Dyskinesia, jerky movements in sleep

[Hunter]

I notice that one of my legs slightly jerks when I’m sitting.  Its minimal but I notice it.  Not even my wife is aware yet.  Hope she doesn’t since it will upset her.

[Karla Burkhart]

I quite often have jerkey movements when I’m going to sleep or waking up. Plus during the night if I wake up it’s usually because my muscles are tense or cramping. Then I have to move them and sometimes even then it doesn’t help. I haven’t talked to the doctor yet about it because it hasn’t been going on for very long.

[Maddy]

My legs are quite frequently when I’m falling asleep also sometimes my arms. That is one of the symptoms that I have.  The problem is it wakes me up so I have to try to go to sleep again.

 

[Charles Schiller]

I too experience twitching, minor jerking, in my legs as I’m trying to sleep. Just another thing to annoy me. I’m supposedly early stage and I’m 78.

 

 

[Andrew L.]

I periodically have it too. Very disconcerting. Have thought it is caused by my dopamine levels dropping to low, but I don’t know.

[John H]

I experience body jerking prior to being diagnose with PD. It would occur randomly and about three to four times a year. After five years of my PD diagnosis the frequency has changed to one-two twitches a month. They are not the same. Some are scary where my entire body shakes and other times it is just my leg will twitch. Everything just happens in a split second and I never know when it will happen. They have occur while sitting, laying in bed and when playing golf or working outside.

[Troy]

Hello; sleep is currently my biggest issue. We noticed a few things: 1) the “falling” feeling when drifting off to sleep, which usually sets me back about 45 minutes as I try to tall back sleep with all the adrenaline rushing through my body! 2) acting out in my sleep which typically involves running with my legs and thrashing side to side with my arms. Finally, I will sometimes 3) jerk my legs around, as you are experiencing.

All of these symptoms are new; I’ve never had sleep disruptions. I don’t experience every disruption every night, but I do experience some form of disruption every night. We’ve purchased a weighted blanket that keeps me from kicking my wife; we’re grateful to have it. The doctor has me on sleep meds, but I still find myself  waking up a few times a night and finally just getting up very early because of the stiffness and start of tremors.

[Barry Block]

I too have these movements when I sleep. I’ve found that taking my Sinemet CR just before going to sleep is helpful.

[Jacque Walston]

I, too, experience jerking leg movements when I am trying to fall asleep, and the leg muscles are sort of cramping. It is very disconcerting. This only started after I was diagnosed. I find having a warm bed helps. I have a heated mattress topper I use to pre-heat the bed, especially on cold nights. Also, I turn on classical music and concentrate on that until I fall asleep. I don’t believe I have any thrashing or kicking when I sleep (I am single and the dog doesn’t complain <lol>).

[Barbara Ford]

For years before I was diagnosed with PD, I would have strong full body jerks when falling asleep. I thought it was just my body relaxing after a stressful day, and was “natural “.  The jerks still occur, no more and no less than before my diagnosis.

[Skip Shaputnic]

Likewise, for many years before my diagnosis I would occasionally have strong bodily jerks involving legs or arms when drifting off to sleep–like a final surge of electrical release that my body needed in order to settle down or something. Then I could regroup and get to sleep without further incidence. These episodes would happen only every few months.

But, after diagnosis (5 years now, but almost 9 years since initial tremor symptoms began) these pre-slumber jerks have stopped. Also, acting out while dreaming has been eliminated by increasing melatonin dosage from 5 mg to 10mg, under the supervision of my neurologist.