I am quite fond of the afternoon siesta, particularly on weekends. Typically, if we are home, everyone will have a little snooze after lunch. Yes, even the kids! I tend to lie on the coach with the paper, and after a few minutes, my eyes will get heavy. And just as I am about to fell asleep, on the precipice of Snooze-land, my body with flails around in a complete spasm, and wakes me up.
Wide awake.
So I made like Environmental Minister Greg Hunt, and did a little research on Wikipedia.
A hypnic jerk, hypnagogic jerk, sleep start, sleep twitch or night start, is an involuntary twitch which occurs during hypnagogia, just as a person is beginning to fall asleep, often causing him or her to awaken suddenly for a moment. Physically, hypnic jerks resemble the “jump” experienced by a person when startled,[1] often accompanied by a falling sensation.[2] A higher occurrence is reported in people with irregular sleep schedules.[3]
A Hypnic Jerk Folks! An actual affliction, not this dude….
DAVID! Please… legs together…
Apparently, at some time or another, everybody does this! There are many reasons to flail around in a complete spasm just before you go to sleep. These include stress. Of course. Fucking bastard stress. But the only thing more annoying that being a victim of hypnic jerkism, is lying next to someone who is suffering from hypnic jerkism.
And that is why I suffered an almighty whack across the face last night. And why I am going to invest in a full face helmet today.
Do you know what I am talking about?
Does this happen to you?
