Ever feel like you're falling in your sleep? Here's how to STOP it
Daily Mail Just as you're drifting off to a peaceful sleep, you're rudely awoken by a sudden jolt and panic.
Although it really felt like you were plummeting to your death, you accept it was just a figment of your imagination.
That terrifying feeling usually accompanied by twitching in the legs and arms is called a'hypnagogic jerk'.
But, did you know there's ways you can potentially prevent these random nocturnal body hiccups?
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Anyone can experience a hypnagogic jerk, also commonly known as 'hypnic jerk' or 'sleep starts'. Bedding company Simba found more than two-thirds of Brits surveyed have experienced the disturbance.
It happens during the transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep when the heart rate decreases, breathing slows down and the muscles relax.
Medically, it is classified asmyoclonus a brief involuntary twitching or jerking of a muscle group or group of muscles.
'Hypnic jerks can affect the whole body or just the legs,' said Lisa Artis, deputy chief executive officer at The Sleep Charity. 'At the same time you may also feel like you're falling, you may experience a loud noise or a flash of light.'
