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Mar 18, 2008 9:07 pm US/Pacific
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Good Question: Sleep Jerks
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
I've received a couple of e-mails asking about the big jolt you sometimes feel falling asleep, one from Ayden Erickson in Folsom and another from a viewer named Ivan Joe. The answer is fairly straightforward, as I found out at the Institute for Restorative Health in Davis.
"When you go through the wake-sleep transition your body goes through some physiological changes," says Dr. Eric Hassid. He says the changes are a bit complex, but he boils it down to an electrical impulse sent from the brain stem at the base of the skull.
"In that situation, you'll get hyperexcitability of the nerves which causes the jerk," Dr. Hassid says. "It's not a serious disease but it can become uncomfortable for people and scary."
He adds it does get worse when you're stressed, over-tired, or just have had too much caffeine.
"Basically, it just generates an impulse at an inappropriate time."
Dr. Hassid adds this impulse is often triggered at the same time you feel like you're falling asleep.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 60 to 70 percent of Americans experience this jerking motion, called a hypnic or hypnagogic jerk. Dr. Hassid warns this harmless twitching shouldn't interfere with your sleep or normal behavior during the day. If it does, you could have something more serious: restless leg syndrome, which may require a doctor's advice and/or prescription.
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