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Asked by nessy123 to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 16 Nov 2012.
Question: Why do we sometimes feel like we are falling and suddnenly wake up in our dreams?
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Louise Stanley answered on 16 Nov 2012:
The best theory is that as you fall asleep your muscles relax and sometimes your brain interprets this as falling so you dream that you are falling. Sometimes your brain tries to correct this and makes your muscles jerk and this is what sometimes wakes you up. This is exactly what happened to me when I dreamed I fell of my horse!
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Joanna Giles answered on 17 Nov 2012:
Yikes! I get that all the time too. I always wake up as if I was dreaming that I missed a step on the stairs….which is weird because I live in a bungalow! As Louise says, it is always when we are just falling asleep and noone knows exactly why they happen. Did you know this affects 10% of the population on a regular basis? They are called hypnic jerks.
Another theory (aside from the falling one Louise described) is that the jerk is just a side effect of the transition into sleep, because your brain waves are slowing down and your breathing and heart rate are slowing.
Really interesting, I find I experience them more if I am stressed or over tired.
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Adam Paige answered on 19 Nov 2012:
I have heard before that it has been suggested that these hypnic jerks arose as a protective measure in the distant past when we were tree dwelling, and that it was to ensure that we were not at risk of falling out of the tree as we slept.
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Louise Walkin answered on 19 Nov 2012:
Yes, they are called hypnic jerks and just like lots of other aspects of sleep nobody knows why they happen. I’ve read that up to 70% of people can have them so they are very common. I don’t think they are harmful, they just don’t feel very nice!
Comments
nessy123 commented on :
Thank you, i also do horse riding.