What’s with all these hypnic jerks who bug you just when you’re drifting off to sleep. How incredibly rude! And embarrassing. Sort of. Maybe it’s just me.
Have you ever had to deal with ’em as you’re drifting off to sleep?
I mean, can’t they get your attention before that point? Because that’s the part of sleep that puts the La La in La La Land. That moment you relax and start drifting…off…to…slee
Where was I?!
Oh yeah. Those hypnic jerks. Turns out that’s the name somebody gave to those twitches or sudden jerks that happen right when you’re drifting off to sleep. I experience them once in a while. Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with one in public.
But it still feels weird. Even in private. Because it’s almost like your brain got some sort of electrical shock but only passed the twitching jerk to your muscles. No electricity.
I read somewhere that when you sleep soundly, your body is basically paralyzed. And they said that, for the most part, even during the most active dreams your muscles stay relaxed and still. And if someone watched you at that time they wouldn’t even be able to tell.
But, apparently, there’s also this thing called “brain battle.”
You’ve probably heard of R.E.M. sleep. No, not the 80’s band. The rapid-eye movements during sleep time. During that time your eyes can “follow” the activity you dream about. For example, you see an airplane fly by in your dream. And your eyes follow it across the sky.
Rapid-eye movements, in your dream world, escape the normal sleep paralysis. And they show up in the awake world. If you’ve ever seen a sleeping person’s eyes move, you got to watch them as they dreamed.
But then the brain battle part happens when hypnic jerks come to town. Those movements don’t reflect what’s going on in your dream. In other words, just because you dream of riding a bike, it doesn’t mean you’ll start to move your legs in circles. In fact, those jerks seem to be evidence that your motor system can still control your body, a little bit, as sleep paralysis starts to kick in.
So, it appears to be that the part of your system that helps you sleep sometimes sort of battles your system that helps you stay awake.
Well, aren’t you the complicated little creation?
But guess what’s NOT complicated. The simple instrumental lullaby called “Drifting Off.” Listen to a sample of it, as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection, here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)
Science shows these lullabies can help you get rid of the hypnic jerks. Remember, trust the science. It’s just good science.
Then, jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. By the way, you’ll find a link, in the book, to download all the songs. AND they’re included in the cost of the book. That makes ’em, shh, eff are E E.
Download your copy of the Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now. And enjoy the experience with your kids or grandkids tonight.
Stay tuned…
