You’re just about to drift off to sleep when your body suddenly jerks involuntarily, jolting you wide awake.
These twitches, known as hypnic jerks or sleep starts, are surprisingly common. But new research suggests that people who experience them frequently may also struggle with poorer sleep, insomnia symptoms, and higher levels of anxiety.
“Even though sleep starts are generally considered harmless, they can be highly distressing for some individuals and may contribute to a cycle of anxiety and disturbed sleep,” says study author Tanja Grünberger, PhD, a psychology researcher at Paris Lodron University Salzburg in Austria.
Frequent Sleep Starts Linked to Poorer Sleep and Higher Levels of Anxiety
For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 200 adults in Austria and Germany about their sleep quality, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and beliefs about sleep. About half reported experiencing sleep starts at least once a week,
