Ending Anxiety with Hypnic Jerks

Highlights Only
B

bfhopeful2

Well-known member
I know everyone here is familiar with hypnic jerk, nocturnal myclonus, sleep starts whatever. This was the first symptom I started having. I know I posted about this before so I will spare my story.I get a lot of anxiety in the morning and builds throughout the day and generally calms down towards the evening. Sometimes during the day it gets bad and in order to shut myself down I decide to take a nap. Napping during the day used to a pastime of mine. I even had a couch in my office where I would dose off for an hr or so each day. It was a release for me as I work long hours in front of my computer. Now when I try to fall asleep in the afternoon with no sleep aid like klonopin I continuously have hypnic jerks. I am not sure if that is the right definition, but as I am falling asleep my leg will move, my finger, my arm a toe, my whole body you name it and it wakes me from sleep. It's like I almost get to sleep and then as my body relaxes completly my brain is still telling it to move, or vice versa I can't figure that one out.It wakes me up and I can never really fall asleep. Now with klonopin I can, but obviously can't pop one of those for a 30 min nap.Does this sound part of bfs to you guys, or anxiety or a completely different neurological symptom?
 
Sorry if you think this post is redundent. I just have a lot of fear concerning it and can never get a clear answer from the doctors.
 
The same thing was happening to me. My leg would jerk or my arm. Now it's mostly my fingers & toes. It really scared me but it has seemed to calm down. Guess it's part of BFS. Read BFS in a nutshell. It covers it there.
 
Why not try something else? Try meditation instead of sleeping - it is restorative and calming. It works for a lot of people here and quite frankly I don't know why more people don't try it. It seems that many here suffer from anxiety and if I understand it right, part of that suffering is from feeling a loss of control. This is something you can do for yourself, no dependence on anyone else so you gain some control.
 
YES this is part of bfs. I've been sick, and struggling with that exact freak-show all day. I drift to sleep, I jerk awake. These are different from the myoclonic jerks that ALL people get, on occasion. A bfs'er will find that it is frequent, recurrent, and can interfere significantly with our sleep, especially in the beginning. Once during an earlier, particularly dreadful flare of bfs, I couldn't fall asleep at ALL for several weeks. Seriously, my doctor was about to hospitalize me, I was so sleep-deprived. I would suddenly jerk awake with a sense of fright and foreboding. Sometimes there was a physical movement that I could recall, sometimes not. Looking back, I believe it probably was a jerking motion that woke me in every instance, but I was too disoriented to recall. I remember OFTEN fearing that I was dying in my sleep. Now, it happens a few times a week, usually as I'm drifting off, but sometimes in the night as well. It doesn't bother my sleep too terribly because I fall back asleep quickly. My husband has noticed that I jerk and twitch all night long, but don't wake up most of the time, which I'm thankful for. I've never had to use any medications; not that they would work, in my case. I have a paradoxical reaction to most meds. I hope this helps to ease your mind. Blessings, Sue
 
That sounds like me 100%. I was scared because I thought it was a totally different issue all together. Thanks for taking the time to post.
 
You're welcome. I'm not really sure why so many symptoms are so bad in the beginning. I'm sure there are those who would argue that it is anxiety, but, in my case, (and I presume yours,) it came on so suddenly and early-on that I hadn't had a chance to even GET anxious about the bfs yet. I was just trying to get some sleep. For me, I've always felt my bfs was a post-viral syndrome, because that just makes the most sense to me. There are certain viruses that can cause neurological symptoms, and I seem to have had them all. Mono, (EBV,) Parvovirus, Coxsackie B. One of my first MS work-ups occurred right when I came down with Coxsackie B virus; only I didn't know that until AFTER the MS work-up had come out negative. Finally, after going to numerous specialists, my pcp ran a titer and found that mine was exceedingly, off-the-charts high. It explained EVERY symptom I was having, and while I suffered miserably for two years, (which should have clued me in right there, because the virus generally runs its course in four months,) at least I finally understood what was wrong with me. I've had nocturnal (and dayturnal, lol) myoclonus of varying severity ever since. I've also had twitching, but that never drew my attention until I considered bfs as a diagnosis. LOL. Once I realized that bfs was a COLLECTION of symptoms, which included fasciculations, but also perceived weakness, tremors, myoclonus, jerks, ratcheting, brisk reflexes, cramps, etc, I finally decided to pay attention to those goofy little "pulses" I'd been having. Sorry for the long post, once my fingers get going, it's hard to stop them. Blessings, Sue
 
