My hypnic jerks began suddenly in July 2022, shortly after a traumatic event and a COVID infection earlier that year. Every time I fell asleep, it felt like a defibrillator shocked me awake —a violent full-body jolt followed by an intense adrenaline surge. This repeated for hours each night. Over time, the jerks evolved into falling sensations, body twitching, and repeated sleep-onset adrenaline surges. Alongside them came a cluster of symptoms that felt almost PTSD-like: heart pounding...

A sample..