Involuntary jerking while dozing

[Owledge]

I wondered whether there's an 'alternative' explanation for a phenomenon that I occasionally (maybe once every few months) experienced years ago and now very rarely, or whether it is well known in common medicine:

 

What happens is that in bed - as far as I remember typically in the state between waking and sleep - my whole body (pick a word, am not sure which applies best) winces/cringes/flinches/jerks once, like I was scared or touched something hot or unexpected, you know. Very abrupt, very short. Also powerful, but due to the shortness of it not at all violent or problematic.

If I remember correctly, usually there was no mental imagery running when this happened, so not triggered by a vague dream or something.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Hardyg

[Aetherous]

If you have a pet dog, you'll notice that they do this too. There are always things going on in our brains, despite not being aware of it. It's probably some deep kind of dream happening.

[Sloppy Zhang]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

 

This most likely.

 

Sometimes that'll happen to me too, but just before it I'll have the feeling of tripping and falling, or of touching something, or I'll hear something, then suddenly I jerk up.

[Owledge]

Through the link, I found it. Apparently the

Hypnic jerk. The theories there sound extremely lame. (Who'd have expected otherwise with school medicine?) In my case the jerk is contracting in nature, and it happens shortly after going to bed, no irregularities. And as I said, no mind-based perceptions beforehand.

 

So let's talk about what could cause a hypnic jerk.

[de_paradise]

There is a point before sleep at which your conscious mind starts to shift, and control of thoughts become somewhat involentary, its not the same as a conscious thought because it seems to come from nowhere. But in fact somewhere the mind has percieved a pattern, perhaps a visual pattern in the blackness and built a probable context around it.

When the context becomes strong enough that the mind can link another thought to it, something happens.

 

 

I have noticed that at that time, I get an extra pulse of energy, coming in from the energy gates, and parts of my body, usually hand, feet, head gets jerked. Ive no idea why this happens, but I've been observing this for quite a long time. The jerks are sometimes violent, sometimes my hand will lift into the air like making some kind of mudras as I feel the energy volting in, and sometimes I even hear the environment around me, like a wall, make a cracking sound at the same time. Its rather fun, in order to build up to stronger jerking, just need intent and to stay in the same state when the first one happens.

[Owledge]

On further pondering, I can at least develop a vague theory about my personal experience:

 

The jerk could very well be a reaction to something that is frightening because it's unknown. Like when you make completely new spiritual experiences (like death experience that scares one shitless) or wake up from a nightmare. And/or maybe the border-nature of this state between waking and sleep doesn't get all things running the way they should, doesn't get all factors in sync, like, just as a theoretical example, when you fall asleep the conscious mind is supposed to be turned off and then right when falling asleep is turned on again for some reason and goes: OMFG! I'm sleeping, but I'm experiencing it! Emergency wakeup!

Or ... maybe the body registers (almost too late) a sleeping position that's somehow intolerable for sustaining sleep and jerks to make you adjust your position. Although I can't imagine a specific case for this, considering that it even takes for an arm under your head to become totally numb before you wake up from it.

(BTW I wonder how bad it is for the health of your arm when blood flow is blocked so much that it's totally paralyzed.)

Edited August 31, 2009 by Hardyg

[Nanashi]

I've heard it stems from a drop in blood pressure.

[Jakara]

I've heard that sometimes during you sleep you feel like you are falling and your body jolts to wake you up. The explanation that I heard for this is evolutionary, stemming from our time as primates that slept in trees, being jolted awake would save your life if you slept in a tree and felt like you were falling. The instict is to be jolted awake and grip tight, presumably to the branch you are sleeping on. Just a theory of course though.

[fizix]

William Buhlman had an explanation for this phenomenon in his terrific book "Adventures Beyond The Body - How To Experience Out-Of-Body Travel".

 

He explains that when your consciousness begins to slowly slip into a state of subconscious/unconsciousness (when falling asleep or already sleep), or peak into a state of subconsciousness from unconsciousness deep sleep, a leg or arm of the astral body sometimes 'slips' out of the physical body, thus the violent jerk that your body involuntarily makes in order to realign your astral and physical body.

Edited September 2, 2009 by fizix

[Owledge]

I guess this would be something to be investigated by someone who can not only see energy, but spirits. Maybe it could then even be seen in a video of a Hypnic jerk.

[CraneWife]

There is a very simple explanation for this occurence and it has nothing to do with astral bodies, mudras, or energy gates. It has to do with your brain switching from a waking state to a sleeping state. Why do you think we call it "falling" asleep? Your brain is self aware.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how hard we try to make something out of nothing.

 

CraneWife

[Aetherous]

There is a very simple explanation for this occurence and it has nothing to do with astral bodies, mudras, or energy gates. It has to do with your brain switching from a waking state to a sleeping state.

 

Don't you know how much that has to do with astral bodies, mudras and energy gates?

[trailmaker]

I wondered whether there's an 'alternative' explanation for a phenomenon that I occasionally (maybe once every few months) experienced years ago and now very rarely, or whether it is well known in common medicine:

 

What happens is that in bed - as far as I remember typically in the state between waking and sleep - my whole body (pick a word, am not sure which applies best) winces/cringes/flinches/jerks once, like I was scared or touched something hot or unexpected, you know. Very abrupt, very short. Also powerful, but due to the shortness of it not at all violent or problematic.

If I remember correctly, usually there was no mental imagery running when this happened, so not triggered by a vague dream or something.

 

 

hi hardyg - you might google "restless leg syndrome" for chemistry/physiology of this not-uncommon

experience.

[Owledge]

RLS seems to be a different thing, because there's an urge for movement. Before a hypnic jerk the body is completely relaxed and fine with it.

[joeblast]

hardy, you're trying too hard

[Owledge]

That could use some explanation.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Hardyg