Twitching, a quick and sudden movement or jerk, is a common thing that occurs in humans and animals. For many years, it was believed that twitching was a by-product of dreams. For example, if you dreamed about running away from something, your legs might start to twitch. But now, science is suggesting otherwise. In an attempt to understand what twitching is a result of, researchers studied the brain activity of newborns while they slept. It was found that when a baby twitches in their sleep, their brain sends out signals to the rest of their body, similar to how a submarine transmits signals out into a deep ocean. In essence, the brain is trying to figure out “what’s out there” as it tries to figure out the rest of the body. From the results of this study, researchers now believe that when babies twitch, they are really mapping out all the different parts of their body and how they are all connected to one another.
