Twitching is a muscle contraction that occurs when you are sleeping. It is a common thing that many people will experience, and medical studies have proven that sixty or seventy per cent of people will experience this at one point. Twitching can be mild or severe where mild one can come and go unnoticed, but the severe one may be painful, and you will notice them.
Although a sharp twitch may be painful, it doesn’t mean anything wrong with your health. All of them come from muscle contractions as your muscles relax. There are different types of twitches, and the most common one is a hypnic jerk. Hypnic jerk is a type of involuntary muscle movement known as sleep myoclonus which will occur when you are falling asleep. Hypnic jerk may be notified by several symptoms, which include:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rapid breathing
- Feeling as if you are falling
Why do guys twitch when sleeping?
Although researchers have carried several studies regarding twitching, there is no proven cause. However, medical experts have come up with a list of potential causes.
1. Doing too much exercise
Exercising too much in the evening or on your way to bed is the number one cause of hypnic jerks. The more you work out, the more you stimulate your body, making it difficult to relax at night. As said earlier, twitching is caused by muscle contraction, which will mostly occur when you are tired. As your muscles try to relax, they will contract to cause twitching.
2. Having too much stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are normal things that everyone will have. Many occasions in life come up with stress with work and family being the two leading causes of stress. As long as you live, you can’t avoid stress, and all that you can do is control it. Too much stress will come up with adverse effects on your body, and you need to make sure your stress levels are controlled. Twitching is one of the significant effects of stress and anxiety. If you have ever suffered from the stress of which I am much sure you have, you already know how much stress and anxiety can make you uneasy. It will be difficult for you to relax and sleep, bringing sleep myoclonus.
3. Using stimulants
The little things you take might also be the leading cause of your sleeping problems. Over the years, stimulants have been known to interfere with the sleeping behaviour of people who use them. Stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine and other drugs will make you stay awake long hours during the night and cause twitching when you sleep. Staying long hours is also a factor that can lead to hypnic jerks bringing us to another cause, which is poor sleeping habits.
4. Poor sleeping habits
Sleeping habits matter a lot. When you have irregular sleeping patterns, your brain muscles will never relax as expected, and this is more likely to cause sleep myoclonus.
How can you prevent or control twitching?
Although it may be challenging to control this problem permanently, there are some ways to reduce the frequency in which it occurs. You can change it from severe to mild and this way you will sleep more comfortably. Also, you can control it permanently if it was being caused by a controllable factor such as poor sleeping patterns or drugs use. How do you control twitching?
1. Having controlled exercises
While exercise is essential to your body, you need to do it in the best way possible. You need to do it up to the recommended level without overdoing it and at the right time. Exercising late at night or evening is the number one cause of twitching, and you can control this by planning your exercising time well. Do your workouts early in the day and let your body relax enough before the night comes.
2. Sleep well
You need to get into your bed when you are relaxed enough and at the right time. Having less sleeping hours is very dangerous as your brain and body will never have enough time to rest. Your bedtime routine should be well planned so that you can have a good time resting. Stretch your body and maybe read a story before sleeping.
There are many ways to control stress, but the most efficient one is meditation. Meditation will help you to forget your challenges for some time and relax. Take a deep breath and lower your stress levels and anxiety.
4. Avoid stimulants
If it’s becoming hard for you to sleep at night, then you need to reduce or completely avoid stimulants. Another alternative is to take your best drink in the early hours of the day and avoid it at night on your way to bed. Many stimulants such as caffeine will last in your body for a few hours, and when you take them in the morning, they will have no effects when bedtime comes. Make sure what you take is not affecting your sleep.
5. Having your lights off
The critical point is to ensure your brain, and the whole body will relax enough. For your mind to relax well, you must provide it with the most conducive environment. There should be no noise and lights in your room when sleeping. Light and sound will stimulate your brain to be alert, meaning your mind will not get time to relax although you are sleeping. A little light will mean day time to your brain, and you will not rest well. Make sure you turn any light from bulbs, computers and televisions off. Also, you should avoid too much use of laptops and phones when your sleeping time is near.
Twitching is a normal thing, and when you experience it, don’t worry as there is nothing wrong with your body. You can try the above control mechanisms for better sleep. All that you need is changing your lifestyle and not looking for medical attention. However, when it too much or you find something that is suspicious, you should seek care from your doctor.