08:01 PM
Wednesday 25 May 2022
I wrote – Amira Helmy
You may actually struggle to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. But even when you’ve managed to fall asleep at an appropriate hour, something inexplicable brings you back to consciousness from the brink of hibernation: an indescribable sensation of falling grips your body and hijacks your attempt to catch some rest.
This feeling of falling has several names: sleep twitch or sleep onset, or sleep twitching, and they are incredibly common; 70 percent of people have experienced this sensation at some point in their lives, according to thehealthy website.
Although they are usually harmless, their origins are still a bit cloudy. Certain factors play a role in the likelihood of experiencing a sleep tremor.
People who consume a lot of caffeine, are under great emotional stress, suffer from sleep deprivation, or engage in demanding physical activities in the evening, are more likely to experience this phenomenon.
There is also evidence to suggest a link between common depression and anxiety medications and an increased risk of sleep tremors.
Aside from risk factors, sleep experts have some theories about how the tremors start.
It could be the result of one of two things. When you start to sleep, your brain may misunderstand what it means to relax your muscles and attribute the sensation to falling, in order to protect you from hurting yourself on impact, your muscles tense.
The other theory is that as your nervous system goes into sleep mode, the spasms are necessary for your muscles to transition from an active state to a sleeping state.
Tremors really shouldn’t be a cause for concern unless you start to really interrupt your sleep schedule, and if that’s the case, go see your doctor, and make sure you keep your sleep hygiene in mind.