Is Twitching While Sleeping a Problem?

Twitching while sleeping is a common occurrence, but many people who experience these brief muscle movements aren’t even aware that they’re happening. Sometimes, however, the sudden twitching or jerking of your hand or foot is enough to awaken you. Or your spouse.

Twitching while sleeping also may be a symptom of a wide range of conditions, from periodic limb movement to more serious health challenges such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. You may want to have your healthcare provider rule out such possibilities.

Not all involuntary muscle movement is preventable, but there are some sleeping techniques that may help you remain still while you rest. First, let’s look at what’s behind the problem of twitching while while sleeping.

Causes of Muscle Twitches

The clinical term for a sudden, involuntary muscle contraction at any time is myoclonus. Twitching while sleeping is called sleep myoclonus. It may be so mild that you and your bed partner are unaware it’s happening. But it can also be a big-enough movement and occur multiple times a night that your bed partner will certainly notice it.

The cause of myoclonus isn’t completely understood, though researchers believe it may be due to an excessive reaction by the part of the brain that control muscle movement. This overreaction could be triggered by light, sound or other stimuli during sleep.

Not all examples of twitching while sleeping are myoclonus. In some cases, the movement is simply a muscle spasm. Leg cramps and spasms at night are actually somewhat common. A muscle spasm can be caused by muscle fatigue.

The possible causes of twitching while sleeping are almost endless, in fact. Nerve damage from cancer treatment can lead to involuntary muscle movement. So can diabetes, arthritis, and thyroid disease. Peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition characterized by narrowed blood vessels in the legs, can sometimes cause nighttime leg twitches. Even pregnancy can trigger twitching while sleeping.

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Sleep-Related Conditions

While involuntary muscle spasms and movements may be due to any number of conditions, two sleep-related health issues are at the root of many nighttime twitches. These include periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

PLMD may be related to issues with your nervous system, however research has yet to find that PLMD indicates any serious abnormalities. It’s not considered a serious health problem unless it’s contributing to insomnia and daytime sleepiness. PLMD may sometimes indicate a condition such as anemia or diabetes.

RLS is a more serious neurological disorder. People with RLS get an uncomfortable feeling—usually in the legs—that can sometimes be relieved by moving their muscles. But RLS includes more than twitching while sleeping. If you have RLS, you may have the urge to move your legs even while you’re sitting down. Unfortunately, RLS symptoms are triggered by lying down and trying to rest, so it can keep people from falling asleep. PLMD is actually a symptom experienced by many people with RLS.

Twitching While Sleeping: Prevention and Treatment

If you’re twitching while sleeping, and it’s because of PLMD or RLS, you may be prescribed medications to control your symptoms. These can include dopaminergic agents, such as carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet), which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Other drugs include benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium). These drugs are usually recommended for short-term use only, however.

If you’re looking for sleeping techniques that don’t involve powerful medications, you may want to try a few other steps first. For example, try going to bed without any caffeine in your system. Your muscle movements may or may not be triggered by that extra cup of coffee earlier in the day. But caffeine is associated with PLMD, so try an experiment. Avoid caffeine for several days and see how it affects your sleep and any twitching while sleeping.

But while you’re skipping caffeine, don’t skip exercise. Research suggests that physical activity during the day may help your muscles stay a little more inactive while you sleep. Whether it’s one intense workout during the day or a lot of walking and other activity throughout the day (which is optimal), exercise may be your key to reducing nighttime twitching.

Other potentially helpful sleeping techniques include sticking to a regular schedule of bedtime and wake-up time. This is just good sleep hygiene, but if you can stick to a regular seven-nights-a-week routine, you may find that twitching and any other sleep problems recede. A hot bath may also help relax your muscles, so they don’t twitch. A gentle leg massage is also recommended before bedtime.

Twitching While Sleeping: Outlook for Resolution

Twitching while sleeping may seem like a minor issue, particularly if it doesn’t bother you and you don’t feel sleepy during the day. But it may keep your bed partner from getting enough sleep. And it may be a symptom of other health problems.

So in the days ahead, try some preventive measures, such as regular exercise and no caffeine, and see how that works. If the twitching continues, discuss it with your doctor and see whether an overnight sleep study is warranted. This conversation may lead to a discussion about other symptoms that may seem minor now, but could be early warning signs of a condition that needs your attention.


Originally published in March 2016 and updated.

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