{"id":14564,"date":"2025-01-03T22:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T22:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diigital.press\/?p=12775"},"modified":"2025-01-03T22:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T22:41:11","slug":"the-science-behind-why-your-body-jerks-when-you-fall-asleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/?p=14564","title":{"rendered":"The science behind why your body jerks when you fall asleep"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/greentoday.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/464182371_985122626991679_6851520479206588901_n.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<header id=\"article-header\">\n<div id=\"featured-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aspect-[16\/9] w-full h-auto bg-gray-100 dark:bg-gray-700 lg:rounded-2xl wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-800x419.jpg?resize=800%2C419&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-798x418.jpg 798w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-600x314.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-480x251.jpg 480w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sep07_part03_33-390x204.jpg 390w\" alt=\"man sleeping in bed\" width=\"800\" height=\"419\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1254144,105716491\/theheartysoul_com-box-2_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-meta\" class=\"pt-6 px-4 lg:px-0 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center space-x-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-title\" class=\"pt-6 px-4 lg:px-0\">\n<h1 class=\"text-3xl font-bold tracking-tight text-gary-900 dark:text-gray-200 sm:text-4xl\">The science behind why your body jerks when you fall asleep<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"ez-video-wrap-ez-4998\" class=\"ez-video-wrap\">\n<div class=\"ez-video-center\">\n<div class=\"ez-video-content-wrap ez-rounded-border\">\n<div id=\"ez-video-wrap-ez-4999\" class=\"ez-video-wrap ez-video-magic\">\n<div class=\"ez-video-magic-row\">\n<div id=\"floating-placeholder-ez-4999\" class=\"floating-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"pt-6 px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-0 prose dark:prose-invert max-w-none overflow-hidden\" data-ezoic-incontent-sticky=\"overflow changed to clip from hidden and min-ht set\">\n<p>Have you ever gone to\u00a0sleep\u00a0at night and dreamt that you were falling? Then suddenly, your body jerks, and you are startled awake. An experience like this can be somewhat unsettling, but if it\u2019s happened to you, you\u2019re not alone. This strange occurrence is called a hypnic jerk, and a\u00a02016 study found that sixty to seventy percent of people experience them<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-anchor-34\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"ad-anchor-18\">\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-2 text-sm text-gray-400\"><strong>The Stages of Sleep<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168800\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2462542621.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2462542621.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2462542621-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2462542621-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Beautiful young woman sleeping in bedroom at night, top view \" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Before getting into the cause of these hypnic jerks, let\u2019s first do a refresher on the stages of sleep:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-stage-one\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Stage One<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168802\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315723795.jpg?resize=1000%2C666&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315723795.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315723795-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315723795-768x511.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Young arabic man sleeping in bed at home at night. People, bedtime and rest concept. Copy space \" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Source: Shutterstock<\/p>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1254144,105716491\/theheartysoul_com-medrectangle-4_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"div-gpt-ad-theheartysoul_com-medrectangle-4-0\" class=\"ezoic-ad ezads-sticky-intradiv ezoic-adl ezfound\" data-google-query-id=\"CJCor_OQr4kDFSFgQQIdEFcPpA\"><\/span>This is what happens when you first start nodding off. This short period lasts several minutes. During this time your heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements slow, and your muscles relax with occasional twitches. Your brainwaves also begin to slow from their wakefulness patterns.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-stage-two\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Stage Two<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168803\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2340226283.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2340226283.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2340226283-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2340226283-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Handsome man sleeping in bed at night \" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This is a period of light\u00a0sleep\u00a0before you enter a deeper sleep. Here, your heartbeat and breathing slow, and your muscles relax even further. Your body temperature drops and eye movements stop. Your brain activity also slows, but you experience occasional bursts of electrical activity.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-stage-three\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Stage Three<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168805\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315726431.jpg?resize=1000%2C499&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315726431.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315726431-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2315726431-768x383.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Top view of young woman sleeping in her bed at night. Girl sleeping with closed eyes. Banner, copy space \" width=\"1000\" height=\"499\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You need stage three to feel refreshed in the morning. This is when your heartbeat and muscles are at their slowest, your muscles are relaxed, and it might be difficult to wake you.