Hi,
Thank you for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I have noted your symptoms and list of medications that you take.
Getting a few myoclonic jerks while falling asleep is fairly normal and many people get them. Some of them get violent jerks too.
So, there is no need to worry about them.
However, if there are violent jerks and there is a risk of getting injured, you may want to exclude myoclonic epilepsy. This can be done by getting an EEG (electroencephalography) done.
Best wishes,
Patient replied :
Can myoclonic epilepsy be seen in a sleep study? I am wondering about if anything would show up in the results from a sleep study. Is myoclonic epilepsy serious? Just about every night I would have some kind of jolting, sometimes its my leg, and sometimes it can be my whole body. Can too much caffeine and smoking cause hypic jerks.?
Myoclonic epilepsy would not get picked up in a sleep study, as detailed EEG is not done as part of sleep study.
Myoclonic epilepsy is not serious and it can be easily treated with medications.
Smoking and caffeine have no direct link with jerks.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sudhir Kumar MD (Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Patient replied :
Can a muscle relaxer taken nightly help with how much I jolt at night while falling asleep? Just curious as if that would help the jolts from be too violent.
Thank you for getting back.
Muscle relaxer would not help, as the abnormality is not in the muscle. The cause of jerks and jolting starts in the brain.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sudhir Kumar MD (Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist