Suddenly trembled while sleeping

Sleep is very important at any age, and most people may have experienced this phenomenon when they are sleeping, that is, spitting and shaking the body while sleeping. In fact, this phenomenon is a common phenomenon. It is very likely that everyone is dreaming and suddenly twitching. This twitching can be divided into physiological and pathological. If it is pathological, you must go to the hospital for a detailed examination in time.

What is the reason for the sudden shaking while sleeping?

Two hypotheses about hypnic twitches

The scientific experts from the well-known domestic science website Guokr.com also explained what "muscle twitch" is. It is a rapid, involuntary muscle twitch, similar to the feeling of being electrocuted. Although myoclonus is a physical disease that affects a person's normal life when the condition is more serious, physiological myoclonus (such as hiccups, sleep twitches, and muscle twitches caused by fatigue or tension) also often occur in normal people's daily lives.

The reporter also saw on the Guokr website that although the phenomenon of sleep twitching was recorded as early as 1890, people still know very little about it. There are two popular hypotheses about its cause:

The first hypothesis is that this is a special kind of neural activity. People need to go through a series of switching from wakefulness to sleep. In this switching process, the reticular activating system plays an important role. Muscles also switch states when falling asleep. If the reticular activating system accidentally "fires" during the switching, it will stimulate the nerves and cause convulsions.

Recent research results tend to support the second view that this is a glitch in the brain's work. Sleep twitches may originate from subcortical activity. When falling asleep, muscles throughout the body begin to relax. Due to the lack of a feedback signal, the brain mistakenly believes that this muscle relaxation is dangerous information that the body is falling, so it mobilizes the motor system to protect itself, resulting in muscle twitches.

Expert: Normal physiological phenomenon

Most people may shake involuntarily when they sleep. What causes this phenomenon?

Yuan Yonggui, director of the Department of Psychiatry at Zhongda Hospital affiliated to Southeast University, told reporters that most people may "shake" involuntarily when falling asleep. This phenomenon is called sleep twitching, which is a whole-body muscle twitch that is not controlled by the will. The explanation on House MD that the seizures are the brain's reaction to the body's impending death is unfounded.

Yuan Yonggui further explained that people will also twitch when they are anxious, and they will also twitch due to calcium deficiency. This is the same as eyelid twitching and is a normal physiological phenomenon. People also twitch during the day, but they are in a "moving" state during the day and are less likely to notice it. There is evidence that excessive stress or irregular sleep patterns can lead to more hypnic jerks, but as a harmless normal physiological phenomenon, a few more jerks are not a big deal.

Sleeping is an indispensable process in our human life activities, so having a good sleep quality can bring great benefits to our body. Regarding the above problem of involuntary twitching during sleep, I have told you the reason and answer above. In fact, this is also a physiological phenomenon and will not cause harm to our body, so don’t worry about it.