The four common causes of sleep jerks are sleep myoclonus, periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), restless legs syndrome (RLS), and rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder. Sleep jerks may also be referred to as jerks, jerks, or jerks. The level of movement that patients may experience is determined by the disorder causing the jerking.
Sleep myoclonus is a slight contraction of the muscles involving the fingers, eyes, lips, and toes. A sleep symptom of moclonus is the sensation of waking up immediately after falling asleep. This form of myoclonus is usually not fatal. When sleep myoclonus is present, it can be a sign of other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
The cause of sleep myoclonus is that the brain overreacts to surprising events. This portion of the brain controls movement. Sleep myoclonus is usually found in adult men, and if this is the only disorder they suffer from, treatment is usually not necessary. When other sleep disturbances are present with sleep myoclonus, tranquilizers may be used to help the patient sleep without interruption.
PLMD, another sleep disorder, can be a major cause of sleep spasms. In PLMD, jerking or jerking movements last up to 30 seconds at a time and disrupt the sleep pattern of the person suffering from the disorder. PLMD patients typically feel tired during the day due to interrupted sleep. The twitching is present in the arms, legs, and appendages and can occur as mild jerks or massive jerking movements. Some causes of PLMB are iron deficiencies, spinal tumors, sleep apnea, and certain medications.
RLS is a sleep disorder that causes sleep jerks while a person is awake. Once in a resting position, before falling asleep, the legs will feel the need to move, shake, stretch, kick or even curl. It is usually impossible to find enough comfort to fall asleep. RLS causes exhaustion due to lack of sleep that can interfere with job performance and regular lifestyle. Some causes of RLS are anemia, nicotine, alcohol, pregnancy, kidney disease, and certain medications.
Another major cause of sleep jerks is REM behavior disorder. During rapid eye movement (REM), a sleeping person is in a state of paralysis. This paralysis prevents dreams from being physically represented during sleep. REM behavior disorder initiates a suspension of this necessary paralysis. Since the paralysis is non-existent, the person moves and shakes during the sleep cycle.
Some behaviors that can occur with REM behavior disorder include yelling, hitting, sitting up, and jumping out of bed. The person may become violent while sleeping due to this disorder. Middle-aged and older people are most often affected by REM behavior disorder.