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Body vibrations when falling asleep or waking?
After many google searches for the reason I feel vibration in my head, shoulder and arm just before falling asleep and waking, I found nothing that satisfactorily explained it. Of course anxiety seems to be a common explanation but there was nothing specific enough to help me. I am currently reading Incognito by David Eagleman. It discusses the functioning of the brain as an organ. This morning, going through my routine to get ready for work, I thought of a way to understand the vibrations. Similar to the hypnic jerks we experience occasionally just before we fall asleep, I think the vibrations are intended to arouse me to stay vigilant. Which is the fight or flight mechanism in action. So there is the anxiety connection. Originating in the amygdala. I was thinking Parkinson's or MS but my symptoms don't indicate those conditions, thankfully. It seems counterintuitive to be anxious and sleeping at the same time but the brain can do that. The cerebral cortex sleeps but the life support systems of the brain must stay online, obviously. If you thought you were in danger, sleeping would put you at risk but at some point sleep becomes absolutely necessary. I think the vibrations I have been experiencing are caused by my sympathetic nervous system and not a neurologic disease. Thankfully !
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I have had this happening for years too. Neurologists can’t figure out why. However, I have had insomnia for years and I think mine started when on the highest dose of Lunesta. It didn’t stop when I stopped the med either. I also find it disturbing! I also have been working the night shift for the last two years. I’m not sure if it’s making it worse but it definitely hasn’t improved any over time. I am not an anxious person, so I don’t think that is causing this. However, brain vibrations due definitely cause some anxiety🤣. I just want it to go away! It makes my insomnia worse.
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2 ReactionsI have had it for now over a year as well. Mine I'm certain is either long covid symptom or effects of klonopin which was prescribed to help with insomnia, go figure? I'm certain the drug did a number on my central nervous system. The reason I say it's one or the other is because the symptom started soon after taking the drug and developing covid which were within a couple weeks of each other. Anyway, I guess I may never know which one these culprits caused this issue. If it eventually stops I will suspect the drug and it's effects by stopping cold turkey which is a no no. If it go's on forever I'll assume it was the covid long haul crap which evidentally doesn't ever seem to go away for most. it is frustrating to say the least. And your right I did see a neurologist and he had no idea.
I had exactly the same thing. I thought the dog was shaking the bed as he does sometimes when I’m he wants my attention so I just thought it was him. One day it was so bad I sat up to tell him off but he wasn’t there. That’s when I thought oh-oh it’s me that’s vibrating. There is no visible movement in my body I just feel it mostly in my upper body and jaw.
I’ve just discovered if I move and stretch my neck out it stops for a while but comes back again. When I get up and out of bed I don’t have it at all.
I am 48 do yoga and meditate daily. I’m fit and well and even gave up drinking 2 months ago specifically to see if it made changes (it didn’t but ive remained alcohol free anyway).
I’m sorry you have the same symptoms but also glad cos it’s not just me losing my mind. The rest of the internet is full of essential tremor and Parkinson’s but those symptoms don’t align directly with this experience.
I am having a menopause massage next week and I’m wondering if it’s to do with tension in the neck and the way I’ve been laying down as well as estrogen fluctuations maybe. I have no idea. It’s disconcerting for sure.
Just curious as to whether you had Covid a few weeks/month before your tremors/vibrations started? I'm older at 66 but always in good health. These freaked me out as well when they started and still do but not as concerned as I once was. I did go to see a Neurologist to make sure Parkinsons or something wasn't raising it's head and he ran me through battery of tests. Said I had nothing that even began to exhibit that so felt much relieved. But it is frustrating for sure. Best to you.
Hi, I have been having this since I was a kid. I’m 30 now. Just had it again last night. It happens a couple times a month. I used to wonder if it was some type of seizure but I’ve never done a sleep study, nor do I have epilepsy that I’m aware of.
In my case it’s the onset of sleep paralysis. As a kid, this was the typical scary sleep paralysis, but I’ve learned to relax through it. If you dont panic, you won’t have the nightmarish visuals.
It’s like, the step in the falling asleep process that makes you not consciously aware of everything gets skipped, and I stay mentally awake throughout the entire process, all the way into the dream. Once I’m fully “in the dream” the buzzing feelings stop and I gain control of my “dream body” (no longer feel paralyzed, fully integrated into a lucid dream).
For me, it starts with a light vibration in my head accompanied by a whooshing sound. Sounds like someone blowing into my ears or tearing a piece of paper. At that early stage I’m not paralyzed yet. The buzzing/whooshing comes in waves or pulses. They get stronger and louder until it feels like my whole body is intensely buzzing. For me, it’s not a comfortable feeling. It feels like the magnetic pull holding my cells together is being stretched to its limit and my paralyzed body is being stretched directionally or turned as if on a rotating platform. And the buzzing sound becomes very loud. As if I can hear the electricity in my brain.
