Resolved question:
Im not sure where to start but I will start with back when I was a teenager. When I was a teen, at school I would lie my head down on my desk and knod off but as I would knod off I would jolt my self alert or awake or whatever. I know hypnic jerks are pretty much normal but I still have them to this day. As I lie in bed falling asleep my leg would jolt me aware or awake. Once in a while, my whole body will jolt me awake. It did the other night. I am taking lamictal and am aware of that being also a seizure medicine. I take it for mood. I do not have a seizure disorder. Is this still normal for me to still be experiencing these jolting awake episodes? It happens just about everyday/night. Also, when I was a teen, I played sports, with physical exertion, the base of the back of my head would fill like over exerted. I was not in good shape as I should have been. I was of normal weight. The feeling felt like blood rusing through, back at the base of my head. Can these two things (hypnic jerks and the feeling at the base of the back of my head) be related in anyway? I have wondered if I need to be checked for any genetic heart conditions or any other that cause either symptom or both.
I don't think they would be related in any way but so that is why I put both of them here with my questions.
Not sure if this plays a part, but I stay dehydrated due to a good amount of sodas per day. Something I am working on. I have an anxiety disorder and have had a few panic attacks. Not major ones but enough to cause a little concern at times.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Psychiatrist
Hello
Thanks for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.
The hypnic jerks are common and normal for this age as well and may persist all through your life. They dont look like a seizure and you may continue taking your medicines. For some these jerks are mild while for some these are severe. But there is no requirement for treatment of this condition.
Regarding your second doubt that the back of your head feeling like exerted after blood rushing out through it, It may not be related to the jerks. Neither is it a sign of any congenital heart disease. Mostly it has something to do with the strain in your cervical vertebral area. It could be a spondylosis which may exacerbate when you physically exert. If its causing a lot of problem then you may get an MRi scan of the cervical vertebra done. This can help us in evaluating the healthiness of the vertebra.
Hope this helps,
In case if you have any further query, do let me know.
Kind regards
Dr. Srikanth Reddy