Strange Falling Sensation

[mrpropel]

I wanted to know if this has happened to anyone else before. Has anyone else ever waken up suddenly to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch just after you have fallen asleep? It happens to me sometimes and I never bothered to care enough to look into it until now. Apparently it's called a Hypnic jerk,

So I wonder, has this happened to anyone else and if so how often does it happen for you?

Thanks!

[Leopard]

Yeah, all the time. Apparently it has something to do with your body shutting down for sleep and another part thinking it's shutting down for death and freaking out to wake it up.

[JustaBrony]

*nods* it hasn't happened for awhile, but I actually always loved the falling feeling.

[mrpropel]

Originally Posted by Leopard

Yeah, all the time. Apparently it has something to do with your body shutting down for sleep and another part thinking it's shutting down for death and freaking out to wake it up.

Well... damn. That's odd yet interesting at the same time. Thanks for the answer.

Originally Posted by justabrony

*nods* it hasn't happened for awhile, but I actually always loved the falling feeling.

Yeah! I actually started kinda like it after awhile.

[Leopard]

These days I get weird spasm jerk things a lot while going to sleep - they aren't really the full falling jolt awake thing though.

I remember I used to get to sleep by imagining I was on a plane and that it was rolling towards one direction and my head would start feeling the roll as it it was really happening. Probably not related, just came to mind.

[JustaBrony]

Originally Posted by Leopard

These days I get weird spasm jerk things a lot while going to sleep - they aren't really the full falling jolt awake thing though.

I remember I used to get to sleep by imagining I was on a plane and that it was rolling towards one direction and my head would start feeling the roll as it it was really happening. Probably not related, just came to mind.

Ew about the jerky things, they don't sound as fun. That's hilarious about the plane thing though.

[Leopard]

Originally Posted by justabrony

Ew about the jerky things, they don't sound as fun.

At first they used to freak me out, but now I'm just like eh whatever and they make me think 'hey I'm falling asleep, okay cool.'

[BlueCookies]

Originally Posted by Leopard

These days I get weird spasm jerk things a lot while going to sleep - they aren't really the full falling jolt awake thing though.

Happens to me a lot when I'm flying on a plane. I'll close my eyes to get in a quick nap, but feel like I'm falling so I jerk awake. Doesn't happen when I sleep in a normal bed though.

On an unrelated note, has anyone ever experienced sleep paralysis?

[mrpropel]

Originally Posted by BlueCookies

Happens to me a lot when I'm flying on a plane. I'll close my eyes to get in a quick nap, but feel like I'm falling so I jerk awake. Doesn't happen when I sleep in a normal bed though.

On an unrelated note, has anyone ever experienced sleep paralysis?

http://www.getdare.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=175484
I Talked about on this thread awhile back,

[MLPDRACO]

Originally Posted by mrpropel

I wanted to know if this has happened to anyone else before. Has anyone else ever waken up suddenly to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch just after you have fallen asleep? It happens to me sometimes and I never bothered to care enough to look into it until now. Apparently it's called a Hypnic jerk,

So I wonder, has this happened to anyone else and if so how often does it happen for you?

Thanks!

Yeah, its common. Theres a book of jack London called "Before Adam" thats starts explaining this as genetic memory of the time humans still porimitive, living on trees, sleeping on trees and ALSO falling from trees lol. So, his idea was, somehow one ancestor of ours had fell from a tree and survived that, and then he had children, and this memory was transmited throught his DNA.

but this book is old and the idea is reckless as we know, now, that the genetic modification one suffer wont be passed foward (Darwin used to think like that, "a horse who always trains to runs faster will have children will run even faster...". His children wont get anything from his training, only the capability to train).

The theory right now is that, this "falling sensation" we have is a memory, yes, but from ourselves. Someday, as baby, you fell (this is a strong sensation, no floor under you, nothing to support you, etc), or maybe as a child, while walking you fell (one less strong sensation, you falling foward, not as a hole, not like you were laid on the air, etc). Or maybe your parents liked to play with you when you were a baby, you know, get the baby throw up and get him back. Babies loves that lol.

Anyway, the memory remains and from time to time it is readed, so you get the sensation back. it is most commom to happen while you are sleping. If its a case you got hurt (like a real fell, not just a play with parents) you will mix the feelings of pain/panick with the memory, and this makes you awake scared.

Again, its just a theory. I dont know any other theory. i just know this thing is pretty commom.

[Cstelle]

Originally Posted by MLPDRACO

Theres a book of jack London called "Before Adam" thats starts explaining this as genetic memory of the time humans still porimitive, living on trees, sleeping on trees and ALSO falling from trees lol.

Hah! It was London, not Kipling, I kept (vaguely) remembering! Thanks!

[MLPDRACO]

Originally Posted by Cstelle

Hah! It was London, not Kipling, I kept (vaguely) remembering! Thanks!

I loved this book, cos the description. there was the RedEyes monkey, the atavic lol. It was awesome. And when he starts to describe the enemy village, and you see how advanced they were, and you "ops.. somebody is f... up" lol

Or even his frined who eats the dog he took to "invent" the animal domestication lol

awesome book.

[Fetique]

Don't take my word for granted but as far as I know, (and what seems as the most logical explanation) this is caused when you fall asleep very quickly. When you fall asleep, your heartrate naturally lowers, but if your body isn't prepared for it, this happens:

As you fall asleep your heartrate lowers, but it's going too fast, and your body thinks it's unnaturally so. Your body thinks something is very wrong, and potentially dangerous, and it gives you this short spasm to force you to wake up, and to highten the heartrate to normal levels.

TL;DR this effect is a emergency mechanism of your body, induced when your heartrate lowers too quickly (by sleep for example)

[mrpropel]

Originally Posted by MLPDRACO

Yeah, its common. Theres a book of jack London called "Before Adam" thats starts explaining this as genetic memory of the time humans still porimitive, living on trees, sleeping on trees and ALSO falling from trees lol. So, his idea was, somehow one ancestor of ours had fell from a tree and survived that, and then he had children, and this memory was transmited throught his DNA.

but this book is old and the idea is reckless as we know, now, that the genetic modification one suffer wont be passed foward (Darwin used to think like that, "a horse who always trains to runs faster will have children will run even faster...". His children wont get anything from his training, only the capability to train).

The theory right now is that, this "falling sensation" we have is a memory, yes, but from ourselves. Someday, as baby, you fell (this is a strong sensation, no floor under you, nothing to support you, etc), or maybe as a child, while walking you fell (one less strong sensation, you falling foward, not as a hole, not like you were laid on the air, etc). Or maybe your parents liked to play with you when you were a baby, you know, get the baby throw up and get him back. Babies loves that lol.

Anyway, the memory remains and from time to time it is readed, so you get the sensation back. it is most commom to happen while you are sleping. If its a case you got hurt (like a real fell, not just a play with parents) you will mix the feelings of pain/panick with the memory, and this makes you awake scared.

Again, its just a theory. I dont know any other theory. i just know this thing is pretty commom.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[MLPDRACO]

u r welcome.
I would like to know more about those stuff, the misteries of mind amuses me all the time