How many of you personally have either experienced the sudden jerk as you fall asleep or witnessed your partner or children doing the same. The first thing to tell you is whilst it may be a little scary when it happens to you, there is nothing dangerous about it, nor anything to worry about.
What exactly is happening or why this happens is a matter of discussion between the medical experts. Firstly there are two systems within your brain and in simple layman terms, the jerk happens when the switch occurs from one system to the other. The first system known as the reticular activating system (RAS) is responsible for regulating your wakeful state. This is where your brain flicks the switch from being awake to being asleep. The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) helps keep you asleep by keeping other areas of your brain dormant, according to the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience.
As I said there is nothing to worry about, but to reassure you between 50 and 70 percent of people experience these jerks. For more information watch this video as knowledge is power and it may also put your mind at ease literally.