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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My body begins to resonate upon drifting to sleep as well as while awake.
I live in a Public Housing unit that has high [ EMF] electromagnetic frequencies that disrupt my body's neurological ions that crashes with the ions in the atmosphere.
My body is extremely sensitive to unseen magnetic ENERGY.
It's a form of Radiation Illness that most neurologist aren't educated in.
Medical codes exist for radiation illnesses yet the medical industry lacks the knowledge on recognizing the symptoms to apply the codes.
~Shahidah Huddleston
Just following up on all of this. I decided not to do the heavy metals testing / detox after looking into it further. They're not really evidence-based. (The exception is if you have mercury poisoning, which is a medical emergency and requires hospitalization.). I also stopped seeing a naturopath after I learned more. Much of what they do is not evidence-based. She wanted me to spend hundreds of dollars for tests that wouldn't have been useful.
I did follow up with the second neurologist who was fantastic. Very attentive, knowledgeable, and responsive. Did several MRIs including a brain scan, nerve conduction studies (2) and muscle tests (2). Thankfully everything came back normal, despite the twitching I was experiencing getting worse throughout 2022. I was ultimately diagnosed with Benign Fasciculation Syndrome - which gets worse with stress, insomnia, and anxiety. Managing those factors keeps the twitching down to a minimum. I also started hormone replacement therapy because in the middle of last year I also entered menopause, which can exacerbate insomnia and muscle twitching.
Regarding body vibrations when falling asleep or waking: I now believe this is most likely Sleep Paralysis, which gets worse with fatigue or chronic insomnia. Just two nights ago, I had an episode of full body vibrations around 5 am, which even included auditory hallucinations and flashing lights. It was wild. The last time I experienced this was in late 2021. I am not the only one in my family that gets these sensations, just drifting off to sleep or emerging from sleep. This is the best article I have found yet on the topic. Maybe it applies to some others here. (I hadn't slept well for a few nights, and the night I experienced this, was the first night I got a deep sleep and a full 8 hours - which, ironically, makes Sleep Paralysis more likely, due to REM deprivation from the previous nights!)
https://www.verywellhealth.com/symptoms-of-sleep-paralysis-3014781
I really feel for how much fear is involved in this process and I hope and pray that everyone here gets good news, and clear answers in their search.
I had internal vibrations this morning at a level 7. They were in the pelvic area this time. I'm just at a complete loss. Talked with neurologist, no luck. I've been on HRT for 15 or more years. The only time I had hallucinations was when I took Cymbalta. I'd hear sounds like metal pipes banging together. I'd open my eyes and it'd go away. I'd close my eyes but still be awake and I'd hear them again. Also had the shock like symptoms in brain too. Documented symptoms for 2 years before a class action lawsuit against them. I got $3000. Better than nothing I guess.
I’m so sorry for all you have been through.
Hi everybody. I'm new here and wanted to post my experience of these perplexing internal vibrations. Mine started 10 weeks ago along with other symptoms (vertigo, sore chest) which seemed to imply that my HRT patches were no longer helping me. Been 4 weeks on estrogel and progesterone combo now and still having the blasted tremors every night upon the exact moment of falling asleep. Last night was awake the entire night with no sleep. I sometimes get little spikes of electric shock feeling darting up from my abdomen just before the tremors happen. The tremor itself is an abdominal one and always wakes me right up just as I fall asleep. Because I reckon that much of this is due to an imbalance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system - like I'm stuck in fight-or-flight the whole time - I've decided to try acupuncture and see if that can balance things out again. I should add that I also had Covid 16 weeks ago, not badly, but of course like many of you on here I'm wondering if there's a connection.
Coming to this late (new member) but can I just thank you for this most helpful and encouraging post. You've given me lots of ideas to try there. Much appreciated.
Happened to me last night. I'm 17 male and I've been having this happen to me over the years. I find that it happens on the nights where I cannot sleep in bed until after a few hours of trying. Then when I close my eyes, I feel as though my brain is distorting itself from reality (buzzing, vibrating etc) very hard to describe the exact feeling but it does feel good. I also am able to intensify the feeling by looking up, or if I open my eyes the feeling goes away completely. Idk if this is just me but this also sometimes leads me into sleep paralysis or lucid dreaming. Another thing that happens to me other than this is when in the same scenario, instead of my head buzzing, i'll feel like I'm falling (but not the type of fall that you see other people talk about) the fall feels more vivid, and I am able to move, however as the fall progresses, it slows my ability to move. I am also able to exit and re enter this state for as long as I don't give in completely to the fall, and fall asleep. This usually then is accompanied by sleep paralysis if I give into the fall. Super weird but honestly cool. I'm really intrigued as to knowing what this is and am glad I'm not the only one who experiences this.
I have had this happen as long as I can remember. Happened to me teo nights ago. I feel like my body is falling and my body moved. I have experienced this too. A gew times walking on the stairs. Never been a problem to me as I always walk down the stairs carefully.
Carol1024- your symptoms sound most like mine. I recently went to a neurologist and did an MRI and we are ruling things out. I have a herniated lower disc and I’m starting to wonder if it has something to do with my spine. If they ever tell me what it is I’ll post it.
I have the same symptoms, I've done several tests and nobody detects anything... tremors, tinnitus, imbalances and tachycardia as well as GERD... muscle weakness and feeling faint, do you also experience these symptoms?
if you have any news let us know thanks