Legs twitch when falling asleep and during sleep: what to do

When a person falls asleep, his body is completely relaxed and practically no movements occur. However, there are times when your legs suddenly twitch in your sleep. In parallel with this, the person turns over from one side to the other, sometimes changing his position. In addition, involuntary shudders occur when exposed to noise and other external stimuli. Both healthy and sick people jerk their legs in their sleep. Let's find out why involuntary muscle contractions occur during sleep.

For the rest of the period, during sleep, we remain motionless. An exception may be cases when a person suffers from nervous disorders, due to which it is impossible to fall asleep for a long time, and then it is difficult to wake up. At this time, the sleeper behaves hyperactively in his sleep, which indicates abstract apnea syndrome or periodic limb syndrome.

What causes legs to twitch before falling asleep and during sleep?

Some people worry if their legs twitch before going to bed - this indicates abnormalities or problems with the body. Although this is just a physiological manifestation that occurs in a certain phase of sleep, in the first minutes, when the muscles are relaxed and the person is just beginning to fall asleep. Experts call twitching of the limbs during sleep myoclonus or hypnagogic jerks. There are people whose legs can twitch until the morning. This condition is associated with pathological processes directly in the brain.

The etiology of the manifestation of twitching of the limbs is that the brain sends an impulse to the muscles, which passes through the nerve bundles. They, in turn, awaken certain areas of the body. This occurs by transmitting a signal to the muscle fibers, and they contract. But if excitation occurs not in one fiber, but in the entire bundle at once, the body shudders.

The reason that a person's leg twitches during sleep is the excessive vigilance of one of the parts of the brain - the hypothalamus. When someone falls asleep, things happen that the brain perceives as death. All muscles are relaxed, breathing is shallow, blood pressure and body temperature are reduced. To escape from such a condition and “bring a person back to life,” the hypothalamus sends impulses to the muscle fibers. There is a kind of conflict between the sleeping body and muscle tone, which is why twitching occurs. The body reacts in the same way to a sudden stop in breathing.

Physiological factors of night twitching

The occurrence of attacks of nocturnal myoclonus, according to scientists, is influenced by various physiological factors.

• Sleep phases - during the transition from shallow to deep sleep, the brain receives a motor impulse, to which it reacts with a sharp start.
• Neurophysiology - twitching is caused by the incompatibility of a completely relaxed body and rapid eye movements. The brain gives an impulse that returns the body to activity. Further falling asleep occurs more calmly and evenly.
• Circulatory problems - lead to a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood and poor blood supply to the limbs and their numbness. The sharp impulse sent helps to wake up, restore activity and improve blood circulation.
• Physical fatigue after hard work or sports.
• Nervous stress to which a person has been exposed during the day does not allow the body to completely relax when going to sleep.
• Myoclonus associated with a sharp noise or a bright flash of light provokes fear, which ends with a shudder.
• Myoclonus caused by apnea (stopping breathing) - the brain turns on and provokes a wince.

Learn more about the stages of sleep, how much sleep you need to get enough sleep and other interesting facts about your sleep.

Types of myoclonus

Hypnagogic contractions that occur during sleep can be compared to electric shocks. They can be divided into two large groups:

• physiologically;
• pathological.

The syndrome of involuntary jerking of the limbs at night during sleep is called myoclonus. The type of contraction will depend on the condition of the muscles, the duration and intensity of the manifestation, and the general nature of the trembling. Thanks to these characteristics, you can understand whether this is normal or pathological.

Features in women

Night chills in women are associated with hormonal changes. It often occurs in women during menopause and pregnancy. These physiological conditions are characterized by changes in the level of estrogen, an important female sex hormone that regulates the process of thermoregulation in the body. This condition leads to dysfunction in the hypothalamus and inadequate vascular tone, which is accompanied by trembling and increased sweating.

Sometimes after a hot flash, women experience chills

Gynecologists also say that similar complaints can occur in women during menstruation, characterized by changes in hormonal levels.

How to stop leg twitching

When contractions occur very actively, they are called positive. Negative - occur during a period when the muscles are completely relaxed and lose tone. Many people confuse them with sleep paralysis, but they are wrong. The phenomena are completely different in cause and manifestation. In paralysis, the body is completely relaxed, but the brain continues to actively work and try to awaken it. At this moment, the person realizes that it will not be possible to move and, as a result, no twitching occurs. During this period, panic attacks often begin, which cause a feeling of fear, suffocation and hallucinations.

To get out of this state, you need to try to perform minimal physical activity. For example, move your thumb, tongue, or eyeballs.

general information

Night chills may be accompanied by an increase in body temperature, or may be the only clinical manifestation. With concomitant fever, the patient experiences trembling and increased sweating. Such reactions of the body are aimed at reducing temperature, which protects it from overheating. This situation is observed in various infectious processes in internal organs, most often in the respiratory system.

