Why do I have shaky hands?
There are a number of reasons why you may have the odd shaky hand and it isn’t necessarily a disease. It could be pure stress, anxiety, or lack of sleep and it’s more common than you think, read on to find out more.
Medication
The most common reasons are medications that block a brain chemical called dopamine. It moves information from one part of your brain to another. These drugs are used to keep your mood even and relaxed. Stop taking the drugs and the shakes will go.
B12 deficiency:
Without it, your nervous system won’t work like it should and you will possibly suffer with shaky hands. Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, and milk products. If you’re not getting enough for example if you are vegan or vegetarian then ensure you get proteins containing vitamin B12 in other forms
Caffeine:
A cup of coffee or tea may cause your hands to shake. WHY?
Stress:
From job and financial worries to relationship problems and in some cases health concerns, stress will bring on shaky hands and tremors. All kind of things in every day life can bring on Intense anger, or sleep deprivation can all develop shaky hands. This is known as physiologic tremor.
Low blood sugar:
I think we are all familiar with low blood sugar medically known as hypoglycemia. It triggers your body’s natural stress response and makes you shaky and also causes natural exhaustion. A quick fix is a fruit juice drink and if you can a simple piece of toast and just to relax
An overactive thyroid:
This gland is in your neck, just above your collarbone. When it’s in overdrive, your whole body speeds up. You may have trouble sleeping, your heart may beat faster, and your hands might shake.
Nerve damage:
Injury, disease, or a problem with your central nervous system can also cause tremors. Your medical professional will call this peripheral neuropathy. It can affect your hands and feet.
Essential Tremor
Essential Tremor is the most common tremor disorder and is very common. It usually starts in your hands, but it can move to your arms, head, voice, or other body parts.
ET is different because it affects your hands when they’re already moving. Most other forms of tremor take place when you’re still.
It could result from a gene (your doctor may call this a mutation). That means if one of your parents has a tremor, you’re more likely to get one, too.
ET isn’t life-threatening, but it can get more severe over time. Stress, fatigue, and too much caffeine can worsen it. At some point, eating, drinking, writing, and all the other daily tasks you do with your hands can become a bigger challenge.
This condition can be hard to treat. There are medications, but none works consistently. Surgery is an option, as is a treatment called deep brain stimulation, in which doctors implant a device in your brain to help control the tremors. If shaky hands are a problem for you, ask your doctor if this might help. Learn more about deep brain stimulation to treat essential tremor.
Parkinson’s Disease
Tremor is an early sign of Parkinson’s disease, which affects 10 million people worldwide, 60,000 of them in the U.S.. Not everyone who has this disease gets shaky, but most people in the early stages will have slight movement in a hand, foot, or even a single finger
Most of the time, the tremor affects only one side of your body. Most often, it happens when you relax your muscles. That’s why it’s called a resting tremor.
When you move, the shaking stops. Even a little flex of your fingers can help. As with other types of tremors, stress or excitement can make it worse.
As you live with the disease, the tremor may spread from one side of your body to the other. Learn more about Parkinson’s tremors.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
This disease, which targets your immune system, brain, nerves, and spinal cord, can also make your hands shake. You’re most likely to have a tremor in your hand or foot. MS can cause a variety of tremors. The most common, like Essential Tremor, happens when you’re already moving. Learn more about tremors with multiple sclerosis.