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 !

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@edornton

What most people are reporting is not heart related. Most everyone have had their hearts checked and confirmed that it is something else.

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No because I have PVC's and it's nothing like that. It actually feels like you have swallowed a viberator.. I can place my hand on side of my abdomen and feel the vibrations. I think mine is from injury to ohrenic nerve, swallowing huge gulp of air taking meds. Had it since 2019. My cpap has stopped them right now. Makes sense since the phrenic nerve controls the diaphragm and the diaphragm controls your breathing and having air forced in from the cpap does something.

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@carol1024

I've had them since 2019. I keep a journal with a scale of severity. They stop the minute I get up and I place my hand on my side and actually feel it vibrating. They move around. If they are very bad, a level 8 or higher, I have to sit on edge of bed a minute because my whole insides tremble.

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My symptoms are exactly what you described. I would love it if doctors took us seriously and try to figure out WHY this is happening. I am going back to my neurologist next month and I will discuss it with her again.

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I’m glad that I found this post and that I’m not the only one! I’m a 62 yr old woman that has been waking with a slight internal vibration in my eyes, head, and chest for a couple of months now.
If I lightly put my teeth together, I can almost feel them vibrating together.
I am vaxxed & boosted (over a year ago) and I had Covid just under a year ago, so it doesn’t seem either are immediately related. This morning I timed it— they last 3 minutes.
Naturally, googling pulled up either distressing or benign results. I feel like if I go to a doctor, they’re just going to do a bunch of tests that will come back fine and I’ll just look like I’m complaining about nothing significant.

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@lindybowers

Can we substitute the word, "vibrations" with "fluttering" and see if it fits our descriptions of the sensations we are experiencing?? Read this article:
Heart palpitations: anxiety or something else?
If you’ve ever felt fluttering in your chest or like your heart is pounding, you know it can be a little shocking or scary. “When your heart beats rapidly or irregularly for a few seconds, you might feel this odd sensation in your chest, neck or throat,” says Dr. Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, cardiac electrophysiologist and director of cardiac electrophysiology at Geisinger Northeast.
This fleeting feeling like your heart is fluttering is a called a heart palpitation, and most of the time it’s not cause for concern.
Heart palpitations can be caused by anxiety, dehydration, a hard workout or if you’ve consumed caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or even some cold and cough medications. Women who are pregnant also commonly experience heart palpitations.
“If you experience heart palpitations that are linked with anxiety, you may feel other symptoms like an upset stomach or sweaty palms,” says Dr. Vijayaraman. You can likely attribute this anxiety to a life event like stress at work or home, or a job interview.
But if heart palpitations last more than a few seconds at a time, increase in frequency over time, or if you know you have an existing heart condition, this fluttering may be something more than just anxiety. It might be atrial fibrillation, or AFib.
“During atrial fibrillation, blood pools in the upper atria and the heart flutters, or fibrillates, as it tries harder to pump out this blood to other chambers of the heart and through the body,” explains Dr. Vijayaraman.
Other symptoms of AFib include dizziness, shortness of breath, weakness or general fatigue and chest pain.

For some people, AFib lasts a few days at a time and their heartbeat returns to normal. For others, AFib can last longer or become chronic. Whether the flutters are short-lived or become permanent, AFib increases the risk of stroke and heart failure.
“Any time your blood isn’t pumping consistently through your body, you could be at risk for a stroke,” says Dr. Vijayaraman. “Patients with AFib are five times more likely to have a stroke than those without it.”
It’s important to see a doctor if you notice that your heart palpitations are occurring regularly or increasing in frequency.
“A doctor may monitor your heartbeat and conduct tests to determine if you have AFib,” said Dr. Vijayaraman. “Understanding your family health history and any current health issues can also help your doctor accurately diagnose your irregular heartbeat.”
It’s also important to note that some people who have AFib don’t experience heart flutters or other symptoms at all.
“Occasionally, a patient will be diagnosed with AFib during a routine checkup,” notes Dr. Vijayaraman. “That’s why it’s so important to see your doctor regularly, especially as you age.”
To make an appointment with Dr. Vijayaraman or another heart rhythm specialist at Geisinger, visit Geisinger.org or call 800-275-6401.

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No, not the same at all. I get these when I consume too much alcohol, they aren NOT the same as the vibrations. the vibrations for me seem to be more associated with general insomnia/exhaustion at least in my case.

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@carol1024

I've had them since 2019. I keep a journal with a scale of severity. They stop the minute I get up and I place my hand on my side and actually feel it vibrating. They move around. If they are very bad, a level 8 or higher, I have to sit on edge of bed a minute because my whole insides tremble.

