Body vibrations when falling asleep or waking?

Posted by cricketlips @cricketlips, Jun 2, 2022

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 !

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.

@sierrafiedeffect

I've had GERD all my life and am also anemic. This is very helpful, thank you for your input and time.

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I have gerd as well...and gerd causes acid and gas in the gut which causes bloat. That pushes on your diaphragm making it difficult for your body to do deep breathing.

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Would like to share my experience:
I am Prediabetes, Senior over 75 years old.
I have body vibrations lately - at the lower back body, only when sleeping & started at mid night.
I tried to use electrical massage it helps & stop vibrations only 3 hours. Need massage again.
Now, I find out : lifting up the legs (put pillows under legs) & do not put arms over the head while sleeping - results are much better.
As I guest: during sleeping, let your body at the same level of your heart level. The blood will circulate more smoothly and pass through the nerve system without any disturbance.
When standing up, the blood circulation is more faster & smoothly - no disturb of nerve system & no vibration(s).
This is my point of view.

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Interesting to read about the vibration experiences of others. Those of mine that I am most aware of are as I go to sleep. However, I obviously do the same when I an supposedly asleep, as my husband refers to it as my “levitating.”

Years of tests, multiple visits to the neurologist and more have determined that mine are part of my CRPS [Complex Regional
Pain Syndrome]. A ridiculous number of diseases and conditions have been eliminated over the years. Pramipexole twice a day helps keep the issue under control for me.

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So grateful to find this info. Ive had this sensation for years. But it intensified last Spring when I experienced insomnia for the first time in my life. I went through a lot of testing : brain, spine, neck MRIs; extensive blood work; endocrinologist review; echo cardiogram; eye exams etc. My doctor put me on several anti-anxiety meds which had horrible side effects because she thought it was anxiety. I tried to tell her the symptoms preceded the anxiety. Having had two serious misdiagnoses, I’m sensitive to doctors missing obvious things and kept asking for more testing. About a month ago I developed tinnitus for the first time as well which could be another side effect of one of the pharmaceuticals I was on. This has been the hardest year of my life, much harder than going through cancer and treatments in part because doctors kept denying my experience and telling me it was all anxiety! One nurse practitioner said these symptoms could be Covid or Covid vaccine related, although I never had Covid symptoms or tested positive. It is very comforting to hear others describing the ‘internal vibration’ sensations so accurately. I have also a bit of tingling in my face and toes and facial numbness and went through testing to rule out MS and other neurological diseases. Acupuncture has been helpful as well as cranial sacral and body manipulation.
Thank you again, for this forum. I'll be checking to see if anyone comes up with a diagnosis. I am not anti-vax and had the bivalent vax. in Sept. I hope this is something that resolves.

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@rubyinparadise

Thanks for your post. I’m experiencing a similar sensation and I would be very interested to know what you are being recommended to take for supplements, if you are willing to share. I’m taking fish oil, phospholipids, and mucuna pruriens for the dopamine boost but I’m still experiencing this symptom some nights / mornings. Neuro tests normal so far but will have a brain mri in a couple of weeks. I’m very interested in anything to help reduce neuroinflammation which is what I believe is causing this. No family history of MS and no other symptoms of Parkinson’s or essential tremor.

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Just updating my original post. The tremors I was having have subsided and I'm now thinking they were most likely due to the onset of menopause, combined with some pretty severe insomnia being caused by some combination of menopause and anxiety. (Tremors, muscle twitching and insomnia are lesser-known symptoms of menopause, and can also be symptoms of anxiety.)

I've also been experiencing some left arm and hand weakness, pain, numbness and tingling for about 14 months that has not worsened. Sometimes a nerve pain runs down my inner arm and into my hand, thenar side (thumb and first finger most affected). Sometimes I also get numbness and tingling in my left leg and foot, that comes and goes.

Brain MRI came back normal. Cervical spine has some disc degeneration and disc bulges. There's something showing up on left brachial plexus MRIs that is most likely a benign tumor or cyst. Neurologist doesn't seem concerned, as we're not meeting again to discuss it until mid-February 2023, but she did say it could be causing or contributing to these symptoms. In the meantime I went to a chiropractor who immediately did x-rays and confirmed my c-spine and thoracic spine have lost all curvature. So now I'm working in an intensive program to help restore the curve in my c-spine and t-spine. It helps my symptoms so I'm feeling hopeful.
I want to note that the neurologists I've seen don't think that my straight spine syndrome has anything to do with my symptoms of paresthesia which seems bizarre to me. My lower spine has not been scanned as of yet. I'm going to continue with the chiropractic care and home exercises despite the neurologists not thinking it matters or that it will help. It has already helped.

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@callalloo

I had something possibly similar as a child. Sometimes, I'd have a feeling of partial-spinning...a feeling of turning maybe 20° to the right, then 20° to the left. It felt as if it went on for a minute or so, getting progressively slower and fading away. All I remember was that the pediatrician told my mother that it was fairly common and I'd likely grow out of it. And it was fun in a way.

It still happens, maybe once every few years, if I get overtired. An acupuncturist once told me that it's just the body rebalancing energy when the body is at rest.

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Yeah same here it's kinda fun or feels gd in a way and I can't explain it but when I seen u say that I was surprised bc I didn't expect anyone to say how I felt

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I too have this issue it happens when I wake up only and only starts when I first move. It has not been happening for several months and just started again. This has been going on over a year.

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Hello @kathy62, @wikky, and @violinkat, welcome to Connect. Have you seen these two articles on the topic?
— Brain Zaps Anxiety Symptoms: https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/brain-zaps/
— What to know about sleep myoclonus: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sleep-myoclonus

Also, @novajeff mentioned about similar symptoms in another discussion here – Has anyone experienced internal vibrations?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/231053/

Have any of you had an overnight sleep study done?

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Has anyone tried CBD, CBG or melatonin ?
I have worked with meditation audios to help fall asleep and de-pathologizing the sensations. Although Remeron helped, the side effects weren’t sustainable. Also noticing some nights where vibrations are not as intense.
Thanks for the on-going discussion. I check these threads every day.

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@johnbishop

Hello @kathy62, @wikky, and @violinkat, welcome to Connect. Have you seen these two articles on the topic?
— Brain Zaps Anxiety Symptoms: https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/brain-zaps/
— What to know about sleep myoclonus: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sleep-myoclonus

Also, @novajeff mentioned about similar symptoms in another discussion here – Has anyone experienced internal vibrations?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/231053/

Have any of you had an overnight sleep study done?

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I would like to get a sleep study done. My best guess is that my sleep disruption was caused by using low-dose estradiol cream and then a perfect storm ensued and the meds. I was given just added to the dysphoria I had already been experiencing. I’m also wondering if my blood sugar is adding to symptoms. Thank you for your suggestions.

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