Hypnic jerks - can’t sleep. Anyone else get these?

I’m 17 years old. I used to get these jerks before the COVID lock down. I had it quite bad then actually. Tbh I’d be surprised if it wasn’t even a hypnic jerk as though it happened right as I was about to fall asleep, it was a bit painful as it felt like a wave of smashed glass over my body. Idk if it was because that was my first time having it but I really didn’t like it. It’d wake me up and I found it hard falling asleep again in case it would happened again.
And I would get it multiple times per night. It started off in my whole body, and then a few months later it began in my arms too.

After lock down, I never really had that sensation again (and if I did it was very mild and didn’t cause disrupted sleep).
However, last night and yesterday night, I’ve been experiencing some jerking in specific parts of my body right as I’m about to fall asleep.
This happened in my jaw (it twitched) and woke me up. I was sleeping in a fleece along with a thick blanket but I felt really sweating. And then I tried to sleep again and my body jolted.

Then last night, my jaw twitched and then the next time I tried to sleep my leg twitched and it woke me up.
I tried to put on some relaxing music to help me sleep lol. I did manage to sleep in the end (after 20/30 mins).
I felt like my jaw twitched when my top and bottom teeth were touching (my top jaw was resting on my bottom jaw)

Idk why these jerks and twitching came so out of the blue?
I have uni results from Oxford (saying if I got an offer or not on Tuesday) which icl is stressing me out.
And in the Christmas holidays, I have been pretty sleep deprived ie sleeping at 12am/1am/2am and trying to get up for 8am/9am. My sleep schedule is really messed up but I go back to school on Monday so hopefully I can sort it.

I’ve also been drinking more tea than usual. I had a really bad cold last week and warm tea was helping me a lot. I’m better from the cold now, but I’m still drinking tea 2/3 times a day.
Idk if this has anything to do with it.

If you experience these jerks, how can I make them go away or even reduce them? Thank you

Reply 1

Ghostlady

Original post by Anonymous #1

Im one of the TSR mums on here and also have the jerks before going to sleep. Its like being in a state of trance before going to sleep, but then something jolts me awake which does freak me out a little, but since having had them as long as I can remember, I really dont think its anything serious and perfectly natural.
Normally its my legs. Not had it in the jaw before, but I do sometime notice when im going to sleep that im clenching my top set of teeth onto the bottom set and I try to purposely sleep with my mouth open so my teeth /jaw doesnt hurt in the morning.
Sleep schedule being messed up, definitely try to right that again as if you are not going to bed until 2am then 12am, its all over the place so its not doing you good mentally. So you need a few early nights to try and set that right. Also Oxford yes I can see why your finding it hard at the moment. Daughter went through the same for Oxford. She got to interview stage, and shes now a 4th year at Lancaster. Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Great if its a yes, if its a no, go and visit those other uni(s) as it does help you remember and reinforce why you love them as well.