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

I am having a very similar condition. About 9 months ago I started having a vibrating sensation in my upper chest around the area of my collar bones. It would only happen when I was just drifting off to sleep, when briefly waking up during the night, or when waking up. It would never happen when I was awake. It scared me at first so much that I was afraid to even go to bed but over time I realized it didn't seem life threatening and just accepted that it would happen. It happens every single night with no exception. Sometimes it is continuous all night long or comes and goes throughout the night. Having some medical background I ruled out a heart problem (EKG, Stress Test and Chest X ray); most medical issues (normal Hemotology, Chem, B-12 , Blood Glucose an Blood Pressure) and any supplements or medications. I have seen my Doctor and he doesn't know what it is. It happens no matter what position I am in. It always it is same rate but intensity varies during the night and night to night. I can reduce the intensity by stretching and changing position but it only goes away completely when I am fully wake up. I am a female 74 years old, still playing soccer so active, retired veterinarian and not under any stress. Got my third Covid vaccination shortly before signs started and have never had Covid that I know of. I would love to find out what this is and be in any study if one was available.

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I can’t believe I found someone that has the same thing . I just woke up from my nap and my tongue, arms and legs were, as usual, vibrating like a buzzing cell phone so I decided to Google it.
My buzzing/vibrating started 12 days after my Covid 19 vaccine AstraZeneca. It was so intense then, it was in my spine and chest area, after a month it stopped but the tongue, arm and leg continue to buzz 3 years later, every time I drift to sleep or wake up, especially from a nap.
Doctors have no idea what I’m talking about.
Unfortunately that’s only one of the many symptoms I have since my vaccine, (chronic burning sensation on my skin all over my body , chronic pain, autonomic dysfunction) I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy and autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s. All the symptoms started around 2 weeks after my vaccine. I had no health issues before.

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I have the exact same thing, it's not "zaps" or anything like that, but like my bed is literally vibrating, when I'm in that sleep/wake phase. I have had some mold exposure, and have been told by my naturopath that body vibrations can be a symptom of mold exposure. I am working through some mycotoxin detox and it seems to be getting better/lesser.

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@jencoderre

I can’t believe I found someone that has the same thing . I just woke up from my nap and my tongue, arms and legs were, as usual, vibrating like a buzzing cell phone so I decided to Google it.
My buzzing/vibrating started 12 days after my Covid 19 vaccine AstraZeneca. It was so intense then, it was in my spine and chest area, after a month it stopped but the tongue, arm and leg continue to buzz 3 years later, every time I drift to sleep or wake up, especially from a nap.
Doctors have no idea what I’m talking about.
Unfortunately that’s only one of the many symptoms I have since my vaccine, (chronic burning sensation on my skin all over my body , chronic pain, autonomic dysfunction) I was diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy and autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s. All the symptoms started around 2 weeks after my vaccine. I had no health issues before.

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I have had them since 2019 and I didn't get covid vaccine. Since I have been taking a gabapentin at night they have gotten better. Mine are in my torso area and pelvic area at times. It's like you swallowed a cell phone. They wake you up. People say they have the vibrations when they wake but it's actually the vibrations that wake you. It's weird.

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@cricketlips,
any new information as to what you were experiencing, or still are? I am experiencing the same thing at a progressive intensity where I have to take Metoproplol and Prazosin to sleep. If I only take the beta blocker, the internal rocking (usually felt in upper body region:neck, chest) it's enough to wake me up or now prevent me from sleeping. March 2024, but I started to notice it last fall 2023. It became worrisome in Dec 2023, and has progressively worsened where I could sleep and be woken up by the shaking. The way a person looks with Parkinson's, is how it feels internally for me. I don't know what to do. I am getting my heart checked out but this is also something else going on apart from the heart. I never had problems falling asleep and now I can't sleep without 2 medications.
I'm hoping for some direction, and hopefully someone has gained more insight into those specifics?

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@sitta

@cricketlips,
any new information as to what you were experiencing, or still are? I am experiencing the same thing at a progressive intensity where I have to take Metoproplol and Prazosin to sleep. If I only take the beta blocker, the internal rocking (usually felt in upper body region:neck, chest) it's enough to wake me up or now prevent me from sleeping. March 2024, but I started to notice it last fall 2023. It became worrisome in Dec 2023, and has progressively worsened where I could sleep and be woken up by the shaking. The way a person looks with Parkinson's, is how it feels internally for me. I don't know what to do. I am getting my heart checked out but this is also something else going on apart from the heart. I never had problems falling asleep and now I can't sleep without 2 medications.
I'm hoping for some direction, and hopefully someone has gained more insight into those specifics?