If chills at night are not accompanied by fever, then this may indicate the development of serious diseases of the endocrine, cardiovascular or nervous system. It is important for every person to understand that trembling is only a clinical symptom that can be associated with a large number of diseases.

Why aren't only my legs twitching?

With myoclonus, not only does the leg twitch during sleep, but other parts of the body too. They can even be divided into:

• local - when one limb twitches very slightly;
• regional – when a muscle group is involved;
• generalized - in this case, several areas of the body are already reduced.

With the last hypnagogic twitch, the person wakes up. This happens during REM sleep, when it seems as if we are falling through somewhere. The same reaction occurs during nightmares. The person wakes up in a cold sweat and may experience rapid breathing, palpitations, or tremors.

Prevention to prevent sudden severe chills without fever

We remind you that the recommended follow-up actions from us can only be performed by a healthy person. Who was simply overcooled and stressed.

Chills are influenced by many provoking factors, but by taking care of yourself, you can eliminate them.

What should I do?

1. Start to gradually harden. Do this competently and in good general condition. You shouldn’t pour ice water on yourself at -40 if you’ve never done this before.
2. Run. When running, the walls of blood vessels narrow. Thus, internal training of the cardiovascular system occurs, which strengthens its functioning.
3. Try to avoid stress. Stress has a negative effect on everything; by minimizing its impact, you will not be subject to destruction of nerve cells.
4. To refuse from bad habits. Smoking and alcohol are toxins that have a terrible effect on the overall functioning of organs; you should not get carried away with this so as not to cause various diseases.
5. Undergo routine examinations with all doctors. This way you will protect yourself not only from chills, but also from many diseases.

Be calmer and more confident . Monitor your condition and contact doctors on time. Don’t cause unnecessary panic, but learn to find out the reasons and eradicate them! Be healthy and happy!

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Periodic leg movement syndrome before falling asleep

In most cases, this condition is compared to restless legs syndrome. But this is a pathology in which a person experiences unpleasant sensations before going to bed, due to which he cannot fall asleep for a long time.

With SPDKS, involuntary similar movements of the limbs occur throughout the entire duration of sleep. This problem greatly interferes with sleep, since a person wakes up all the time and feels discomfort due to the fact that the muscle in the leg twitches during sleep or before bedtime.

Sometimes the syndrome manifests itself in the form of bending of the legs at the knees. In rare cases, the upper muscles may also move. The interval between these manifestations is only a few minutes.

How long the syndrome will last depends on the stage of the disease. In a mild form, this occurs only at the beginning of falling asleep, and the rest of the time the person sleeps like everyone else, and twitching limbs do not bother him. This can be determined using polysomnography. The essence of the study is that movements are counted over a certain period of time. Thus, the stages are divided into:

• light – 10-15 movements;
• moderately heavy – 20-40;
• severe – more than 45 movements per hour.

If such a problem occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor. Very often this condition manifests itself with restless legs syndrome, so complex therapy under the supervision of a doctor may be necessary. There are even cases when the pathology is accompanied by talking in sleep or grinding teeth. Then it is necessary to immediately undergo a full examination.

Possible reasons

The whole body shakes, the causes of which depend on previous events in life or the state of the body, at very different times.

Strong nervous excitement with a pronounced desire to “run” somewhere can occur in the morning or before bed, which is also a symptom of certain diseases. Most often, strong excitement and excitement is provoked by:

Stress

When stressed at night or during the day, an adult or child experiences a feeling of increased arousal. A man is spinning in bed, unable to find a place for himself. At this time, your heart may be pounding, your head may hurt, and you may feel nauseous from stressful situations you have experienced. Often this condition can appear in anticipation of future events (exams, interviews, operations).

In most cases, once the cause of stress disappears, anxiety goes away on its own without medication.

Caffeine

Drinking large amounts of caffeine, which is found in coffee, energy drinks and even tea, causes a strong surge of energy and nervous excitement that does not go away for a long time.

Along with overexcitation and slight tremor, insomnia and headache appear.

Lack of sleep

Nervous tremors are provoked by a systemic lack of sleep, since in this case the brain and nervous system do not have time to rest and recover to a normal state. The body experiences a reboot and weakness, which is expressed by increased anxiety and tremors throughout the body.

Dehydration

In the initial stages of manifestation, dehydration causes severe nervous excitement, which is accompanied by trembling throughout the body.

Dehydration can also be a reason why your whole body is shaking

Gradually, anxiety is replaced by a state of increased weakness until loss of consciousness.

Hyperventilation

With frequent shallow breathing, a gradual increase in oxygen deficiency in the lungs occurs. The exhalation becomes short and the person cannot exhale excess air. All this is accompanied by a feeling of anxiety and fear.

Neurological diseases

Neuroses (panic attacks) and mental disorders (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) are often manifested by periodic feelings of increased agitation and shaking throughout the body, arms and legs.

Excitement manifests itself in attacks and can be manic or depressive in nature and accompanied by convulsions.

