Definition
A twitching of the muscles when falling asleep occurs very frequently. About 70 percent of the population has already experienced this. The legs are often affected.
It usually occurs in the phase directly before falling asleep. Why the muscles twitch when falling asleep has ultimately not been conclusively researched. However, scientists agree that this phenomenon is usually harmless and not an indication of a rare neurological disease.
Causes
How it comes to the twitching of the musculature when falling asleep is ultimately not finally researched. However, the following theory of sleep researchers seems plausible: The brain is about to switch to sleep mode in this phase. For unknown reasons, this occasionally occurs in a somewhat disorderly manner.
The balance between excitatory and inhibitory impulses is disturbed, so that short-term electrical impulses are transmitted to individual muscles, which then contract. This is perceived as twitching. Scientists also assume that it occurs frequently in people who suffer from stress or emotional strain.
A magnesium deficiency can also cause twitching before falling asleep, usually leading to nocturnal calf cramps in those affected. In most cases, the causes are harmless. In rare cases, however, a neurological disorder such as restless legs syndrome may also be behind it.
Patients then not only suffer from convulsions when falling asleep but also wake up several times a night, and are often accompanied by tingling pain. The causes of an uncontrollable twitching of the muscles when falling asleep are often harmless. Scientists have been able to show that this is very often related to stress.
Emotional stress such as arguments at work or conflicts in the partnership can also ultimately lead to a twitching of the muscles. Scientists have put forward the following theory in this regard: In the case of stress or emotional strain, the balance between excitatory and inhibitory electrical impulses in the brain is often not quite right. However, this is a very finely regulated system.
If disorders occur, it is easy for sudden excitatory impulses to predominate and trigger spontaneous muscle contraction. Twitching when falling asleep is a frequent phenomenon. It also occurs in healthy people; it can be observed more frequently, especially after sports.
This mainly affects the muscles in the arms or legs. After intensive strength training, muscle twitches can always occur. This is often interpreted as an indication of overtraining.
However, there may also be a lack of magnesium or calcium behind it. During sport, the body loses water and blood salts with sweat, so athletes can expect an increased magnesium and calcium requirement. Alcohol has many different effects on the human body.
Among other things it has an effect on the central nervous system, which explains the clouded perception and dizziness. Alcohol also influences the activity of certain nerve cells in the brain. Alcohol has a positive effect on the brain activity of inhibiting nerve cells, while activating nerve cells are negatively affected.
Sleep and falling asleep are therefore influenced by alcohol. Although alcohol tends to make you tired, the very restful REM sleep occurs less frequently and for a shorter time under the influence of alcohol. Sleep is therefore rather superficial after the consumption of alcohol.
Twitching, which occurs when falling asleep, can therefore occur more frequently under the influence of alcohol. Thus, falling asleep with alcohol in the blood is also different than normal. Although the body is almost asleep, parts of the brain are still active under the influence of alcohol.
Sudden twitching is most likely an expression of the fact that the phase of falling asleep is disturbed. The fact that twitching varies greatly from person to person can be seen from the fact that drinking alcohol reduces the frequency of twitching when falling asleep in some people. The exact reasons for the development of the twitches and the influence of alcohol on the processes could not be conclusively clarified so far.
In most cases, muscle twitches are harmless, but they can in fact also be an indication of the presence of epilepsy. In diseases such as epilepsy, a functional disorder in the brain leads to a continuous spread of pathological excitation impulses in certain areas of the central nervous system.This erroneous excitation of certain regions of the brain causes the muscles belonging to this region to be activated in an uncontrolled manner. This manifests itself in the typical involuntary seizure-like muscle twitches.
This is called an epileptic seizure or convulsion. However, muscle twitches when falling asleep take a completely different course. Most of the time, only a short twitching of an arm or leg occurs.
Of course there are also forms of epilepsy in which only a small part of the brain is affected. This is called a focal seizure. The pathological spread of the excitation is limited to a small area of the brain.
Therefore, often only one muscle group is affected by the twitching, e.g. in the face or only in the hand. Twitching when falling asleep is certainly not a typical indication of epilepsy. However, there are also forms of epilepsy that can only manifest themselves with minimal symptoms such as twitching.
