It was a long, exhausting day. At long last you get to snuggle up under the covers and enjoy that long awaited sleep.
Dreamland welcomes you with its warm embrace . . . and you suddenly jerk awake. Frustrated, you toss and turn before finally nodding off for good.
What makes this happen? Science has some new ideas.
According to psychologist Tom Stafford’s essay, this phenomenon is referred to as a “sleep start.”
Sleep starts happen when stimulation of the conscious mind conflicts with the relaxation needed for proper sleep. Even as the muscles of your body release their tension, a mental stimulation sets off an evolutionary response demanding quick action. The response is that sudden jerk you know too well.
Often times these jerks are accompanied by a dream that mirrors the need for a quick jerk, such as a sudden fall, but the real source of the jerk is usually not the dream itself.
Dr. Carl Bazil, director of the Sleep disorders Center at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center has also been researching the topic. He suggests that in order to prevent conditions that lead to an unwanted sleep start, there are a few steps to take. The biggest step is to reduce chemical stimulants, like caffeine.
Additionally, reducing external stimulants like electronic devices and irregular noises can go a long way to helping you nod off more easily.
Another common cause of sleep start is head bobbing. When you fall asleep sitting or propped up, as your neck muscles relax, your head will drop causing a sleep start level stimulation.
This is believed to be evolutionarily linked to people sleeping in trees to avoid predators. As falling from the tree could be fatal, bodies developed the response to quickly wake up and avert catastrophe.
Now you know what causes a sleep start and a few tricks to try and avoid it in the future.