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rem-sleep\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>REM Sleep<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168807\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_1427337869.jpg?resize=1000%2C563&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_1427337869.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_1427337869-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_1427337869-768x432.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Handsome man sleeping in bed at night \" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span id=\"ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-123\" class=\"ezoic-adpicker-ad\" data-ezoic-video-excluded=\"1\"><\/span>Rapid eye movement\u00a0sleep occurs about ninety minutes after you fall asleep. Your eyes move rapidly from side to side and your brain wave activity becomes closer to that of wakefulness. Your breathing becomes faster and irregular, and your heart rate and blood pressure increase, almost to waking levels. This is when most of your dreaming takes place. You cycle through these stages four or five times every night. Depending on what cycle you\u2019re in, the stages will vary in length<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-hypnic-jerks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hypnic Jerks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2252121531.jpg?resize=1000%2C527&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2252121531.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2252121531-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2252121531-768x405.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Woman With RLS - Restless Legs Syndrome. Sleeping In Bed \" width=\"1000\" height=\"527\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Source: Shutterstock<\/p>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1254144,105716491\/theheartysoul_com-banner-1_0__container__\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-theheartysoul_com-banner-1-0_charity\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1254144,105716491\/theheartysoul_com-banner-1_2__container__\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-theheartysoul_com-banner-1-0_2_charity\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span id=\"div-gpt-ad-theheartysoul_com-banner-1-0_2\" class=\"ezoic-ad ezads-sticky-intradiv ezfound\" data-google-query-id=\"CO_Eu_SQr4kDFZdb9ggdD3IDtg\"><\/span>Hypnic jerks are basically involuntary sleep movements that occur as you transition from wakefulness to sleep. They are sometimes referred to as hypnagogic jerks or sleep starts. They are not very well understood, however, they do tend to occur more often when you\u2019re trying to force your brain to engage in an activity when you\u2019re sleep-deprived. Rafael Pelayo, a sleep specialist at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, says that it\u2019s because certain parts of your nervous system are awake, while others are asleep.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"div-gpt-ad-theheartysoul_com-large-leaderboard-2-0_1\" class=\"ezoic-ad ezads-sticky-intradiv ezfound\" data-google-query-id=\"CKLHyPSQr4kDFYJBpAQdQeIQoQ\"><\/span>Essentially, you can think of a hypnic jerk as a misfire caused by your nervous system sending your body mixed messages. Generally, they occur when you\u2019re transitioning from wakefulness into stage one of sleep. As explained, REM sleep typically occurs ninety minutes after falling asleep. When you\u2019re really sleep-deprived, however, you go straight from stage one to REM sleep. You basically skip right over stages two and three. Paleyo says that a hypnic jerk is a clear sign from the body that you need to sleep.\u00a0<em>\u201cNothing else is going to satisfy that urge.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0[3]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-are-hypnic-jerks-dangerous\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are Hypnic Jerks Dangerous?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168811\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2074285945-1.jpg?resize=1000%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2074285945-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2074285945-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2074285945-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"African American Woman With RLS - Restless Legs Syndrome. Sleeping In Bed \" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Luckily, no. Hypnic jerks, while they can be scary at the moment, are benign and do not need to be treated. Some may feel anxious after experiencing one and have difficulty falling back to sleep. If this happens to you, try to remind yourself that it doesn\u2019t mean anything and that there\u2019s nothing wrong. This may help to ease your mind so you can go back to sleep.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hypnic Jerks<\/strong>\u00a0and Lack of Sleep<\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes, though, you may experience a hypnic jerk when sleep is not an option. For some, they can occur when they\u2019re over tired in a class lecture or a meeting. If this is the case, Palayo has a few suggestions:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/1254144,105716491\/theheartysoul_com-leader-1_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on something that\u2019s more important about that scenario than falling asleep.<\/li>\n<li>Make eye contact with the speaker.<\/li>\n<li>Drink coffee beforehand if you know you\u2019re going to have trouble staying alert.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night to avoid being over-tired [3].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While hypnic jerks are not dangerous, they are a sign that you\u2019re not getting enough sleep. If you notice them happening frequently, ask yourself why you might be over-tired and consider making some changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The science behind why your body jerks when you fall asleep Have you ever gone to\u00a0sleep\u00a0at night and dreamt that you were falling? Then suddenly, your body jerks, and you are startled awake. An experience like this can be somewhat unsettling, but if it\u2019s happened to you, you\u2019re not alone. This strange occurrence is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/475754002_122193646808147254_8851628786802935284_n.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}