At the moment of falling asleep a person can watch for himself a slight twitching of limbs or separate muscle groups. Such manifestations are of little concern, as this is a normal physiological phenomenon. But sometimes strong jerks are forced to change position or even to rise on feet to get rid of unpleasant sensation. In some cases, with strong muscle contractions, one has to go deeper into the cause of the flinch in order to get rid of them.
- Causes convulsions in
- sleep Main sleep disturbance theory
- Abnormal perfusion
- Exercise
- mental strain
- change of sleep phases
- reason alone
- muscle contraction Pathology sleep
- Sleepwalking
- Sleep paralysis
- 10 tips on how to fall asleep peacefully
Causes convulsions insleep
In most cases, falling asleep, a person feels like he starts to fall or jerks sharply all over his body. Then comes the awakening. In this case, myoclonia occurs - a transitory episode of jerky movements of muscles, rhythmic and synchronous or chaotic, reminiscent of the effect of electric current.
There is also restless legs syndrome - a complex of unpleasant sensations in the calves and calves, leading to insomnia. Legs chaotically twitch by themselves, it becomes impossible to fall asleep.
When a person falls asleep, the muscle tone is completely reduced to zero - the body relaxes to ensure an effective rest. The brain continues to stay awake and monitor the condition of the body.
From such jerks and twitches not all suffer, but only a small part of people.
to the table of contents ^Basic theories of sleep disorders
Poor blood supply to the limbs, physical or psychoemotional overstrain during the day, external stimuli - all this can lead to unpleasant phenomena that affect sleep.
to the table of contents ^Blood supply disorder
If the vessels are not sufficiently filled or pinched during sleep, the limbs will be dumb, and the brain will send signals to a change in position. Cold feet and cramps that occur during the day, they talk about the lack of blood supply. Winching in this case leads to better blood circulation in joints and vessels.
to table of contents ^Physical Exercises
Physical stress during the day( sports, work, constant movement) can have a tedious negative effect on the muscles. Muscles, in turn, do not relax immediately after the tension has passed, and for a long time remain in a tonus. To relax them, the brain sends signals. This leads to a kind of "discharge" - contracting, the muscles gradually get rid of hypertonia. In this case, pain can occur.
To get rid of pain, it is recommended to perform a few sparing exercises for those muscle groups that are strained. These can be rotations in the joints, easy sipping or lifting legs. Gentle stress in this case will allow the muscles to relax more quickly, and the pain will go away.
Mental overstrain
The state of the nervous system is reflected in the work of all other body systems. Stress and nervous exhaustion can lead to problems with falling asleep. Therefore, people, in whose life important or disturbing events occur, often suffer from insomnia.
Under the influence of stress, the phase of falling asleep is significantly prolonged, and impulses sent by the brain cause shudders at the time of falling asleep. External stimuli in the "nervous" nervous system are also perceived exaggeratedly strong, whether sounds, light or movement. Any external factor in a state of stress can affect sleep.
Changing the phases of sleep
When a person falls asleep, the body is completely relaxed and there is a transition from drowsiness to the stage of rapid eye movements( English REM - "rapid eye movement").In the rapid sleep stage, the human brain processes the information that has accumulated there during the day, thus performing the function of psychological protection. At this moment, a powerful signal to all muscle groups can follow from the brain, which interrupts the process of relaxation. This is a normal phenomenon that can cause a start all over the body and an immediate awakening. There is a change of phases of sleep, in the role of a few falling asleep and shudders in a row.
Reasons for self-contraction of muscles
Muscle twitching can occur for a variety of reasons. Some are due to natural processes in the body, but others require close attention from the specialist.
If a person is worried about self-contraction of the muscles, then in some cases, it should be shown to the neurologist, as among the reasons may be:
- Pathological processes in the body.
- Potassium deficiency. With own strength to eliminate this cause of unpleasant sensations is unlikely to work out - it is necessary to contact a specialist who will prescribe the tests and, according to their results, will write out the necessary preparations.
- Nervous tick. This disease indicates a disorder of the nervous system. For treatment, it is necessary, first of all, to consult a neurologist or a psychotherapist - in case the tick is caused by severe stress.
Sleep pathologies
There are two main pathologies of sleep:
to the table of contents ^Somnambulism
Somnambulism, or walking in a dream. In former times, this disorder was considered something mystical, but now scientists have found an explanation for such conditions. Walking in a dream, or somnambulism( sleepwalking) is a fairly rare deviation. Attacks of sleepwalking happen during the phase of slow sleep, when the muscles are in a tonus, and dreams are absent. In such a state, a person can perform complex stereotyped acts - for example, reproduce his daily activities. After awakening, as a rule, no memories of the nightly adventures do not remain.
For the treatment of somnambulism, science has not yet come up with drugs or procedures. You can treat this problem only by hypnosis.
to contents ^Sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a condition back to somnambulism, not officially considered a disease. Only a small percentage of people experience similar experiences. Sleep paralysis occurs when muscle tone subsides before a person falls asleep, or when a person wakes up before the muscle paralysis weakens.
Intermediate state between sleep and wakefulness can be accompanied by hallucinations - it can be both sounds, and the sensation of the presence of an unauthorized person in the room, and even visual forms. Do not forget that all experiences during sleepy paralysis are hallucinations. The sooner a person overcomes fear, the sooner the painful experience will end.
10 tips on how to fall asleep safely
In order for a dream to be of high quality and bringing relaxation, it is necessary to follow simple advice, which anyone can do:
- Active activities with the onset of the evening should be tempered. It is best to lie down for at least half an hour with a book or music, without thinking about plans for tomorrow. Often it happens that one thought about the upcoming business is driven away by every dream. Mental relaxation helps to relax the physical.
- Green tea, a hot bath or massage will also help to relax and tune in to sleep.
- Foods should be avoided immediately before going to bed. Dinner should be 2 hours before bedtime or more, otherwise insomnia is guaranteed. A full stomach does not promote fast and high-quality falling asleep.
- It is important to monitor the condition of your bed. Clean bed linens, comfortable mattress and pillow, a prematurely ventilated room - all this will make the sleep more comfortable.
- Mask on the eyes, protect from light, and ear plugs - from excessive noise. Those who like to fall asleep to music, you should think about a suitable playlist. It is necessary to do everything so that external factors are not distracted, but set up for complete relaxation.
- According to research, the sleep hormone melatonin is produced between 22.00 and 24.00.It is important to go to bed at this time. Smartphones and tablets should be postponed until the morning.
- In the evening you should not drink coffee. The rapid heart rate and mental arousal that accompany the reception of this drink, prevent sleep.
- It is important to follow the daily routine: if you go to bed and get up at the same time, there will be no problems with falling asleep. If this is not possible, you should set yourself a "bar", for which you can not go: for example, go to bed no later than 24.00.
- Daytime sleep is important for many, but if you sleep well in the day, a night's sleep is almost certainly broken.
- The following way also helps: lie on your back and consistently relax all the muscles of the body, from the tips of your toes and ending with the muscles of your face. After some time the body becomes heavy, and it will become easier to fall asleep. However, do not fall asleep on the back - this can trigger the onset of sleep paralysis.