I am not afraid of my twitching, although it is quite annoying, but I just can't wrap my head around this other symptom I've been having since July which is getting much worse as the weeks roll by.At night, my neck jerks left to right multiple times per night and recently, started jerking back and forward as well, again many times per night. I videotaped myself sleeping and counted 7 of the jerks happening in a 10 minute period, all of which occured while I was asleep.Now I usually notice these jerks while I'm trying to fall asleep, but the videotape showed them also happening while I am asleep. They seem to be very frequent and getting more frequent as time rolls on. I purchased a cervical collar which I wear to bed every night to try to restrict the jerky movements, but it doesn't really help much. I've woken up the past few nights, with my cervical collar mysteriously detached when I put it on tightly when I went to bed. My neck jerks violently enough to wake me up from sleep and it causes pain in the mornings. I do not get these jerks during the day. I also get other sleep jerks at night, especially in my shoulders, arms, fingers, toes, legs, face, and jaw, but the most disturbing one is my neck movements.Does anyone have any idea what this is?
Neck Jerking Nightly - Need Help!
- Thread starter jessica1
- Start date
Isn't what you are describing a typical myoclonic jerks? That happen before falling into sleep for most people but some of them have them during the night? My neuro thought for my night tremor to be some kind of myoclonic jerk. Some form of periodic limb movement disorder, if it is confined to the legs it is called restless leg syndrome.I am not really sure my tremor fits into what I've read and hear and was told about myoclonus, but your case seem to be quite a possibility. If it is, it is annoying but benign, doesn't progress to anything.
These movements are moycloninc jerks. They can be present during day or night, but mostly at night and especially at the moment when you begin to sleep (sleep starts). In my first two months of BFS I couldn’t sleep because of the jerks (feet, hands, legs, arms), but they improved a lot and now are rare.
Technically things like this are exacerbated by stress. They are not caused by it, or else everyone with stress would have them. There is a specific cause. A function in the body that is supposed to restrict movement, which isn't doing its job. I used to have sleep paralysis when I was younger, which is the reverse version of this, and it always came on when I had gone several days with very poor sleep, and was fatigued to the bone. I would wake up while my body was still asleep, and completely unable to move. In any case, seventh I really am sorry you're going through all this. I hope you're hanging in there. I can't imagine what it must be like. Having to pin yourself down with pillows just so your limbs don't fly all over, and now wearing a neck brace. I really feel like your doctor should be a lot more involved in your situation, versus making you do all this footwork. But that's how doctors roll. Like - you and i shouldn't have to be on a chat deciding what medication you should try. Seriously. That bothers me. It's good that you're taking steps to tackle this but why isnt your doctor all over this? It still fascinates me that a patient can be having such extreme symptoms and doctors still send them home with a big question mark on their forehead. As if there's nothing left to check. Which is of course nonsense. Have you attempted asking your doc for a referral to Mayo?
Well, honestly, I think that there is a certain physiological reaction to fear, almost like an antibody-antigen reaction; and having had an induced hypersensitivity to a drug in the past could certainly cause such a thing to recur. That's not to say that your body doesn't also physically react, only that there is a perpetual cycle of reaction->fear-->reaction-->fear, that you are going to need to figure out how to interrupt, at some point. I have a friend who is a Christian. She lived in her basement for about five years, from the age of 15 until she was 20. She was sensitive to EVERYTHING; scents, sunlight, plants, fabric, foods, you name it. She could not leave her house because she would develop anaphylaxis if she so much as breathed the outside air. I'm not even kidding, there are many such imprisoned people. Because of her faith, she called this healing ministry in Georgia and spoke with them on the phone. After two conversations, she was able to leave her house and walk around her back yard, for the first time in half a decade! It took her two hours because she stopped to touch every leaf, smell every flower, take in every breathtaking moment of her "victory lap." I'm not telling you this in order to proselytize, although if you are interested, I can get you the name of the program she contacted. I'm mentioning it because what she learned, in those two conversations was all about FEAR and the destruction it can cause, even at an unconscious level in one's life. Her first brave steps out the basement door were putting those fears on notice; "I am not going to allow you to torment my body, any longer." Miraculously, she has been perfectly fine, ever since. This ministry has a pretty proven track record with these types of environmental illnesses. The mind is SO very powerful, we have so much to learn in order to unleash its full potential. We have, within us, the same ability, even without calling a healing ministry. The cells of your body respond to your thoughts, words, and beliefs. If you don't agree with that, try walking alone into a dark alley in the scary part of town and NOT feeling your heart and your steps quicken. Is there an actual threat? Not likely, but unconsciously, you are telling your body that there is. It is at THAT level that we must learn to run interference and stop our thoughts from bringing us physical harm. On a less spiritual and more concrete note, YES, the effects of these sorts of exposures definitely do improve, over time. The peripheral nervous system has a beautiful ability to regenerate, and nowadays, studies are showing that even the brain has a certain plasticity. I would recommend a healthy lifestyle that includes a regular exercise routine, a balanced diet (perhaps vegetarian and organic if you can tolerate that,) cleansing fasts (I personally love doing juice fasting,) possibly some yoga, massage, or pilates, as well as PLENTY of time out doors. I know it's cold outside, but our bodies really crave contact with the elements. I also believe in challenging your brain in some meaningful way, doing something you enjoy; writing poetry, playing the crossword, something that causes you to think. Listening to Mozart is also exceedingly rejuvenating and has been shown to help the brain to process new information. If you think that's all hooey, that's fine, too. 
These are just things that I find helpful. Blessings, Sue
These are just things that I find helpful. Blessings, Sue