Eventually I’m fully paralyzed, still consciously aware, and beginning to have some auditory and visual experiences as the dream starts coming into form.
One issue is that I do sometimes wake up feeling groggy, my neck feels tense and I may get a headache after this happens.
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2 ReactionsNO worries just keep on exercising and moving. It will just go away.
NO worries. I have done research and this is mostly cause in the drop of hormones ( estrogen) after menopause. I already had a brain scan, neck and spine imaging--- yes I have mild scoliosis and I have neck compression so if I lift heavy stuff, I have this vibrations sometimes. NO worries it will go away in due time. I also am doing Pilates.
32 year old male. So many of these stories sound identical to mine especially the one from @edornton. Like all of you I'll have this vibration in my upper left chest. Shaking, tremors, buzzing, whatever you want to call it. I had it only a few times last year maybe once a month when waking up. Rarely will I wake up in the middle of the nigh, one of the times was after a bad dream. As of just this year I'm having it almost every night when trying to fall asleep. I'm at the point where as I get sleepier I can feel it about to come on. Like "here it comes here it comes lets get this over with" and sure enough there it is. It only lasts about 10 seconds tops. While its happening I don't feel dizzy or lightheaded or anything like that. Once its over I feel like I could spring right up and start running down the street if I wanted too and be perfectly fine. In which I am very active taking a 4 mile walk a day. When I do wake up in the morning I'll go right downstairs and drink my daily energy drink which probably isn't a good idea but could have something to do with this. The only really bad side effect from it is the anxiety I get from it which goes on to last on and off throughout the day. Anxiety in general might be the cause of all of this I don't know. It really messed up my sleep schedule this year and I was afraid to go to bed and was going to sleep at 4am I was able to fix that pretty quick the other day and I'm going to bed at 1am now which is "normal for me". While the vibrations are happening I try to grab my chest and see whats going on. I feel my heart beating normally while the vibrations happen slightly upwards from where my hearts beating. I was usually too tired to comprehend whats going on exactly but I'm like 100% sure thats what it feels like. I was almost starting to think the vibrations were all in my head! But sometimes I will make a noise as they are happening as if I'm riding over a bunch of bumps in the car "ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba" so I think theres gotta be something physical going on. I would also say the feeling might even radiate throughout my entire torso even down towards the liver on the complete opposite side of my upper left. A few weeks ago I went to the doctor. My EKG came up good as well as my blood tests. He ruled it out as my muscles acting up as he often did with my cardiac anxiety and hypochondria I've been dealing with since 2010 and went too for in 2015 and 2019 as well. I showed the doctor the rate at which the vibrations go with my finger and he said its impossible for the heart to even race that fast. Which made me feel better but I'm still pretty scared about all of this. Great doctor but he didn't act like it was anything too crazy. Haven't received any kind of follow up after the blood tests... I see a lot of people talking about covid which is kind of freaky now that I think about it. I got the pfizer vaccines in July 2021. I definitely had covid January 2022. I supposedly had it in December 2022 but it was just like a cold. 2023 was when these vibrations first started. My entire family had colds in December 2023 while I only had a minor one. Early 2024 when I started getting the vibrations almost every night now. I'm just rambling on. I should mention in November 2023 I was eating super healthy cutting sugar, bread, pop, candy etc. and walking alot and didn't have any vibrations. I'm doing the same thing this month but the vibrations haven't gone away. I sleep on my sides and snore alot I'm 6'1 230 pounds so definitely a bit over weight. I try to sleep sitting up but its so uncomfortable but I think I might have been able to successfully pull it off and actually didn't feel the vibrations... I just don't know what to think here. More than anything I want to know what body part or what organ is it exactly that we are feeling when this is happening? And why?
Same here. I also had a battery of tests. Brain scan, neck and spine MRI. Nothing. I just do Pilates and don't think about it. I now sleep good but most of the time I am stiff and feel a bit of vibration when I wake up. when i stand up and start moving, it just goes away. It is worse when I am sedentary. I feel stiffness and body aches if I do not move, stretch and exercise. Glad to know I am not alone.
Yes does seem very similar to my experience. My only recommendation is just to relax and ignore it best you can. No one has figured out what it is but it doesn't appear to be harmful The more you worry about it the more if affects the quality of your sleep. When I feel it coming on now I just think "great this means I'm going to fall asleep now" and snooze off. Best wish to you.