Okay, the twitching and facial expressions sound like the normal "jerks" Tracy talks about, and we've all seen - it's the baby going through REM sleep and cycling into a lighter sleep phase. If he is overtired he will have a hard time passing through this transition without waking.
This is what swaddling is for - do you swaddle? Many babies complain about it at first, but it really does help.
Have you tried Wake to Sleep (called W2S)? There are threads about it on the Sleep board, basically you time when this is happening, and give him a little stir a few minutes before he would jerk awake, this will bump him into the next sleep cycle. I have never done that technique, but it works for some.
I have done the second type of Wake to Sleep, and it worked well. You time when the baby will likely jerk awake, and a couple of minutes before that you sit by the crib and when he stirs, you put your hands on him and put light pressure along his body (just the weight of your arms will do it, not pushing down hard or anything). This will keep those jerks from being so big and startling him awake.
Now, SugarKiss, the snuffly breathing and the fact that your lo sleeps better with head elevated suggests there may be a reflux issue. There is a reflux board, you might check it out to see if he has other symptoms.
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