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I honestly think it's the other way around. I think the vibrations wake us up.

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@johnbishop

Welcome @clkehn, I know it's a daily struggle when you don't get enough sleep. Hopefully you can find a new PCP soon and figure out what may be causing the internal vibrations. Here is some information that may be helpful:
--- What’s Causing My Internal Vibrations?: https://www.healthline.com/health/internal-vibrations.

Also, wondering if this might be helpful for your sense of taste due to COVID. This site talks about the problem and things that might help:
--- Long COVID: Loss of smell or taste: https://www.nhsinform.scot/long-term-effects-of-covid-19-long-covid/signs-and-symptoms/long-covid-loss-of-smell-or-taste

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I am going to start...I really wish someone would focus on these vibrations and find a cause for them. There HAS to be a common thread. I also take rosuvistatin for cholesterol, I take hormones, I have had a subarachnoid hemorrhage (brain bleed) in 2011, I take metoprolol(beta blocker) for fast heart beat and palpitations. I take blood pressure meds (losartan). I am about 40 pounds overweight and admit I'm not a very active person since retiring even though I have a treadmill in the livingroom. I've just started taking Coq 10 and I take magnesium per cardiologist because it's great for the heart. My palpitations have slowed tremendously since starting Coq 10, ($23 from Amazon). I do not drink and have stopped smoking (3-19). It was so easy, I just never lit up again after a weekend in hospital for cat bite. The urge just wasn't there. There are also pauses in the vibrations at times that coincide with a skipped heart beat. My whole body can feel the pause. PLEASE, surely there has to be somebody out there that wants to figure out what the cause of these vibrations are. I'm donating my body to science so maybe they will find something then, that can help the living.

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@amgodin

I have had this since 2012. I had a viral infection of sort. I have had extensive blood work done. I found that vagus nerve stimulation has a reduction in symptoms. Mainly, breath work that really extend the belly outwards and pressing out. My viral stemmed from the gut. Vibrations disappeared after many years of working on Vagus nerve. I got Covid in January and presto, vibrations and symptoms are back. Now working at vagus nerve protocol again more than ever. Also, I found that I had stool checked and have almost zero of butyrate, which is a necessary transporter from the gut to the neurotransmitter via vagus nerve. I think that has a bearing in why the vagus nerve isn't performing to its necessary function. Also, my norepinephrine is high which us also up the same neuro pathway. I have done extensive research which has been vetted by my team prior to finishing my book. The link between gut/brain axis to heal from this is high.

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All my research points to the phrenic nerve which controls the diaphragm which controls the breathing. I believe I injured my phrenic nerve when I swallowed a huge gulp of air taking my morning meds. I had pain for 2 days at base of esophagus and it felt like pills were stuck. My neurologist also thinks the vibrations are because of an over active central nervous system.

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@carol1024

All my research points to the phrenic nerve which controls the diaphragm which controls the breathing. I believe I injured my phrenic nerve when I swallowed a huge gulp of air taking my morning meds. I had pain for 2 days at base of esophagus and it felt like pills were stuck. My neurologist also thinks the vibrations are because of an over active central nervous system.

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I’m
Beginning to believe my vibrations have something to do with hormones and/or blood sugar. I was on tamoxifen for 10 years and was taking 20 mg melatonin/night for at least 10 years. I also believe Covid or the vaccine has a part to play. As well as thyroid. There are a lot of delicate body systems that are interwoven and respond to each other. I hope we can get to the bottom of this. I’m now experiencing buzzing/pins and needles throughout my body on nights when I’m dropping weight. So this may be a blood glucose issue as well. A lot of variables at play. Would love some relief!

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@violinkat

I’m
Beginning to believe my vibrations have something to do with hormones and/or blood sugar. I was on tamoxifen for 10 years and was taking 20 mg melatonin/night for at least 10 years. I also believe Covid or the vaccine has a part to play. As well as thyroid. There are a lot of delicate body systems that are interwoven and respond to each other. I hope we can get to the bottom of this. I’m now experiencing buzzing/pins and needles throughout my body on nights when I’m dropping weight. So this may be a blood glucose issue as well. A lot of variables at play. Would love some relief!

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I never had covid and I didn't get the vaccine either so I know that's not my issue. There has got to be a common thread. My only hope is that somewhere out there is a doctor willing to take on the challenge.

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@carol1024

I never had covid and I didn't get the vaccine either so I know that's not my issue. There has got to be a common thread. My only hope is that somewhere out there is a doctor willing to take on the challenge.

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Are we mostly women experiencing these sensations?
Anyone else with thyroid issues? Post menopausal ?
I’m trying to find the common attributes.

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