Freud’s theories are all fails but he did get the ball rolling.
You guys were experiencing an hypnagogic myoclonic twitch or “hypnic jerk”. Close to 70% percent of people experience it when falling asleep. When the signals to your muscles begin to die down and you go into a resting state, your brain senses these relaxation signals, but can misinterpret. Instead of beginning the proper sleep cycle, your brain tells you that you’re falling down, which then starts up the signals to the muscles again in an attempt to get you up.