jumpy, kicking movements while sleeping....every few minutes

[eljomom]

I noticed this before with my pitand dd7 when she was doing a bit worse. She's been a bit clingy again the past few weeks, and last night came into my room and got in bed with me around 2 a.m. She would kick, or flop, or just do some sort of quick, sudden movement--like a twitch or jerk.. it seemed like every few minutes...after a couple hours of this, I got up and left and went to HER bed. Just wondering what this is. Anyone know? Is it like having tics in her sleep?

Edited May 28, 2011 by eljomom

[LNN]

You may want to do a little research on myoclonic jerks. They're not specific to any particular disease. Anyone can get them (I usually get them once in awhile just as I start to fall asleep - maybe 1-2 times a year). If they happen frequently, they can be an indication of something neurological, but are not diagnostic in and of themselves. Maybe see if you can find something on youtube to see if this matches what you're seeing.

[PowPow]

I also have these, what LLM describes, sometimes they are even auditory, as well. Just as I fall asleep, I hear a very loud clashing sound and have muscle jerking. They are also called sleep starts.

 

I do not know if that is what you are describing, though. I would also suggest you look up benign fasciculation syndrome--

 

I think it could be an increase in frequency of tics, though. They can occur at night,I believe. However, I think they are normally markedly decreased during sleep.

[eljomom]

I saw the myoclonic jerks, and my husband gets those whenever he is falling asleep. But this was when she was dead asleep, 3-4-5 in the morning......I wonder if it has something to do with dopamine signaling?

[LNN]

I know your Pandas doc is hard to reach, but it may be worth a very brief email on Tuesday asking about this symptom, given that it's happening in the middle of sound sleep. Sleep cycles are generally 90 minutes. If you happen to be awake, making note of how far apart they happen would be helpful. If they happen every 90 min, it could be part of a dream cycle. But if they happen throughout the 90 min cycle, that could mean something entirely different. I think your best bet is to get the doctor involved if you can.

[SarahJane]

I am on my phone, so I don't have the article (& am not sure I have it saved or had just printed & if it's printed then I have no idea where it is). My son did this when he was little. Not sure when it started, but maybe when he was 2-something. Very fitful sleep...moved all over...very hard to sleep with when we traveled. It was something we talked to the dr about when the autism questions started at 2.5 (no diagnosis). He also snored, so we had his adenoids out. Did help with the snoring but not the movements. We tried to do a sleep study but that was a bust. A year later he was still doing it. I took him to the dr after he punched me in the face while we were on a trip & all sleeping in a king bed. He was asleep & I was looking at him like a mom does her child & BAM his fist came over at his me in the nose...hard. I checked him out & found enlarged tonsils & took him to the dr & asked about a tonsillectomy & went to ENT. He stopped doing it after tonsils out, & they were huge & gross.

 

Okay...retrospectively, after our PANDAS diagnosis (1.5) years after his tonsillectomy & after 1st dx'd strep throat), I got to thinking about how his early issues were likely early onset PANDAS. I Googled it somehow and found something about nocturnal tics that can occur with Tourette's. We were checking for apnea with the sleep study since he did still snore some...there had been a question of seizures too (nope). Briefly we talked about Tourette's but dismissed it because he was so young. Google it and see if you can find that. I don't know if that's what it was for sure, but it does make sense. He doesn't do it anymore (tho' he was a little jumpy in his sleep the last time I stayed at my sister's, but I think he also had an allergy there since she had some room fresheners going that we had to turn off while visiting.)

 

Sorry, this was so rambling...am on my phone. No way to go back up & edit, but I wanted to share it as a possibilty.

[eljomom]

Thanks SarahJane. So is your pandas child currently in remission? Did/does he have tics? Our pandas doc (whom I haven't mentioned this to yet) does not think dd has Tourettes, but pandas, even with tics that don't remit since the biggee. Funny, we had snoring, frequent waking...had adenoids out. Was doing better (this was all pre-pandas sudden decline...even though some ocd was there). Now she's snoring a bit again (been almost 2 yrs since adenoids out). pandas doc said she should have her tonsils out too. Did that help pandas any?

 

 

I am on my phone, so I don't have the article (& am not sure I have it saved or had just printed & if it's printed then I have no idea where it is). My son did this when he was little. Not sure when it started, but maybe when he was 2-something. Very fitful sleep...moved all over...very hard to sleep with when we traveled. It was something we talked to the dr about when the autism questions started at 2.5 (no diagnosis). He also snored, so we had his adenoids out. Did help with the snoring but not the movements. We tried to do a sleep study but that was a bust. A year later he was still doing it. I took him to the dr after he punched me in the face while we were on a trip & all sleeping in a king bed. He was asleep & I was looking at him like a mom does her child & BAM his fist came over at his me in the nose...hard. I checked him out & found enlarged tonsils & took him to the dr & asked about a tonsillectomy & went to ENT. He stopped doing it after tonsils out, & they were huge & gross.

 

Okay...retrospectively, after our PANDAS diagnosis (1.5) years after his tonsillectomy & after 1st dx'd strep throat), I got to thinking about how his early issues were likely early onset PANDAS. I Googled it somehow and found something about nocturnal tics that can occur with Tourette's. We were checking for apnea with the sleep study since he did still snore some...there had been a question of seizures too (nope). Briefly we talked about Tourette's but dismissed it because he was so young. Google it and see if you can find that. I don't know if that's what it was for sure, but it does make sense. He doesn't do it anymore (tho' he was a little jumpy in his sleep the last time I stayed at my sister's, but I think he also had an allergy there since she had some room fresheners going that we had to turn off while visiting.)

 

Sorry, this was so rambling...am on my phone. No way to go back up & edit, but I wanted to share it as a possibilty.