Fever

With acute respiratory viral infections, influenza or other infectious diseases, elevated body temperature is often accompanied by trembling throughout the body. This is associated with the appearance of a feeling of chills and increased weakness of the body, since all its forces are aimed at suppressing infection or neutralizing viruses.

Brain disorders

With injuries and age-related disorders of the brain, the functional abilities of the body change noticeably. A separate area in the brain may atrophy, blockage of blood vessels or hemorrhage may occur. All this leads to impaired motor functions and the appearance of shaking throughout the body or limbs.

Use of alcohol and certain medications

Drinking alcoholic beverages in large quantities for a long time, as well as certain medications, causes poisoning, disruption of brain function and reduces the ability to control movements. A person may experience tremors throughout the body, especially in the morning.

Cardiovascular diseases

Heart disease, disturbances in cardiac conduction and myocardial contractions provoke, as an additional symptom, agitation and trembling throughout the body.

The same symptoms appear in the case of a heart attack and arrhythmia, which is associated with oxygen deficiency in the body.

Climax

The period of menopause causes women to experience frequent temperature changes, increased sweating and a feeling of mild anxiety and shaking throughout the body, which goes away on its own over time.

Causes of limb twitching in children

Mothers worry if their child's legs twitch in his sleep. Children compare these feelings to flying and falling asleep. Sometimes they complain that they cannot sleep due to twitching of their limbs. There is no need to worry, as this is simply a physiological manifestation when the child is in a period of skeletal growth.

Often this condition occurs in teenagers, since the body is still developing and the process does not always go smoothly. And until all this returns to normal, the child will sometimes twitch and wake up.

But if twitching occurs too often or occurs during the day, you should consult a doctor. This may indicate the presence of infections in the child's body.

Treatment

What to do if you tremble in your sleep? Find out and eliminate the causes of the symptom. Treatment depends on the factors that caused the symptom and may include the following:

1. For depression, sedatives, antidepressants, and antipsychotics are prescribed.
2. For VSD, it is recommended to follow a daily routine, minimize provoking factors (stress, global changes), and take sedatives.
3. At elevated body temperatures, antipyretic drugs based on paracetamol, ibuprofen, and acetylsalicylic acid are used.
4. If a child has febrile convulsions, you need to lay him on a flat surface, turn his head to the side and clear the airways. Reduce the temperature using physical methods: undress the baby, wipe with cool water, open the window. Wait until the child stops twitching, then calm him down and give him a child's fever-reducing drug.
5. For neurological disorders, medication and psychotherapy are recommended.
6. For hormonal disorders, special medications are prescribed.
7. For diabetes mellitus, insulin is used in the form of injections.
8. Diseases of the thyroid gland require the use of iodine-containing or hormonal drugs, depending on the dysfunction of the organ.
9. Sometimes vitamin complexes containing magnesium, selenium, calcium, B vitamins and amino acids are effective.

How to prevent the development of restless legs syndrome

Friends often say: “Go to bed early and everything will pass.” But besides this, it is recommended to do something else. Prevention and treatment of this physiological process are elementary:

• switch to a healthy diet;
• lead a healthy lifestyle;
• ventilate the room in the evening;
• do not eat 3 hours before bedtime;
• observe the regime;
• do not drink strong drinks.

These simple steps will help you get rid of restless leg syndrome. In a mild stage of the disease, twitching of the limbs at night will stop bothering you within a month or a month and a half. In severe forms of the pathology, as we wrote above, you will need the help of a specialist who will explain why your legs twitch during sleep specifically in your case and select the appropriate therapy.

Is it possible to prevent night cramps?

As a rule, myoclonus does not cause discomfort and does not affect the duration or quality of sleep. But sometimes unpleasant phenomena prevent a person suffering from insomnia from falling asleep quickly. If the basis for twitching when falling asleep is benign myoclonus, then you can cope with the tremors on your own, without resorting to the help of a neurologist. To do this, just follow simple recommendations.

1. Limit watching traumatic TV shows, reading suspenseful literature, unpleasant conversations and communication on social networks.
2. Avoid late-night snacks and tonic drinks.
3. Get rid of extraneous painful thoughts, persistent problems and daily worries from your head.
4. Balance your diet by including more healthy foods containing magnesium and calcium.
5. Take a warm bath every evening with soothing additives, followed by a light massage.
6. Conduct meditation and auto-training.
7. Perform breathing exercises using yoga exercises and other relaxation techniques.
8. Take herbal teas from soothing mixtures, milk with honey before bed.
9. Create comfortable conditions for sleep - optimal temperature and humidity, silence and darkness.
10. Arrange a sleeping place: a comfortable bed, an elastic mattress, an orthopedic pillow, high-quality bed linen, pajamas made from natural fabrics.

If a person wakes up because his limbs are vibrating, he should not panic. Simple tips will help you get rid of this unpleasant condition.

Advice! Using an aroma lamp with extracts of lavender, rose, geranium, chamomile, and lemon balm in the bedroom will help you calm down, relax and fall asleep quickly.