caffeine.
Secondly, if possible, you need to develop a strict sleep schedule - that is, fall asleep and wake up at approximately the same time.
Dream like effective remedy fight fatigue
Ah, this sweet anticipation of the end of the working day! After performing professional work job responsibilities and having dealt with all the household chores and household chores around the house, you really want to plunge into the world of sweet dreams and gentle languor that pleasantly envelops you! How I want to forget myself and detach myself from all everyday needs and worries, mmmmmm! You so long to swap places between a colorful dream and a cruel, sometimes even incredibly harsh, reality, at least for a little while! One involuntarily recalls the saying from William Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy “Hamlet” - “Forget yourself, fall, fall asleep, fall asleep and dream…” If only that cherished moment would come sooner!!!
But sleep can also be fraught with some minor troubles and roughness. A person lies down in bed, plunges into a sweet, long-awaited slumber... and suddenly shudders sharply for no apparent reason! And not at all because you dreamed nightmare. This phenomenon served as a reason to raise the problem “ Why do you twitch when you fall asleep?” for consideration among a wide audience of the population. For a banal reason, the relaxed body inexplicably tensed and served as an impetus for unexpectedly emerging from the sweet embrace of Morpheus. Of course, the presence of pleasant moments in a given circumstance can be determined as a small fraction, i.e. a drop in the sea. It’s extremely uncomfortable when you have to twitch as soon as you start to fall asleep. And it’s good if such incidents happen quite rarely. More terrible is the fact that a number of people have body twitches every day in the process of going to bed. It is worth understanding why such an incident happens, and whether there are ways to combat it. By the way, we have a more extensive article about seizures called “” - we suggest you read it.
According to scientific research, it is fashionable to distinguish several stages of sleep. In another way, they can be interpreted as sleep phases. Thanks to the all-encompassing feeling of fatigue accumulated over the working day, you are easily susceptible to the false sensation of going to bed at lightning speed. However, in reality everything is completely different. The process of leaving for the arms of Morpheus occurs gradually. On average, it is calculated that in order to enter the phase of long-term sleep, a person needs to approximately count on a time period of one and a half to two hours. It is at this moment that a shudder occurs, or, according to scientific terminology, a contraction of the muscles of the body. There are a number of reasons for the unpleasant fact of muscle tics when a person falls asleep. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
The child twitches when he falls asleep. Seeing such twitches, many parents begin to show excessive concern regarding the question of why the child twitches when falling asleep. But before contacting a specialist, you should take into account the fact and always keep it in mind that the sleep of a little person is significantly different from the sleep of an adult, mature personality. For example, the deep sleep phase in mature people lasts on average 2-3 hours, but a child experiences this phase in a volume that is half as much, i.e. only 1 hour. Next deep sleep alternates with superficial. At this peak moment, the baby tends to move his arms and legs, smile on his face, or inarticulately mutter some unintelligible phrases. There is nothing out of the ordinary in this situation, and it is absolutely not a reason to sound the alarm and “blow all the horns.” If a child twitches before going to sleep, it means that this phenomenon is a consequence of the fact that he has not yet entered a long phase, and the dreams accompanying him are on the surface of consciousness. At the moment, it is not recommended to wake the baby, because... waking up can cause poor health and harm the child’s health.
The best option in this situation would be to provide favorable conditions for good sleep. The following may help you with this: – bathing in a bath with soothing herbs; -creating a temperature level in the room that is conducive to the full functioning of the body (18-21 degrees); - leave the night light on at night with soft, unobtrusive lighting. As you can see, there is nothing supernatural in the fact that a newborn twitches when falling asleep. Do not panic in advance and for no reason! Save your own nerves, because nerve cells are by no means official, and they do not have the ability to recover after a certain period of time!!!
