Do you ever find yourself suddenly jolt when you’re trying to drift off?
It’s commonly experienced, and a doctor has taken to TikTok to give some more clarity around why it happens – from what we do know, at least.
Dr Karan Raj calls it the ‘human version of auto-save’, and it’s called the hypnagogic jerk, because it occurs in the hypnagogic state when you transition from being awake to being asleep.
‘We don’t really know why it occurs,’ Dr Karan says.
‘There are a few interesting theories. Some believe it’s a byproduct of evolution, where our bodies associate muscle relaxation as the potential to fall out of a tree and it jerks to ensure we’re still safe.
‘There’s evidence that stress, anxiety, caffeine and exercise can cause or exacerbate these jerks.
‘Perhaps the most interesting theory is that hypnic jerks are our bodies way of testing to see if sleep paralysis has fully taken hold.’
During REM sleep the body is paralysed so you don’t act out your dreams, so again it’s a safety protocol.
Sleep glitch @Mel and Phil
He continues: ‘Some believe hypnic jerks occur when the brain sends electrical signals to the muscles to test this paralysis, and a jerk means it’s not set in.’
He assures viewers these jerks and ‘normal and safe’.
One person joked: ‘Ok but why do guys do it so much more than women.’
Plenty of others could relate to the experience, saying: ‘I always get it when I’m on the verge of getting into a “deep sleep”’.
‘I do this. It happens at that place where you’re asleep and awake. Not lucid, but close. Frequency increases when I’m exhausted. Very interesting,’ another wrote.
‘I’ve done this ever since I was little and it honestly wakes me up every time,’ someone added.
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