# Why Does My Body Jerk When Falling Asleep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 10, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484 "2005-11-10T22:43:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/1 "2005-11-10T22:43:24Z")
Re: today’s [classic](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_423b.html) column. Just a minor nitpick, but CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, not “constant pressure air pump.” [cite](http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/snoring/cpap.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![VidiotDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee7513/32.png) [@VidiotDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VidiotDave)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/2 "2005-11-11T07:40:00Z")
It’s a shame that Cecil chose to run this classic column, when it is full of errors. Sleep apnea is a very real life threatening problem. Cecil says “it’s estimated that a million Americans suffer from obstructive apnea,” but the actual number is closer to TWENTY million, with six million so severe that they need treatment. And it certainly is NOT true that “most obstructive apnea victims are hypertensive middle-aged men who snore and possibly drink too much.” Weight and drinking can worsen the problem, but there’s a lot of people who have the problem just because of the anatomy of their airway. And don’t think that just because your partner tells you you don’t stop breathing during the night that you don’t have it–you might actually be waking up slightly every minute to take a breath, with serious consequence to your health. So when Cecil says “I’d say you needn’t get too concerned” he’s very wrong. I know that a lot of information about sleep apnea is very recent (a study on the impact to stroke risk was just released this week), but, sheesh, he could have at least gotten the definition of “CPAP” right with a quick Google… [http://www.entcolumbia.org/osa.htm](http://www.entcolumbia.org/osa.htm) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/3 "2005-11-11T14:25:23Z")
Wow, this column needs updating badly - so much so that it’s pretty close to giving bad medical advice. Ironic, eh? I think, in all fairness to Cecil, that (CPAP acronym aside) it’s not so much incorrect information as simply badly outdated information which is now known to be wrong. If that makes any sense. I’m not sure who to alert about this matter, so I guess I’ll report the OP in this thread, so as to get someone’s attention. Then it’s up to the powers that be to decide whether to update the column, delete it from the front page, or simply ignore us and go on with their day. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/4 "2005-11-11T18:17:35Z")
[People](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001145/bio) [die](http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/11/09/hscout529030.html) [from sleep apnea](http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/sports/051109/morris.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/5 "2005-11-11T18:34:49Z")
[Sleep apnea causes 1400 fatalities in America each year](http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/news/sleep_apnea_causes_1400_fatalities_in_america_each_year.htm) ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/6 "2005-11-11T19:06:51Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Wow, this column needs updating badly - so much so that it’s pretty close to giving bad medical advice. Ironic, eh? > > I think, in all fairness to Cecil, that (CPAP acronym aside) it’s not so much incorrect information as simply badly outdated information which is now known to be wrong. If that makes any sense. > > I’m not sure who to alert about this matter, so I guess I’ll report the OP in this thread, so as to get someone’s attention. Then it’s up to the powers that be to decide whether to update the column, delete it from the front page, or simply ignore us and go on with their day. The PTB need to delete that column pronto. His medical advice is so bad I’d fear being booted by the mods here if I posted it. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/7 "2005-11-12T02:13:05Z")
> [@VidiotDave](#): > > So when Cecil says “I’d say you needn’t get too concerned” he’s very wrong. It seems to me he’s refering to jerking, not to sleep apnea… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/8 "2005-11-12T02:47:02Z")
No offense, **Gfactor** , but two of those threads you linked do not support the concept of people dying from sleep apnea. The news report link says simply that some researchers assert that 1400 traffic deaths are related to sleep apnea; the link to the son who died doesn’t say they concluded sleep apnea was the cause. Sorry, but my current opinion about sleep apnea is that it is mostly a medical fad, pushed by people who want to sell fancy contraptions to keep you breathing properly, and seized upon by people who want a medical “diagnosis” for their feelings of tiredness, etc. Not to say it doesn’t exist, but rather that it is over-diagnosed, in much the same way the ADHD is. In the not too distant future, we’ll be wondering why we were so worried about it. That’s my opinion, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/9 "2005-11-12T03:21:55Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > No offense, **Gfactor** , but two of those threads you linked do not support the concept of people dying from sleep apnea. The news report link says simply that some researchers assert that 1400 traffic deaths are related to sleep apnea; the link to the son who died doesn’t say they concluded sleep apnea was the cause. > > Sorry, but my current opinion about sleep apnea is that it is mostly a medical fad, pushed by people who want to sell fancy contraptions to keep you breathing properly, and seized upon by people who want a medical “diagnosis” for their feelings of tiredness, etc. Not to say it doesn’t exist, but rather that it is over-diagnosed, in much the same way the ADHD is. In the not too distant future, we’ll be wondering why we were so worried about it. > > That’s my opinion, anyway. No offense taken. It’s all about fighting ignorance. Here are some credible studies on the topic. On what do you base your opinion? > [@](#): > > Obstructive sleep apnea is highly prevalent and associated with neurohormonal and electrophysiological abnormalities that **may increase the risk of sudden death** from cardiac causes, especially during sleep. (Emphasis added.) [“Day–Night Pattern of Sudden Death in Obstructive Sleep Apnea,” New England Journal of Medicine, March 2005](http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/352/12/1206) (registration required). > [@](#): > > [T]he presence of sleep apnea nearly doubled the risk of stroke or death, even after the researchers adjusted for other risk factors. [“Sleep Apnea May Raise Risk of Stroke, Death,”](http://www.4woman.gov/news/english/529030.htm) > [@](#): > > The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome significantly increases the risk of stroke or death from any cause, and the increase is independent of other risk factors, including hypertension. [Obstructive Sleep Apnea as a Risk Factor for Stroke and Death, New England Journal of Medicine, November 2005](http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/353/19/2034) (abstract) (summarized in previous link) \* And see\*, [“Sleep Apnea Rx May Not Eliminate Heart Risk”](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_27961.html). The article notes: > [@](#): > > A new study by Dr. Vahid Mohsenin and colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, supports prior research findings, that OSA raises the risk of stroke or death. It summarizes a study that concludes CPAP did not reduce the death rate in OSA sufferers when compared with a non-CPAP control group. The study also found “CPAP also failed to reduce hospitalizations or improve quality of life.” The researchers noted that, “their trial lacks ‘the power to conclude with certainty that CPAP is ineffective in this patient population.’” ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/10 "2005-11-12T04:11:33Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > [“Sleep Apnea May Raise Risk of Stroke, Death,”](http://www.4woman.gov/news/english/529030.htm) This is the same as the Forbes article that I cited earlier. Sorry for the duplication. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-body-jerk-when-falling-asleep/330484/11 "2005-11-12T05:14:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Most apnea studies have indicated that OSAHS is a relatively common disorder. In a large US epidemiologic study in individuals aged 30 to 60 years, 24% of men and 9% of women had abnormal AHI indices. Overall, it has been estimated that more than 158 million adults aged 25 and older suffer from sleep apnea and that more than 10 million men and women currently go untreated for the disorder in the United States. Currently, the prevalence of OSAHS is conservatively estimated to be 1% to 2% in middle-aged men and half that, or approximately 0.5% to 1%, in middle-aged women. It is estimated that only 1% of OSAHS patients are receiving appropriate treatment for their disease. (Footnotes omitted.) Sleep-Disordered Breathing: [http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/diseasemanagement/pulmonary/sleep/sleep.htm#oprevalence](http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/diseasemanagement/pulmonary/sleep/sleep.htm#oprevalence)