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Had similar.
Seemed to be related to thyroid and estrogen levels.
Mirtazapine has helped w sleep but I hate the side effects. Am tapering slowly off.
Taking MANY supplements that are helping and seeing a naturopathic doctor.
Are you a woman? Post menopausal ? Any thyroid issues?
Hormones seem to play a role.
Hang in there. Although the vibrations are alarming, for me they were not Life-threatening.
I went through extensive testing for MS, heart issues, neurological issues etc. Still thinking could be Covid related as well. It’s a mystery and you are NOT alone.

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@violinkat

Had similar.
Seemed to be related to thyroid and estrogen levels.
Mirtazapine has helped w sleep but I hate the side effects. Am tapering slowly off.
Taking MANY supplements that are helping and seeing a naturopathic doctor.
Are you a woman? Post menopausal ? Any thyroid issues?
Hormones seem to play a role.
Hang in there. Although the vibrations are alarming, for me they were not Life-threatening.
I went through extensive testing for MS, heart issues, neurological issues etc. Still thinking could be Covid related as well. It’s a mystery and you are NOT alone.

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And one more thing, weight loss seemed to increase the vibrations.
Gaining weight seemed to turn them off and that may also be related to estrogen levels.

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@violinkat

Had similar.
Seemed to be related to thyroid and estrogen levels.
Mirtazapine has helped w sleep but I hate the side effects. Am tapering slowly off.
Taking MANY supplements that are helping and seeing a naturopathic doctor.
Are you a woman? Post menopausal ? Any thyroid issues?
Hormones seem to play a role.
Hang in there. Although the vibrations are alarming, for me they were not Life-threatening.
I went through extensive testing for MS, heart issues, neurological issues etc. Still thinking could be Covid related as well. It’s a mystery and you are NOT alone.

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Yes, thank you. I should get a baseline on my womanly hormones, maybe I am starting perimenopause and have no clue. My thyroid levels have been in range. Yes, I know what you mean...hard to know because viral infections can have lasting impacts on the body. Thank you for your encouragement and response. I take a ton of supplements as well and didn't have any success, now on the other meds (that allow me to sleep), but I also do not like the side effects during the day. I am scared to get a CT angiogram because of all the radiation (3-4yrs in one go), but apparently that's the only way to know if something is going on with the heart. I have MS in my family, hoping it's not neurological...but seems to be more CNS than anything that I can pin sensation wise...I'll have days where my CNS feels frazzled and fried. Positive vibes back!

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@sitta

Yes, thank you. I should get a baseline on my womanly hormones, maybe I am starting perimenopause and have no clue. My thyroid levels have been in range. Yes, I know what you mean...hard to know because viral infections can have lasting impacts on the body. Thank you for your encouragement and response. I take a ton of supplements as well and didn't have any success, now on the other meds (that allow me to sleep), but I also do not like the side effects during the day. I am scared to get a CT angiogram because of all the radiation (3-4yrs in one go), but apparently that's the only way to know if something is going on with the heart. I have MS in my family, hoping it's not neurological...but seems to be more CNS than anything that I can pin sensation wise...I'll have days where my CNS feels frazzled and fried. Positive vibes back!

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MDs had tried to say this was ‘anxiety’ but I don’t buy it. I’d never ever had trouble sleeping or had anything like anxiety before. I had started on very low-dose estradiol cream and I *think* that triggered a thyroid storm (I have Hashimoto’s) and it took several months to get under control.
DO NOT go on more pharmaceuticals if you can avoid. They really seemed to cloud the issue for me.
Take good care.

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@violinkat

MDs had tried to say this was ‘anxiety’ but I don’t buy it. I’d never ever had trouble sleeping or had anything like anxiety before. I had started on very low-dose estradiol cream and I *think* that triggered a thyroid storm (I have Hashimoto’s) and it took several months to get under control.
DO NOT go on more pharmaceuticals if you can avoid. They really seemed to cloud the issue for me.
Take good care.

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Yes, it's definitely not "anxiety,'' Similar to you, I had no troubles falling asleep. When I first started feeling the bed shake at bedtime while watching a calming TV show, I was still able to fall asleep after the occurrences. Then, they increased in frequency and duration over a few months becoming so severe I couldn't fall asleep or would be woken up. I've had some other weird novel symptoms and events happen like Benign Paroxysmal Postural Vertigo happen during sleep (being woken up by the vestibular event), and the internal shaking progressed quickly after that but it also wasn't the cause. I also have an autoimmune disease (UC/IBD)....but all of this is New. It's good to hear you were able to get it under control after several months, thank you for the encouragement and sharing of advice. Good to know.

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I found this on the web, anyone check their B-12 and Iron levels ? Why do I feel like my whole body is vibrating?
Researchers have suggested that anyone can experience internal tremors, but they are more pronounced in people with Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and essential tremor [2]. Other potential causes include low iron, vitamin B12 or vitamin D deficiencies or diabetes.Oct 30, 2023

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