Hypnic Jerk

Do you ever suddenly jolt awake when you're going to sleep?
I do and at the time it gives me a fright but I don't usually think anything more of it and go to sleep. Steve sometimes notices me twitching in my sleep too.
Last night when I was just trying to go to sleep, I kept jolting every few minutes so took a sleeping pill because it was annoying me. Today I thought to myself, why do I actually do this??

Apparently it is called Hypnic Myclonia or Hypnic Jerks. They happen when we begin to drift off to sleep as the muscles are relaxing. The brain thinks that we are falling or dying and trys to signal the limbs to wake up. This can happen in the REM stage of the sleep cycle (the eyes often twitch too during this time but we don't notice that.)
Usually only 1 jerk will happen a night but some people have many and that can be called periodic limb movement (PML). It is often caused by over tiredness or stress and possibly medication.
People who jerk awake often feel as if they are falling or have had a falling dream. I have never had a falling dream and dont think I have felt the falling sensation either.

Here are some accounts of what other people have experienced:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hypnic-jerk.htm

This weeks article of interestingness.....Blythe

Blythe dolls are cool!

They're kitschy dolls in retro fashions, and I want one!

I first discovered Blythe dolls a couple of years ago but I cant remember where. I've never seen an actual doll, but you can find Blythe related accessories such as notebooks and writing sets in places like my favourite shop IKO IKO.

Blythe dolls were first created in the 1970's and based on the paintings of Margaret Keane.
Today Blythe dolls are customized by their owners, who can buy or sew clothes for them. Lots of photos of Blythe dolls can be found on flickr in a range of settings and poses.



To me they have an almost realistic quality to them when seen in the photographs. And sometimes when you see a photo of just the legs or in such a way that you cant see the face, you can barely tell it's a doll.




As I said before, I would love to have one of these and I'd be playing around, taking photos of it lots. But apparently they're quite expensive so maybe I can make a substitute Blythe with a similar doll.






http://blythopia.wordpress.com/