During REM our heart rate, breathing, and nervous system act erratically and if the body experiences flashes of REM while entering sleep, these irregularities could contribute to twitches. Most assume the
What does it mean when your body flinches in your sleep?
A hypnic jerk is an involuntary twitch of one or more muscles that occurs as a person is falling asleep. It tends to happen just as the person is transitioning from a wakeful state to a sleeping state. Hypnic jerks are a type of involuntary muscle movement called myoclonus. Hiccups are another common form of myoclonus.
Is twitching normal when you sleep?
While these muscle spasms are not 100 percent understood, they are a common occurrence. As many as 70 percent of people experience this jerking sensation that happens when the body transitions from wakefulness to sleep. They usually only happen once, maybe twice, and they may last a half second or less.
