“ A hypnic or hypnagogic jerk is an involuntary myoclonic twitch which occurs during hypnagogia, just as the subject is beginning to fall asleep.
The neurological reason that hypnic jerks occur is not fully understood, although the two dominant theories suggest that as a subject’s heartbeat and breathing slow down, hypnic jerks occur as a natural part of muscular transition;[4] or that as a subject falls asleep, their muscles begin to relax and cease working, causing the brain to believe that the body must be falling through air. It is thought that this causes people to thrash their limbs in an attempt to catch something or turn oneself upright.
✐ Hypnic jerk. Heh, “jerk”. I’ve been meaning to look this up for like 20 years now.
The neurological reason that hypnic jerks occur is not fully understood, although the two dominant theories suggest that as a subject’s heartbeat and breathing slow down, hypnic jerks occur as a natural part of muscular transition;[4] or that as a subject falls asleep, their muscles begin to relax and cease working, causing the brain to believe that the body must be falling through air. It is thought that this causes people to thrash their limbs in an attempt to catch something or turn oneself upright.
✐ Hypnic jerk. Heh, “jerk”. I’ve been meaning to look this up for like 20 years now.
