Sudden body spasm

[SubJunk]

I'm wondering if anyone knows why sometimes when we fall asleep we have a sudden spasm that wakes us up. I know it's something to do with signals being sent between hemispheres of the brain, but I want a more in-depth explanation of this. Apparently I do it a lot, but don't remember because it happens when I've just fallen asleep and I don't wake myself up when I do it.

It's also happened to me about 5-10 times in my life that I can personally remember, and it's usually associated with a falling feeling.

I'm aware it's a very common thing, so I'm not asking for testimonials here just if anyone has any detailed information on what causes this, or even a link or two, it would be much appreciated

[RICHARDBATTY]

I'm wondering if anyone knows why sometimes when we fall asleep we have a sudden spasm that wakes us up. I know it's something to do with signals being sent between hemispheres of the brain' date=' but I want a more in-depth explanation of this. Apparently I do it a lot, but don't remember because it happens when I've just fallen asleep and I don't wake myself up when I do it.

It's also happened to me about 5-10 times in my life that I can personally remember, and it's usually associated with a falling feeling.

I'm aware it's a very common thing, so I'm not asking for testimonials here just if anyone has any detailed information on what causes this, or even a link or two, it would be much appreciated [/quote'] From what I have found there are no conclusive facts on the subject. The one that sounds most plausible to me is that as the body relaxes and the nerves get less feed back the brain interprets this as a fall or being off balance and a reflex action is to try and move forward if your on your back and backwards if your on your front. Well at least in my experience.

[SubJunk]

yeah i considered the fact that there may not have been any good research done on it, thanks anyway man, i might have to conduct an experiment of my own on this one

[mossoi]

There's plenty of junk out there about this. Fans of astral travel like to say that it's when your physical and astral body become out of synch and that it's the first steps to wandering the astral plains facilitated by the relaxation of nearing sleep.

 

This happens a lot to me (not the astral travel but the feeling you describe) and usually when I'm physically very tired but mentally active. I also suffer from (although I quite enjoy it) the feeling of being paralysed while lying in bed.

 

I looked into it a while back, can't find any sources just yet, and the best theory I found was that the brain is reliquishing control of the body in preparation for sleep (if this didn't happen we'd act out our dreams in full) but not quite reaching sleep.

 

In the case of being paralysed the brain is awake and trying to move the body but it's not able to until the communication is restored.

 

In the case of the jolt as you fall asleep, for me this only ever happens as a result of a dream causing a reaction and movement when, possibly, the brain has not quite finished letting go of the body.

 

My personal addition to this theory is with regard to the feeling of falling. If the link between the body and the concious brain is suppressed then the feedback from the body will decrease. This means that you no longer feel the bed acting on your body and results in feeling as though you are in freefall or in some cases floating.

[MolecularMan14]

what exactly is that feeling of falling? What causes it? I love it, but it does often take me by surprise

[SubJunk]

i wonder if there have actually been any conclusive scientific tests done on this subject. I'd like to conduct one (some) if there havn't been.

If anyone has any ideas on how to do this, I'd love to hear/read them

I have no idea what would cause the falling feeling but am dying to find out.

[psi20]

One of the last times this this happened to me with a dream where I was a rabbit falling into a hole . Maybe the last segment of the dream itself makes you feel like you're falling. Interestingly enough, I went to bed less than 15 minutes before I had a dream. It usually takes me half an hour to fall asleep. What would that mean regarding my state of mind at the time? Wouldn't it mean I was tired?

[SubJunk]

that may be the case sometimes psi20, but it can happen when you're not actually asleep yet. sometimes you can just be relaxing with your eyes closed and it happens.

[psi20]

Yeah, it was weird. I was not asleep but was still dreaming. I could hear the radio station, but I could see myself as a rabbit falling into a hole. Pretty weird that I'd be thinking I was a rabbit (maybe the song was about rabbits?)

[alt_f13]

Once I fell asleep with this chick using my arm as a pillow... and the entire left side of my body kindof did that. No falling feeling, just the spasm when I had virtually no feeling left in my arm. I think I did it a few times. Funny thing is, I dunno if she caught on to it being her fault, so I think she thought I was crazy.

 

Anyway, why does my arm losing circulation cause my whole body to flip out?

 

I looked into it a while back, can't find any sources just yet, and the best theory I found was that the brain is reliquishing control of the body in preparation for sleep (if this didn't happen we'd act out our dreams in full) but not quite reaching sleep.

 

My dad once ran headlong into a wall whilst sleeping and never woke up... I mean he kept running in bed smacking into the wall for several seconds, not that he died.

[alt_f13]

Once I fell asleep with this chick using my arm as a pillow... and the entire left side of my body kindof did that. No falling feeling, just the spasm when I had virtually no feeling left in my arm. I think I did it a few times. Funny thing is, I dunno if she caught on to it being her fault, so I think she thought I was crazy.

 

Anyway, why does my arm losing circulation cause my whole body to flip out?

 

I looked into it a while back, can't find any sources just yet, and the best theory I found was that the brain is reliquishing control of the body in preparation for sleep (if this didn't happen we'd act out our dreams in full) but not quite reaching sleep.

 

My dad once ran headlong into a wall whilst sleeping and never woke up... I mean he kept running in bed smacking into the wall for several seconds, not that he died.

[Kindria2000]

This happens to me and my friends all the time. It scares the hell out of me and sometimes you overcorrect yourself and go flying backwards >_< ya know! >< ::meow::

[MadScientist]

The best explanation I ever read on this phenomena was that it's a remnant from our days as tree dwelling animals. There's still a very small fear preprogrammed into our sub consciousnesses that manifests itself by telling our conscious self that we're falling even though we aren't. So we wake up and make sure we're not falling.

Evolutionarily speaking it would be a very beneficial thing to inherit from your parents.

Now that we don't need it, it's slowly being evolved out of us.

[swansont]

I'm wondering if anyone knows why sometimes when we fall asleep we have a sudden spasm that wakes us up.

 

This was on a repeat of "House" I saw the other night (new TV show in the US) It's called a myoclonic jerk. The conjecture given on the show is that sometimes, when you fall asleep your heart rate and breathing slow too quickly, and your brain interprets this as dying rather than sleep, so it "kick starts" you. It's TV, so who knows how well they did their research.

 

More, but of course, on the web you get both wheat and chaff.

 

lots more from the national institute of health

 

One thing they (NIH) mention in that it can happen from hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), so the conjecture that the brain sees its supply diminish and causes the jerk isn't without at least some merit, in my layman's opinion.

[gpdone]

I'm wondering if anyone knows why sometimes when we fall asleep we have a sudden spasm that wakes us up. I know it's something to do with signals being sent between hemispheres of the brain' date=' but I want a more in-depth explanation of this. Apparently I do it a lot, but don't remember because it happens when I've just fallen asleep and I don't wake myself up when I do it.

It's also happened to me about 5-10 times in my life that I can personally remember, and it's usually associated with a falling feeling.

I'm aware it's a very common thing, so I'm not asking for testimonials here just if anyone has any detailed information on what causes this, or even a link or two, it would be much appreciated [/quote']

 

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/Articles.ASP?articleid=S0104F04

 

putting the terms ' sleep paralysis inhibitor locomotor REM' will get you LOTS of stuff on the subject. I was personally involved in this kind of research in the 70's and have been awake during REM. It was a little scary at first but after awhile it was fun! I could see psycadellic colors washing down slowly across my field of vision and could not move a muscle.