Waking up with a fright after a dream that you are falling from a high place is one of the unpleasant experiences that most people have experienced in their lives. The feeling of falling is so real that the shock when waking up often reflects the despair of the situation. But why is this type of dream so common?
Neurologist Dalva Poyares, a doctor at the Sleep Institute, states that dreams with the feeling of falling are, in fact, shocks at the beginning of sleep.
Neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes, associate professor at FM-USP (Faculty of Medicine at the University of São Paulo), clarifies that dreams in which you are falling into do not mean a problem.
“Physiological myoclonus can happen in both children and adults, especially when we are very tired or sleep in uncomfortable positions.”
Myoclonus are muscle tremors that can occur during sleep. This often happens because the cerebral cortex lacks the ability to control movements, as well as suppress them.
Gomes explains that myoclonus appears more frequently in children, due to the period of brain formation and maturation. As the brain grows and matures, the tendency is for episodes to become less and less frequent.
Myoclonic jerks can occur for genetic reasons, which would explain the emergence of some types of epilepsy, intoxication, encephalitis, infections and other diseases. It is important that the diagnosis is made early so that, if a problem is identified, neuropsychomotor delays can be avoided.
Dalva adds that sleep myoclonus is part of the group called sleep movement disorders, which can include alternating leg movements, bruxism and periodic leg movements, for example.
R7
Waking up with a fright after a dream that you are falling from a high place is one of the unpleasant experiences that most people have experienced in their lives. The feeling of falling is so real that the shock when waking up often reflects the despair of the situation. But why is this type of dream so common?
Neurologist Dalva Poyares, a doctor at the Sleep Institute, states that dreams with the feeling of falling are, in fact, shocks at the beginning of sleep.
Neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes, associate professor at FM-USP (Faculty of Medicine at the University of São Paulo), clarifies that dreams in which you are falling into do not mean a problem.
“Physiological myoclonus can happen in both children and adults, especially when we are very tired or sleep in uncomfortable positions.”
Myoclonus are muscle tremors that can occur during sleep. This often happens because the cerebral cortex lacks the ability to control movements, as well as suppress them.
Gomes explains that myoclonus appears more frequently in children, due to the period of brain formation and maturation. As the brain grows and matures, the tendency is for episodes to become less and less frequent.
Myoclonic jerks can occur for genetic reasons, which would explain the emergence of some types of epilepsy, intoxication, encephalitis, infections and other diseases. It is important that the diagnosis is made early so that, if a problem is identified, neuropsychomotor delays can be avoided.
Dalva adds that sleep myoclonus is part of the group called sleep movement disorders, which can include alternating leg movements, bruxism and periodic leg movements, for example.
R7
