sleep twitches?

[Mark N]

I haven't been able to sleep in a bed for over ten years but I do have naps with my wife now and again. When we do nap she says that I have them normal sleep jerks that I always have had just before dropping off to sleep. She says though that now I constantly twitch during sleep and that is something I haven't done in the past.

So, how many of you have sleep twitches, is that why I don't sleep deeply enough most of the time? I know what she is talking about because even awake I have involuntary twitches that cause parts of my body to jerk. Nothing serious but just an odd thing that had me wondering if any other CPers have this same issue.

[Nana4&cntn]

Mark,

Funny you brought this up as I asked my doc yesterday about what I call falling asleep jerks. He said most people who have them as they go to sleep tend to have them during the night also. We had talked of this years ago and I had forgotten, he had prescribed sleep aids back then. I had been sleeping but kept up waking up, basically jerking myself awake. Now, I am waking myself up talking. Go figure.

I have slept alone for so long, I have started taping myself recently to see if I am giving away Security secret.lol.

I hope this helps a bit,
Take care, Kathy

[Mark N]

Kathy, maybe you better video tape your sleep to see if you are giving away secrets through sign language:D.

[Tbackpain1]

Mark,

I wouldn't be suprised if some of the twitching was part of normal sleep twitches, along with some added shakes from the thoracic muscle spasms...you know how powerful they can sometimes be, and I would imagine that when asleep, because we're not fighting against it, it could be magnified a bit.

And not for nothing, but we know the brain is altered from chronic pain...so what's to say that those alterations couldn't also affect our sleep centers, in essence, limiting the body's ability to keep the extraneous messages from being sent, causing the extra twitching. We're supposed to be generally paralyzed from motor activity while sleeping, especially during deep sleep cycles and REM...but I do wonder if because of the pain, we don't achieve as much of those deep states of sleep.

Anywho, yes, I do twitch alot when I sleep, more so than I did before my T-spine stuff, according to my hubs. I also have become much more of a bed hog :D

Theresa

[Mark N]

Theresa, I have to agree with your assessment. Mine started after my thoracic issues started

[Nana4&cntn]

Mark,

I think it would be more fun to find someone to sleep with:D, No camera's I don't think I would sleep well with camera's. Thank God, I have never had to do a sleep study! I do know sign language and hope to go back to school to be an interpretor both medical and legal.
Theresa, I hadn't thought about spasms causing my jerky sleep. I think I have always done the falling asleep ones. My ex never said anything about them continuing through the night. But, we had been divorced long before the back pain and spasms started.

Hope you both have a great day!
Kathy:)

[Cats Meow]

My husband has a tendency to jerk but he more often then not will thrash in his sleep there have been many times I have landed on the floor. Of course he denies any of this and says I’m the one whom is a restless sleeper which I can’t deny but I don’t think it is that bad I normally wake up often thinking about what I forgot to do that day! :p

Now I will say he is a sleepwalker and talker at times. I know his parents said when he was a kid he would sleep walk often. I have caught him a few times and one night caught him pulling the mattress off the bed cause he thought he was searching for something. The funniest is when he woke up in the middle of the night clucking like a chicken. I woke up in shock I thought he was joking but obviously he was dreaming someone was trying to fight him and he continuously called this person a chicken and clucked :eek:. I still remind him of it and still crack up every time I think of it. I will say one thing since my husband starting taking ambien for sleep issue’s he seems to act more strange before bed … Yes more strange then that clucking incident:rolleyes:. I plan to bring this up to the doctor. Of course he tries to deny his actions but most times he doesn’t remember and I have heard horrible things about ambien plus he is predispositioned to sleep walking not sure if that matters or not.

Our son also sleepwalks so it’s always interesting at night in our household I have caught our son attempting to go in the fridge to go to sleep :eek:?!?! I’m pretty use to it now and normally guide him back to bed I try my best to not wake him up and startle him especially on the stairs.

[nandieme]

I took a sleep class and had a sleep study a couple of years ago, and to me they seem to maybe be what is called "restless leg syndrome."

I think it is fairly common, and there is a good medication for people who have it and just can't stand it any longer, and aren't getting the sleep they need.:eek:

But, there might be other ways than meds to help it calm down or at least decrease, I just don't know.

Good Luck, and get some sleep!:D


nandieme:cool:

P./s. For anyone that sleepwalks (I did my whole life) it might be a good idea to get a sleep study by a doctor to see if anything can be done.

[Bobbi]

Don't know whether this may have been mentioned or considered: myoclonus.

[Kathi49]

Bobbi,

There is the word I was looking for...glad you put it out there. That is what my own pup has or does; Vet says not to worry as it only happens when he STARTS to fall asleep.

I like Theresa's explanation though...makes a lot of sense. :) And I do have a friend that has RLS...he takes Lyrica for it.

As for me, I don't know if I twitch or not but I don't think so. I am a light sleeper and I think it would wake me up if I did. Of course I have had dreams before where I felt I was falling and that would make me jump or twitch. But on a regular basis...I just don't think so. Then again, taking Klonopin at night lulls me to sleep and I only wake up if I have to use the restroom...but that's about it or if there is a loud noise or something.

[Buttons2]

I have myoclonus,used to be very extreme. Klonopin is the drug of choice it seems. I refused to take it however. Some people have found that magnesium helps,other's like myself drink wine in the evening (I realize if you're on certain meds thats not an option).

Myoclonus is diagnosed by a neuro from an EKG test (I think),where they put wires on your head with gooey stuff?

My dog jerks alot when he sleeps,perfectly normal behavior. I figure he's dreaming of chasing a deer or something.

Some people get relief from RLS by placing a bar of soap under the sheet near their feet,no idea why this works but it does.

We do have a myoclonus forum here on BT,just not very active. My own theory is that it's caused by something we injest,drugs for instance. I was on Zoloft when mine began. However my latest culprit would have to be the aspartame I'd consumed for years. Once I cut that out of my daily routine things improved drastically! I finally gave up that last diet Pepsi 60 days ago,one the second night I jerked the entire night,have had very few jerks since then.

Stress can bring it on. So can weather.

Buttons.....no longer jerking like a jack-in'the box!

[Mark N]

Thanks to everyone for answering. I am not worried or really willing to do anything right now. It could be the reason I don't sleep well.

Kathy, I hope you are able to go back to school so you can make use of your sign language. I also hope you find someone to share your bed with:).

[spoiledbeth]

I do full body jerking all the time, all night long, and have for years now. It's actually why my ex slept on the couch the last year or so that we were together. I take plenty of anti-seizure meds already, so that's not something they would give me more of at this point, because my pain is mainly caused by trigeminal neuralgia pain instead of back pain. I have a lot of back issues, but the tn pain overrides the back issues and I don't feel them... the ortho told me to come back to him if we ever get the tn under control. The jerking wakes me up a lot of times, but I'm usually able to go back to sleep in a few minutes, as long as it's not too loud or too hot in the room.

Beth in Mo *butterfly

[Mark N]

Beth, it is good that you can go back to sleep most of the time that the body jerks wake you up.