Why do people in mature age Do they tend to twitch when they fall asleep? Personalities leading healthy image life, are less likely to be subject to such a phenomenon. The frequency of startles directly depends on the sensitivity of sleep. At the moment when the body ceases to feel even the slightest touch, plunging into the phase of rapid sleep, any external stimulus, presented in the form of a loud deafening sound or a blow of wind, can become an excessively harsh factor for the body. As a result, muscles may involuntarily contract as a sign of protection from the factor negative impact external stimuli.
Healthy sleep lengthens life and reduces working hours
Most people who constantly ask themselves the question “Why do I twitch when I fall asleep?” should pay attention to the lifestyle they lead. The main causes of uncontrollable and involuntary shuddering in a dream include moral overstrain, excessive physical exertion, fatigue, stress, excess adrenaline in the blood, anxiety, restlessness, severe excitement, quarrels, conflicts, etc. The autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the rational distribution of such loads in the body is sometimes unable to cope with the above-mentioned phenomena, therefore, during a smooth transition into the phase of long sleep, the muscles involuntarily contract, trying to achieve the level of relaxation. At the same time, the factor described above is the reason why the legs twitch as soon as the head touches the pillow. On a subconscious level, tremors can also “visit” a person through dreams in the form of flights, reminiscent of soaring under the very skies, or a rapid and sudden fall from a bird’s eye view.
Today, modern scientists and psychologists have different thoughts regarding the explanation of myoclonus - a rapid start when entering the “sleepy kingdom”. According to one medical theory, myoclonus promotes relaxation of all muscles of the body.
After the scientific research and experiments, it becomes obvious that a person shudders when he falls asleep after an emotionally difficult and stressful day at work. The body, which experiences serious psychological and physical stress all day, significantly reduces muscle relaxation at night. As a consequence of this circumstance, the brain tends to create lightning-fast impulses that serve as a support for muscle contraction, after which the muscles completely relax. As for light, unburdensome dreams, they are simultaneously accompanied by shudders (as clear example can serve as a blow or a fall), created by our brain as a preventive barrier, so as not to completely disturb our sleep.
In order to finally understand the consequence of what reason the twitching became, gradually turning into an ordinary, ordinary and everyday phenomenon, it is worthy of attention that a person must independently ask the question “why am I starting to fall asleep and twitch” and analyze all the facts and events preceding such a reaction of the body , in which it is observed complete absence internal harmonious soul along with spiritual substance. It may be necessary to reduce the level of certain types of physical and psychological stress and, if possible, stay as far away from sources of stress and external stimuli as possible.
If such phenomena can be classified as rare guests of your body, therefore, there is not the slightest cause for concern and you should not burden your body with all sorts of manifestations panic attack. While in stressful situations or satiating the body physical activity The most effective of them should be taken into account as optimal preventive recommendations:
take a relaxing bath with mint, chamomile or sea salt or valerian root;
If similar procedures will not have a high effect, and the body will continue to twitch, in which case you should not neglect a visit to the doctor to receive qualified specialist advice.
By the way, our online magazine recently widely covered a rather delicate issue “” - we recommend that you read it.
Have a healthy and sound sleep, ladies and gentlemen!
Sometimes people twitch while sleeping. This phenomenon is called nocturnal myoclonus. In this case, a sharp contraction of the muscles occurs, as if the person is receiving an electric shock. Twitching during sleep can occur both with active muscle contraction (positive myoclonus) and with a decrease in their tone (or negative myoclonus), when the body is as relaxed as possible. The syndrome can be local if it only twitches in sleep separate plot, or generalized. As a rule, sharp contractions are observed in the arms, facial muscles face, shoulders. It is also common for legs to twitch before going to bed.
So, the condition in which a person twitches when falling asleep is also called hypnagogic twitching by doctors. It occurs in a situation where nerve fibers, innervating muscles, are sharply excited all at the same time. But why does a person twitch in his sleep in such a situation? As you know, nerves are collected in a large bundle. Moreover, each fiber in this bundle is responsible for exciting a specific area of muscle tissue. And when all these nerves are suddenly stimulated, it leads to strong innervation of the muscles, which can cause the body to shake violently during sleep.
