British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I snore very badly, and recently have started twitching quite alarmingly at about 5am every morning. This clearly wakes my other half (she uses ear plugs to try adn combat the snoring).

Before she kills me, anyone got any idea why this might suddenly have started and anything I could do about it?

I have the same condition. Quite violent twitching. I believe it is something to do with my vivid dreams. The twitching can also develop into flailing arms and kicking feet. My advice is.........seperate beds. Sorry, but it can be dangerous for your other half. You may also find yourself falling out of bed. When I had my full sleep test, the nurses fitted bed guards along the sides of the bed. Not so much for my benefit, but more to prevent any possible compensation claim if I fell out of bed while in the sleep unit.
You will have to give some serious thought to what you must do. The fact that you are twitching shows that you cannot control your body while asleep and your body is starting to display episodes of physical activity beyond that control. You may be partly aware of the twitching, but can you risk it if you are asleep when it happens?
Your other half will be able to tell you more about your twitching than you. It may be that you do it more than you know.
I think you'll both have to be brutally honest about your sleep and the twitching.

I twitch, but I don't dream much. I sometimes wake myself up with a particularly violent twitch.

It drives my partner UP THE WALL, more so than the snoring.

I'd advise anyone with the dual problems of snoring + twitching to seek medical attention. It could be that your condition is easily managed.

I'm also rapidly coming to the conclusion that many many more people have sleep issues than anyone (NHS included) would care to investigate. The more people I talk to about this the more stories I hear that echo my own.

Might I suggest you look at CATAPLEXY on a very readable site about Narcolepsy http://www.narcolepsy.org.uk/, which might confirm that twitching and sleep disorders are infact related.

Kindest regards to all twitchers, and OSA sufferers and their other halves.

Alsa

Yes, I recently started having VERY vivid dreams. Basically, I stopped smoking 'recreational fags' - which had featured in my life for 18 odd years.

Now I have the maddest, most vivid dreams I have ever had.

I am not at all aware of the twitching, it's driving her mad.

We've only been together 7 months, seperate beds seems a horrible solution...

Maybe I should go to my doctor?

Thanks, really good to find I am not alone!

Damian

Damien, DO go to your doc, but perhaps you'll need to bring some 'supporting evidence' either in paper form or even your wife! All the best.

Oh and PS WELL DONE for giving up the cigarettes!

OK, I'mbooking an appointment tomorrow.

I gave up the fags 4 years ago, it was the more 'herbal' or 'recreational' ones I recently gave up that has led to the ultra vivid dreams and I think the twitching.

Hey ho. Thanks for the kind words though!

Speaking as a Family Doctor,

Treating twitching doesn't feature much in the training of doctors, so I don't think you'll gain much by going to see one.

Sleep movements are usually related to dreaming which happens when you are in the REM phase of sleep (light sleep). This usually ocdcurs when you are about to wake up, or half-way through the night (the deep sleep/light sleep cycle lasts around four hours). One also tends to sleep less deeply when under stress. Snoring may also keep you at a lighter level of sleep.

Have you been under stress lately?

Best Wishes

Frank

Thanks for the reply Frank.

Not stressed at all really. And it is always at about 5am that the twitching occurs.

The snoring is apparantly constant

Mores the pity...