The phenomenon of sudden start in a dream is familiar to most people. Many of us have wondered why a person twitches when falling asleep.
Even in ancient times, people drew an analogy between the process of falling asleep and the onset of death. Our distant ancestors believed that the soul of a sleeping person goes to the world of the dead. The involuntary spasm during sleep was thought to be a reaction to being touched by the devil.
But what does modern medicine say about this? In science, there were many theories explaining this phenomenon. There was an opinion that twitching of the limbs in a dream indicates incipient epilepsy. The essence of another hypothesis was reduced to disruption of the hypothalamus - the highest autonomic center of the brain. But attempts to answer the question of why a person twitches when falling asleep with the help of these theories have failed.
The explanations of scientists who have studied the nature of such a physiological state as sleep have refused to be the most convincing. Some of them came to the conclusion that people flinch when moving from one phase of sleep to another. Other experts claim thatthe human body responds to a slowdown in breathing and a decrease in the amplitude of heart contractions. Reflex muscle contraction is a test of vitality, as the state of sleep is mistakenly perceived by the hypothalamus as close to a coma.
Scientists have also found that there is a relationship between night cramps and physical exertion and emotional distress during the day. That is, the answer to the question of why a person twitches when falling asleep lies in his state immediately before bedtime. Therefore, the transition from wakefulness to night rest should be smooth. Whom of unresolved problems is better left for the morning.
But not only adults shudder in their sleep. Sometimes a young mother notices that a newborn is twitching in her sleep. But, as the doctors assure, this is not a reason to sound the alarm. The fact is that for babies up to a year, such a physiological reaction during sleep is completely normal. The inhibitory mechanism of the nervous system of a child at this age is imperfect. This is especially true for premature babies, so they startle more often.
It should be noted that in babies sleep, sleep phases and their duration differ from what happens in this regard with adults.
Because it is in this state that growth hormone is produced in newborns, young children spend most of the day sleeping. This is necessary for the normal development of the child. When the baby sleeps, his nervous system and brain are actively developing. Children under one year old wake up from the slightest rustle, this happens due tothe fact that the phase of light sleep they have longer than deep. Such a program is inherent in our nature. Babies are the most vulnerable, so babies, sensing a threat to their safety (noise, bright lights, sudden movement), immediately wake up and scream.
So, the answer to the question of why a person twitches when falling asleep has already been found. There is nothing to worry about in this physiological reaction, and the involuntary twitching during sleep itself does not cause problems in a he althy person.
