Hypnagogic Jerks

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep. Narcolepsy is not

The symptoms of narcolepsy include cataplexy, persistent daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations. Cataplexy is “a loss of skeletal muscle tone without loss of consciousness” (77). These cataplectic attacks often occur at emotional times. Such events could be laughter, sexual intercourse, physical

Narcolepsy is a permanent sleep disorder that gets worse with age. It is estimated that about 40,000 to 135,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. (Narcolepsy, 2002). Most people who have narcolepsy are often times misdiagnosed because the symptoms, especially if noticed at the beginning stages, are very similar to other sleep disorders. Some of the symptoms that go along with narcolepsy are excessive sleepiness, especially during the daytime or when sleep is inappropriate, cataplexy which is when a person suddenly looses control of their muscles, sleep paralysis which is when the person is unable to move for a short period of time after they wake up from sleep, and hypnagogic hallucinations which is very

According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, the common symptoms of narcolepsy are periods of extreme drowsiness during the day (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). People with narcolepsy feel a strong desire to sleep, usually followed by a short nap. The sleep attacks last about fifteen minutes but can be longer. Often times, these sleep attacks happen after eating, during driving, and other everyday tasks. After a short nap, a person usually wakes up feeling refreshed and energized. As stated by Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, “Another symptom is dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness” (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). This is when a person experiences seeing or hearing right before they fall asleep. Sleep paralysis and cataplexy are also common symptoms of narcolepsy (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Sleep paralysis is not being able to move as you are falling asleep or upon waking up. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it usually goes unnoticed because it occurs during REM sleep (NINDS). REM sleep is rapid eye movement sleep. It occurs in breaks when rapid eye movements occur along with bodily movement. Similarly, cataplexy is a sudden loss of mobility. This is also associated with strong emotion like laughter or anger, which can trigger cataplexy

Sleep paralysis is a common condition with a prevalence of 5-62%, although most affected people have single or infrequent episodes (Dahlitz). Occasionally sleep paralysis is found to run in a family, and it can be associated with other disorders of hypersomnia, such as sleep apnea (Becker 81). Narcolepsy has also been linked with sleep paralysis; both are thought to be REM sleep disorders (Siegel). Gender and race do not seem to be a factor of risk for this disorder. The episodes of sleep paralysis seem to range from ages 5-35 (Dahlitz). The use of anxiolytic medicines, psychiatric disorders and high anxiety can also contribute to sleep paralysis (Larkin).

Pereira A et al in 2012,(Pereira et al., 2012) in 25 drug refractory epilepsy pediatric patients, reported that they had showed a decrease of total sleep time (TST), of N3, and of REM sleep and an increase in WASO and decreased sleep efficiency. A similar study involving 40 pediatric age group patients, reported that intractable epilepsy patients have longer sleep latency poor sleep efficiency along with higher arousal index as compared to medically controlled epilepsy (Kaleyias et al., 2008). In a previous study of ours(Zanzmera et al.,

You’re lying on the bed, and you’re almost falling asleep. Suddenly, you have a feeling of falling from the rooftop of a skyscraper straight to the ground, and your legs twitch. We are familiar with this felling because we all have the experience during our sleep sometimes. Hypnic jerk, which is also known as sleep twitch, is not a sleep disorder; instead, it is a common and natural body reaction in sleep hours. “with some research suggesting that 60 to 70 percent of people experience them” (Castro). Although psychologists and scientists still don’t discover the exact causes of hypnic jerk, they have already proposed some hypothesis about how hypnic jerk occur during sleep.

Narcolepsy is defined as a condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings. It is a brain disorder that causes poor control of sleep and wake cycles. People that have narcolepsy usually experience sudden sleep attacks. These sleep attacks can last from a few seconds to minutes. Narcolepsy is classified by extreme daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnologic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. In this paper the focus is on the physiological effects of Narcolepsy on an individual, as well as explains treatments and recent research studies being made today and in the future.

However, you may have myoclonus without any other medical problems, such as while falling asleep (hypnic jerk).

Narcolepsy with cataplexy – Cataplexy is the sleep attack that causes a sudden loss of muscle tone or in some cases paralysis to all limbs, yet fully conscious and awake. Triggers are not always known, but sometimes related to strong emotions like anger, happiness, or surprise.

Third, restless leg syndrome (RLS) also is a common sleep disorder. RLS is a neurological disorder that makes someone want to move their legs persistently. In some cases, body parts are persistent as well during sleep. Restless leg syndrome is considered a sleep disorder because whenever the constant need to shake the legs, it can make it hard to maintain sleep and the ability to get to sleep. One of the most common side effects reported that is related to RLS is sleep loss. Sleep lose can lead to diminished quality of life, sleepiness during the day, loss of memory, depression and many other symptoms.

To avoid any kind of sleep deprivation problem drink a tea with banana and cinnamon before going to sleep.

Restless legs syndrome is a common yet frequently undiagnosed sensorimotor disorder. In 1995, the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group developed standardized criteria for the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome. Since that time, additional scientific scrutiny and clinical experience have led to a better understanding of the condition. Modification of the criteria is now necessary to better reflect that increased body of knowledge, as well as to clarify slight confusion with the wording of the original

Behavior is developed over time during different moments in our lives. Every animal must learn how to use its body parts as their body goes through developmental changes every day. This article talked about the behavior of twitching during sleep. People believed that twitching occurred in our sleep because of dreams. However, dreams are the reason for the twitches. Since the brain doesn’t allow the animals to act out the dreams while asleep, the barrier that prevents any kind of movements is not perfect, so the dreams leak out and twitching forms while dreaming. Twitches begin during early infancy and occur during REM sleep. The sensorimotor development focused mostly on waking movements, such as twitching. The results showed that during sleep,

HYPNIC JERKS is an original dark comedy/horror script that features a very likable protagonist with a very intriguing sleep disorder. The idea of “hypnic jerks” is very refreshing as a flaw and it’s a disorder not often talked about. It’s nice to see it in the script. The tone combines dark comedy with horror elements. The script explores themes about life choices and destiny. The script offers a couple of nice twists.