Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTypesDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to See a Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Types
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Sleep myoclonus is defined as a “brief, involuntary twitching or jerking of a muscle or group of muscles.”It typically occurs as a person is falling asleep or during sleep.
It’s more common in childhood but can linger through adulthood.Newborn hiccupsare a form of myoclonus. Most of the time, sleep myoclonus is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.
This article discusses the symptoms, causes, and types of myoclonus. It also addresses treatment, which is necessary only if the myoclonus interferes with sleep and diminishes quality of life.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Myoclonus?
The symptoms of sleep myoclonus are difficult to miss. In addition to twitching and jerking, the signs might also be called shakes, spasms, or contractions. And they can happen in all sorts of ways: once or many times in a row, a single episode or many times a night, in a pattern or not.
The symptoms are similar in that they are:
What Are the Causes of Sleep Myoclunus?
Some known causes are more likely to affect certain age groups. For example, one possible cause isParkinson’s, a disease that usually manifests after age 60.
However, the exact cause of sleep myoclonus is not entirely clear, although researchers have a few theories.One primary theory has to do with sleep atonia, the natural process in which your muscles become paralyzed as you fall deeper into sleep.
During sleep atonia, brain signals that activate movements when you are awake begin to snooze for the night. It’s not always a smooth transition, though. Occasionally, a brain signal volleys with electricity, resulting in a muscle spasm.
Adults
If a physician can identify the underlying problem, they will be in a better position to recommend a treatment—if one is necessary at all.
What Is Restless Leg Syndrome?Restless leg syndrome is a disorder that causes a person to experience a strong, uncontrolled urge to move their legs. This feeling can go away soon afterward or immediately upon experiencing the urge, but there are minor differences in how it feels between people. It has been observed to occur with sleep myoclonus.
What Is Restless Leg Syndrome?
Restless leg syndrome is a disorder that causes a person to experience a strong, uncontrolled urge to move their legs. This feeling can go away soon afterward or immediately upon experiencing the urge, but there are minor differences in how it feels between people. It has been observed to occur with sleep myoclonus.
Children
In infants, benign (non-threatening) sleep myoclonus manifests as repetitive twitches in the arms, legs, or torso while the infant sleeps.
Although research on myoclonus condition in infants is limited, researchers believe it is harmless. Nonetheless, without testing the infant’s brainwaves, it is difficult to tell if the infant is experiencing myoclonus or epilepsy.Epilepsy is diagnosed with a brainwave test called electroencephalography (EEG).
Other causes of myoclonus in children include:
Types of Myoclonus
There are two types of myoclonus: positive and negative myoclonus. Positive myoclonus happens when muscles abruptly contract. Negative myoclonus happens when muscles that are contracting suddenly stop.
There are numerous forms of myoclonus, but some of them aren’t sleep myoclonus:
How Is Sleep Myoclonus Diagnosed?
To diagnose the cause of myoclonus, the first things your healthcare provider will consider are:
Your provider will ask you about the tremors or spasms you experience. They may ask which body part seems to be affected, how frequently the myoclonus occurs, and how long the episodes seem to last. They may also ask if you are experiencing any other new or unusual symptoms.
Depending on this information, your provider may recommend one or more of the following tests:
How Is Sleep Myoclonus Treated?
Sleep myoclonus is not considered serious or in need of treatment unless it interferes with sleep and/or someone’s quality of life.
If it does, the condition may be treated with Xenazine (tetrabenazine), a drug often used to treat movement disorders such asHuntington’s disease.
In most cases, however, treatment is not necessary if sleep is relatively normal. Sleep myoclonus is widely referred to as a “benign” condition, meaning that it has no short- or long-term effects on the health or well-being of the affected individual.
The occasional muscle jerk as you’re drifting off to sleep is nothing to be concerned about. However, if the myoclonus is disrupting your sleep or happening while you are awake, see your healthcare provider for an evaluation.
You should also see a healthcare provider if:
Call 911 or go to the nearest urgent care if you if you experience any signs of epilepsy, including:
Symptoms of Epilepsy
Summary
Myoclonus is a brief, involuntary twitching or jerking of a muscle or group of muscles. Hiccups are a form of myoclonus. With sleep myoclonus, this twitching or jerking occurs during sleep.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Myoclonus.
Children’s Health.Pediatric myoclonus.
National Institute on Aging.Parkinson’s disease: Causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Staedt J, Stoppe G, Kögler A, et al.Nocturnal myoclonus syndrome (periodic movements in sleep) related to central dopamine D2-receptor alteration.Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1995;245(1):8-10.
SQ Online.Hypnic jerks: The mysterious sensation of falling and spazzing awake.
Chanddarana M, Saraf U, Divya KP, Krishnan S, Kishore A.Myoclonus- a review.Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2021 May;24(3):327-338. doi:10.4103/aian.AIAN_1180_20
Janssen S, Bloem B, van de Warrenburg B.The clinical heterogeneity of of drug-induced myoclonus: an illustrated review.J Neurol. 2017;264(8):1559-1566. doi:10.1007/s00415-016-8357-z
Baylor Medicine.Myoclonus.
Nichols J, Lee B, Chung K.A case of paraneoplastic myoclonus attributed to non-small cell lung cancer.Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (NY). 2020 Jun;10(1):7. doi:10.5334/tohm.42
Mount Sinai.Restless legs syndrome and related disorders.
Sleep Foundation.Benign neonatal sleep myoclonus.
Delucchi V, Pavlidis E, Piccolo B, Pisani F.Febrile and postinfectious myoclonus: Case reports and review of the literature.Neuropediatrics. 2015 Geb;46(1):26-32. doi:10.1055/s-0034-1395347
Xie S, Bai C, Li K, Dong K, Yao W.Comparison of mediastinal and non-mediastinal neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroblastoma associated with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome: a systematic review and meta analysis.Transl Cancer Res. 2022 Oct;11(10):3741-3753. doi:10.21037/tcr-22-1120
Facini C, Barsacchi M, Piccolo B, Turco E, Pisani F.Early onset of propriospinal-like myoclonus in a child following a vertebral fracture.Neurology. 2016 Aug;87(9):1-2. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003053
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