Sleep Starts What is it?Sleep starts are also known as hypnic or hypnagogic jerks. They are sudden, brief and strong contractions of the body or one or more body segments. They occur as you are falling asleep. Sleep starts usually consist of one strong jerk that affects much of the body. The arms and legs are most likely to be affected. A sharp cry may also occur. A sleep start does not always wake you up. This means that you may not recall a jerk that was noted by a bed partner. They sometimes happen along with one of the following impressions: The feeling that you are falling A sensory flash A visual dream or hallucination The frequency and intensity of sleep starts can be increased by the following: A high intake of caffeine or other stimulants Prior intense physical work or exercise Emotional stress At times, many jerks may occur one after another. They can be frequent, intense, and repetitive. Intense or frequent sleep starts may lead to a fear of falling asleep. This can also lead to anxiety and worry. Sleep loss may result if repeated jerks keep you awake. Anxiety caused by the sleep starts can also make it hard to fall asleep. Chronic insomnia can result if this problem continues over time. It is possible to be injured by a sleep start. The jerk may cause you to bruise a foot against the bed or kick a bed partner. Who gets it?Sleep starts are a very common part of the process of falling asleep. They may not seem so common because they often are not recalled. They have been reported to occur in 60% to 70% of people. In most people, they only occur from time to time. Sleep starts affect all ages and both men and women. Adults are more likely to complain about frequent or intense jerks. How do I know if I have it?1. Do you have sudden, brief jerks of your body as you fall asleep? 2. Do these jerks mainly affect your arms and legs? 3. Do they occur along with one or more of the following sensations? A feeling that you are falling A sensory flash A visual dream or hallucination If you answered yes to these questions, then you might have sleep starts. It is also important to know if there is something else that is causing your sleep problems. They may be a result of one of the following: Another sleep disorder A medical condition Medication use A mental health disorder Substance abuse Do I need to see a sleep specialist?Sleep starts are very common and do not require treatment in most people. You should see a sleep specialist if the jerks, or your fear of them, are keeping you from getting enough sleep. What will the doctor need to know?First, the doctor will need to know when the sleep starts began. He will also want to know what else has been going on in your life. You should complete a sleep diary for two weeks. This will give the doctor clues as to what might be causing you problems. You can also rate your sleep with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This will help show how your sleep is affecting your daily life. The doctor will need to know your complete medical history. Be sure to inform him of any past or present drug and medication use. Also tell him if you have ever had any other sleep disorder. Will I need to take any tests?No tests are needed to detect sleep starts in most people. Your doctor may have you do an overnight sleep study if your jerks are severe. This study is called a polysomnogram. It charts your brain waves, heart beat, and breathing as you sleep. It will also record how your arms and legs move. This will also show if there are other disorders, such as sleep apnea, that are causing your sleep problems. Reviewed By Sharon L. Schutte-Rodin, MD Updated on May 18, 2006
 
I found this in the internet and it explains exactly to a T what I experience. I am sure that some people with BFS have this and some don't. LIke I don't have muscle pain except after a hard work out which obviously is normal. BUt I do have constant muscle twitching all day. I still think my BFS, which I was diagnosed with by a good neurologist, started because of long term ssri use. I think that it that the seratonin spilled over and started to deplete dopamine levels. This is not something I came up with on my own. It was suggested by a highly regarded phsychiatrist. Although not the norm for these drugs it can happen. Has anyone heard of a blood dopamine level test that could prove or disprove my theory? Anyone else here taken any medications that may deplete dopamine levels?
 
Hi Folks:I had this same thing were you fall asleep and just as you start to settle in you feel like dropped down about 2 floors in a runaway elevator, this nice little event then gets your mind working on all you bfs worries and you end up having a bad night. I asked my anxiety councillor about it and she said that its really, really,really, (yep 3 reallies) common for people who are stressed to have a lot of muscle tension and they hold this tension all day long and when they finally settle in and dose off their muscles relax and its when the neck muscles relax and finally let go of that tension you have been holding all day that you feel that DROP that startles you awake.Its not just something exclusive to us bfs'rs, anyone who is under a lot of stress will experience it, it could be from the stress of worrying about bfs or any health anxiety or what ever you have anxiety over. Try to get some knowledge about wether your symptom is from bfs or from anxiety, I now seperate the two and when I have a anxiety symptom I treat it one way and when its a bfs symptom I treat it another way. Take it Easy,Lefty
 
Thanks. I had a sleep study, but for me to fall asleep I needed Klonopin and then when I take that it doesn't happen so kind of a waste of time. The good thing is that they ruled out sleep apnea.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top