Does anyone ever experience "Hypnic Jerks" or "Myoclonic Jerks" when they are trying to fall asleep?
And no, they are not Republicans who try to sneak into your room at night to steal all your money. 
They are very disturbing and only happen to me every now and then, but lately they have started up again and I think it's due to anxiety or stress. However, it makes it very hard to sleep, even if you are very tired. Here is a description from Wiki:
"A hypnic jerk, hypnagogic jerk, sleep start, sleep twitch, myoclonic jerk or night start is a brief and sudden involuntary contraction of the muscles of the body which occurs when a person is beginning to fall asleep, often causing the person to jump and awaken suddenly for a moment. Hypnic jerks are one form of involuntary muscle twitches called myoclonus.
Physically, hypnic jerks resemble the "jump" experienced by a person when startled, sometimes accompanied by a falling sensation. Hypnic jerks are associated with a rapid heartbeat, quickened breathing, sweat, and sometimes "a peculiar sensory feeling of 'shock' or 'falling into the void'". It can also be accompanied by a vivid dream experience or hallucination. A higher occurrence is reported in people with irregular sleep schedules. Moreover, when particularly frequent and severe, hypnic jerks have been reported as a cause of sleep-onset insomnia.
Hypnic jerks are common physiological phenomena. Around 70% of people experience them at least once in their lives with 10% experiencing it daily. They are benign and do not cause any neurological sequelae."
The problem is that you are jerked awake and feel extremely anxious and start to become afraid to go back to sleep because you don't want to have the experience again. The last few nights, I just got up and went online or watched a movie until about 5 am and was so exhausted I couldn't keep my eyes open. It NEVER happens when I am awake or occupied. Only when I am falling asleep or trying to fall asleep.
Anyway, just wondered if anyone has had this experience, and if so, if you have found a way to make it go away or ameliorate it. I am now at the point where I dread trying to go to sleep.
Thanks in advance! 
= new reply since forum marked as read
and you've probably seen this, but good luck:
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/patient-caregiver-education/fact-sheets/myoclonus-fact-sheet
states, almost like epilepsy or something. This is more common and happens among a much broader section of the population only when they are falling asleep. It appears in normal, healthy people and nobody has really figured out what causes it yet.
"According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine there is a wide range of potential causes, including anxiety, stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, stress and strenuous activities in the evening. It also may be facilitated by fatigue or sleep deprivation. However, most hypnic jerks occur essentially at random in healthy people. Nevertheless, these repeated, intensifying twitches can cause anxiety in some individuals and a disruption to their sleep onset."
"Scientists do not know exactly why this phenomenon occurs and are still trying to understand it. None of the several theories that have attempted to explain it have been fully accepted. One hypothesis posits that the hypnic jerk is a form of reflex, initiated in response to normal bodily events during the lead-up to the first stages of sleep, including a decrease in blood pressure and the relaxation of muscle tissue. Another theory postulates that the body mistakes the sense of relaxation that is felt when falling asleep as a sign that the body is falling. As a consequence, it causes a jerk to wake the sleeper up so they can catch themselves.
I find it interesting, I just wanted to see if anyone else had the same experience and what it felt like for them. For me it is terrifying.
... I've had my ankle and feet jerk.. usually when I'm falling asleep. Feels like I slipped, but it doesn't last and never bothered me. i would say it happens very infrequently. Probably once every couple years.
I think that is why I am jerking awake. I heard somewhere that it is a vestigal reaction to keep us from falling out of trees when we were more primitive forms. It could be a survival mechanism, but it's a damn pain in the ass these days. 
And yes, it's a thing.
Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a condition in which a person experiences unreal noises that are loud and of short duration when falling asleep or waking up. The noise may be frightening, typically occurs only occasionally, and is not a serious health concern. People may also experience a flash of light. Pain is typically absent.
The cause is unknown. Potential explanations include ear problems, temporal lobe seizure, nerve dysfunction, or specific genetic changes. Potential risk factors include psychological stress. It is classified as a sleep disorder or headache disorder. People often go undiagnosed."
You might want to ask your doctor about it the next time you see him or her.
"The cause of EHS is unknown. A number of hypotheses have been put forth with the most common being dysfunction of the reticular formation in the brainstem responsible for transition between waking and sleeping.
Other theories into causes of EHS include:
Minor seizures affecting the temporal lobe
Ear dysfunctions, including sudden shifts in middle ear components or the Eustachian tube, or a rupture of the membranous labyrinth or labyrinthine fistula
Stress and anxiety
Variable and broken sleep, associated with a decline in delta sleep
Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome
Temporary calcium channel dysfunction.
PTSD
I hope you can find some help for this. It sounds horrible. Feel better soon!
Just knowing what it is, that it has a name and that it happens to other people and not just you are can be very reassuring. 
though, they're separate incidences. The auditory (for me) is interesting, can be pleasant, because I'm often aware when they're happening and this kind of thing is fascinating to me. The jerks come just after I've fallen asleep, and I'm not aware of them until they happen and wake me up. But (for me), they're not a cause for anxiety maybe because I've studied them and there's reassurance in knowing what's happening is common. If one has anxiety and this causes or worsens anxiety, then (imho, not a doctor and not giving medical advice), then being reassured by learning more about what they are (and aren't) and acknowledging the anxiety and accepting it might help someone go back to sleep easier and easier over time.
It was never that much of an issue. I didn't know it had a name.
My neurologist prescribed Xanax, although any benzodiazepine will help. If you don't want to take a benzo., there are parkinsons drugs, like L-dopa. They also prescribe tricyclic anti-depressants, but they can actually make it worse, so I couldn't do those. I didn't want to take L-dopa because I was afraid if I ever needed it for parkinsons it wouldn't be effective.
Don't live in exhaustion. Talk to your doctor. Honestly, I almost lost my mind before I got relief. It happened to me over twenty years ago, and I've been on a very small dose of bed-time Xanax since then and I rarely have a problem. Everyone once in a while, I'll jerk myself awake but I can fall right back to sleep again. Oddly, the more you're able to sleep, even if it's in the daytime, the less the myoclonus. It's horrible with insomnia.
Good luck!
Not often, but it sure sounds like what I've experienced. Thanks for pointing this out, I didn't know it was a "thing!"
common at that. I thought I was dying or that something was seriously wrong with me. That is why it was good to hear of other people's experiences here. Not that I want other people to suffer or be distressed by it, but if we can all share our experiences maybe we can feel a bit more comforted knowing that we aren't alone with them.
I think that is why it is happening for me as well.
I hope they go away for you soon. 
I've grown used to the jerks, but the loud sound associated with Exploding Head Syndrome shakes me up.
Fortunately, it doesn't happen as often. Sorry to hear you are a member of the club!
I do have a knee bolster to prop up my legs. I have pins in my arm from when I broke it and it seems like that is where a lot of the activity is. It really does seem electric. I wonder if there is a connection?
I actually think that anxiety has a lot to do with it, but I am starting to take calcium and magnesium which is supposed to help. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see a Dr. for a while, but if it continues to bother me I can call in and see what she can do. It seems like once I am really exhausted by late morning, they go away and then I can fall asleep with no problems, but then I only have a few hours before I have to wake up again.
I wish I was a child again where there were never any problems like this and sleep just came so naturally and easily. Thanks again for your advice!
