Why does my body 'jolt' just as I'm falling asleep? Ask the GP DR MARTIN SCURR

Sometimes when I am dropping off to sleep I have episodes which I can only describe as like a ‘zap’ – jolting me awake. Dr Martin Scurr replies: What you’ve described is a common phenomenon known as a hypnagogic hallucination – these are vivid, but transient hallucinations that occur in between wakefulness and full sleep. Dr Martin Scurr replies: Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths occurring inside the uterus or within the womb wall. They form during a woman’s reproductive years – oestrogen fuels their growth – and consist of smooth muscle cells and fibrous tissue. I’d also expect you to be offered a faecal immunochemical test, which is a home test where you send off a stool sample to be tested for traces of blood – and for your GP to arrange a colonoscopy to inspect the lining of the bowel.