What is typical is that a child twitches in his sleep with the same frequency as an adult, that is, the problem has a general distribution among everyone age categories. At the same time, if you startle in your sleep in the first seconds of falling asleep, then you don’t have to worry about the problem - it is not caused by anything and is within the limits physiological norm. If an adult or child shakes violently during sleep for a long time, this may indicate a serious pathology.
So, the first reason why a person shudders in his sleep is physiological in nature. Benign myoclonus occurs in 70% of people, most of whom, when waking up, do not even remember that they had strange movements.
The person already has the impression that he has fallen asleep, when suddenly a jolt occurs. Most often it manifests itself at the moment of transition from wakefulness to sleep. Most neurologists agree that physiological myoclonus should not be considered a pathology. This is a normal manifestation of the nervous system.
Physiological myoclonus occurs due to a conflict between the state of complete relaxation of the body and muscle tone. Complete relaxation refers to a situation where the nerve cells of the brain stem completely relax muscle mass body before the rapid eye movement phase. This achieves the most complete and dramatic relaxation of the body. When this happens, the hypothalamus mistakenly perceives this situation like the process of dying (pressure begins to decrease, temperature drops, breathing changes from deep to more superficial).
In view of this, the brain actively shakes the body, sending a push signal. Thanks to it, the muscles contract sharply so that vitality the bodies resumed. After the brain has sent a powerful impulse to the muscles to prevent complete relaxation, the body shudders sharply. Actually, it is for this reason that an adult, teenager or newborn twitches in their sleep.
Physiological shudders do not indicate that a person will begin to suffer convulsive diseases. Myoclonus is of short duration and is normal for any sleep. Moreover, they are not even recorded by EEG. But there is also pathological conditions- twitching, tics, tremors, convulsive attack. There is already a pathology here.
If a baby twitches in his sleep, this often also has physiological reasons. This process indicates a change in sleep phases. In children, myoclonus is observed more often, since their sleep physiology is slightly different. So, in adults it lasts about 3 hours, and in children it is 2-3 times less.
There are also pathological causes of twitching. There are several of them, so there can be many forms of myoclonus. One of the features of this condition is that seizures can occur even during the day when the person is awake.
For example, epileptic myoclonus may occur as one of the symptoms of epilepsy. It is characterized by a constant increase in seizures. Each night a seizure may cause different muscles to become blocked. For example, on the first night there may be twitching in the hand, and on the second night - in the facial muscles of the head. Seizures, according to scientists, occur due to a lack of oxygen in the brain, which leads to pronounced degenerative cellular changes, as well as an increase in epileptic seizures.
Essential myoclonus is another one pathological appearance of this disease. It begins to manifest itself in the patient’s childhood. In this case, the disease proceeds independently, without being combined with other pathologies.
Separately, it is worth paying attention to symptomatic myoclonus. It may appear as a symptom various diseases brain, for example:
There are other reasons why even healthy person starts shaking in his sleep. So, when the body enters the paradoxical phase of sleep, it temporarily loses the ability to respond to external stimuli. But the needs do not go away. When there is a lack of a number of microelements and substances in the body, serious failures are possible. Trembling is a compensatory mechanism that allows you to avoid these disruptions and return the body to working condition.
Another cause of twitching may be sudden. This is especially true for those who often snore. To know all the stops and prevent them, the brain launches a specially adapted process of flinching.
Before you start taking medications for pathological myoclonus, you need to determine the cause of this situation and also consult with your doctor. Thus, Clonazepam is quite often prescribed as a means for individual use, as well as Valproate 10-40 mg. Especially beneficial influence have oxytryptophan and L-tryptophan. These are tryptophan precursors, the use of which gives a quick effect. But both drugs, without exception, can be used only after approval by the attending physician.
