It's not possible to fully prevent hypnic jerks from occurring, but there are certain bedtime habits you can adopt to reduce their risk of waking you up. When you go to sleep, be sure to make your sleep environment as dark and quiet as possible. If noise is an issue, consider using bedtime earplugs or a white noise machine to drown out external sounds. Try sleeping at the same time each night, and avoid electronic devices at least half an hour before sleeping.