Weird anxiety symptom - internal tremour

[Boombatty]

I've struggled with anxiety for years, with all sorts of physical symptoms. A few years ago I experienced a trauma and major surgery. When I was recovering in hospital I started to get this feeling like I was shaking or vibrating inside but no one could feel it externally. It was so strong it felt like the bed was physically vibrating. The doctors and nurses all looked at me strangely when I described it and had no idea what I was talking about.

It carried on for a while, to the extent that I saw a private neurologist as I was worried it was something like Parkinsons. He couldn't find anything wrong with me.

I later found out that it is a symptom of anxiety. I thought it was odd that none of the medical staff I described it to identified that it is a fairly common anxiety symptom.

It eventually went away but I've had a stressful time recently and it has come back. It's not as bad as it was before, but seems to originate at the back of my neck/upper back. It's much much worse when I wake up from sleeping which seems odd as I would have thought that is when I am most relaxed. Although I do grind my teeth and clench my jaw in my sleep so wonder if there is a link there.

Anyway, I'm just curious of other people's experience with this weird symptom. Would be really interested to hear from anyone else who has experienced it.

Bloody hell, I had this in my chest this morning! It felt like a phone on vibrate.

My mum experiences this, also due to anxiety. She's also been to a neurologist to discount causes such as Parkinson's.

I'm afraid I don't have any advice about how to alleviate this symptom! My mum is reviewing her medication and staying therapy, and I'm really hoping this might help.

Curious to see if anyone else had tried anything successfully. I'm also wondering if something like Peter Levine's "somatic experiencing" therapy would help, as the exercise of deliberately inducing trembling, through muscle tension might be a way of channeling the anxious tremor.

Did the neurologist say that it is an anxiety symptom?

For me, the tremor is different to muscle tremors that you can induce. It's more of a buzzing/vibration. I think knowing that it is benign and reducing anxiety/stress is the best way to get rid of it. I follow Dan Buglio of "Pain Free you" on YouTube. Its a bit like Curable. Its amazing what physical symptoms the mind can create.

Yes! I had this for the first time recently! It’s such a weird feeling - like having an alarm clock going off inside your body.
GP prescribed beta blockers, as I was also getting palpitations, and they definitely helped a bit. The thing that has helped me more, though, is HRT. Are you peri-menopausal?

And I was already taking sertraline, so my GP’s first step was to increase the dosage, which made no difference at all.

I can't take HRT as I've had breast cancer. I'm sure perimenopause doesn't help either but nothing I can do about it but ride it through and concentrate on trying to reduce stress and anxiety.

Yep I get this(I suffer with severe anxiety) and it is really unsettling.

apparently it’s your bodies way of ‘ridding’ the trauma response/adrenaline. I just allow myself to shake and not fight it, then it does eventually stop (until it happens again because I’m so stressed!)

It's odd that I get it when I wake up from sleep.

I get this all the time- I have M.E, fibromyalgia and JHS. Never found anything that helps though, sorry!

It’s always one of the first things that tells me I’m having a flare up- feels like I’m shaking and my blood has been carbonated.

I think it makes sense it would happen with anxiety- it’s a sign your body is holding stress (for you emotional stress, for me physical stress).

I also have this. I was diagnosed with GAD years ago but I, too, am waiting for a neurology appointment.

I have this. I think it's adrenaline related.

Internal tremors are also a symptom of menopause

I wake with body vibrations too, have done for years it’s strange.

I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one. Surprised that the medical staff had never heard of it.

Why would adrenaline be raised during sleep though?

I had this when severely anaemic. Very disturbing sensation. I thought it might have been peri menopause related but since starting iron, it's stopped.