Debunking the Myth/Legend behind the falling feeling in your sleep

Image Source

---

---

An average human being must have experienced that feeling of falling in their sleep once or twice or in some cases often, there is folklore surrounding this event, and am here today to explain what this feeling is to calm your nerves down, but, before I start, I would like to know if Have you had that falling sensation each time you doze off or never?

This is of falling sensation is known to be THE HYPNIC JERK, and it often occurs immediately you a fall asleep, true or false?

An evolutionary approach is another popular idea to Hypnic jerks. This simply explains that this unsolicited movement is an ancient primate reflex to the relaxation of muscles during the onset of sleep:

the brain crucially misinterprets the relaxation as a sign that the sleeping primate is falling out of a tree, and causes the muscles to quickly react.

The evolutionary approach is similar to an old myth that says that, because humans evolved from Apes, therefore the instinct of climbing and jumping from trees still remains in modern humans and the falling sensation we all must have experienced in our sleep is as a result of humans not carrying out this actions and then it manifest in our sub-consciousness.

Sound too lame right? That's what I thought before reading more to find out why am always falling and not touching the ground in my sleep. Below is the scientific explanation of this falling sensation in periods of sleep.

The Hypnic jerk, is an involuntary twitch which occurs just as a person is beginning to fall asleep, often causing them to awaken suddenly for a moment...Wikipedia

Known by many names like Sleep Start, Hypnogogic jerk, sleep twitch, myoclonic jerk, or night start, in some cultures of the World, they call it other names and its part of Sleep process. Physically, it resemble the "jump" experienced by a person when frightened, always accompanied by a falling feeling.

Medical professionals claimed that it's as the result of the body "twitching" as it slowly shuts down for rest. Further studies state that it is a phenomenon named in reference to the transitional period between wakefulness and sleep (Hypnogogic state).

A lot of reported cases states that the Hypnic jerk is usually accompanied by hallucinations, dreams, the sensation of falling, or bright lights or loud noises coming from inside the head. A professor of psychology and sleep behavioral pattern reported that this twitch is the muscle spasming, which may occur impulsively or may be caused by light, sound or some other other external stimulants like a cold breeze, a startle or any slight interference with the body shutting down and ready for deep sleep.

A hots of scientist are not particularly sure why this sensation often takes place, but there some inferences drawn based on some research carried out, here are a few theory that exist:

Hypnagogic jerks are a natural part of the body's transition from alertness to sleep and occurs when nerves "fall flat" during the process (Conclusion of a Hypothesis).

However, some researchers believe certain factors could be responsible, such as anxiety, fatigue, caffeine, sleep deprivation, and stress, this listed factors may intensify the seriousness of Hypnagogic jerks, but these researches are inconclusive because no concrete results could be drawn from a hypothesis.

Further studies claim that hypnic jerks are sporadically experienced by the middle age, while it is more frequent in children with about 3–6 per hour at the age ranging from 8 to 12 years old, and there is decline toward 1–2 per hour at old age i.e from age 55 to 70 years old.

In addition to the myth and the evolutionary approach, there is a metaphysical connotation attached to Hypnic jerk, some religion attached it to been bewitched by some goblins and demons and only exorcism is the solution, this is to come as a relief to whoever is reading this that no exorcism is needed for anyone experiencing the falling sensation in their sleep.

Thanks for reading!

---

---

Reference from my Old Publication