A state where hands are shaking happens to every person. For the majority, this goes without consequences and imperceptibly, but some people live with tremors almost constantly. There are quite a few common explanations for the temporary phenomenon, and they are all partly fair, partly contrived. But that’s why a person’s hands are shaking constantly, with the exception of bedtime, it makes one want to sort out the issue in order to get rid of the obsessive syndrome forever.
Causes of the phenomenon
The experts identified two main reasons why a person's hands are shaking - this is a physiological state (natural) and a pathological (caused by a disease). Periodic tremor occurs in all people and does not pose a threat to health, the amplitude of involuntary trembling is small and invisible to the person and others. Enhanced trembling is caused by some physiological conditions, namely:
- Physical overstrain. Long-term holding of a static position for a long time (uncomfortable posture in transport with a hand raised up), weight lifting, general overwork, lack of normal sleep, etc.
- Emotional and psychological stress. Stressful mobilization conditions (exam, public speaking, etc.). In such situations, almost everyone understands why their hands are shaking - this is a temporary reaction of the body, due to the peculiarities of the structure of the nervous system. As soon as life enters into the usual framework, the tremor disappears.
- Depressive state. Trying to control what is happening, the person overstrains, as a result tremor appears. Taking antidepressants, various stimulants, alcohol or coffee aggravates the condition, hands begin to shake even more.
- Poisoning of any kind leads to the action of toxins on the central nervous system, the vestibular apparatus and areas responsible for coordination of movements (occipital lobes of the brain) suffer. Intoxication is the answer to the question of why a person shakes hands in the morning after a stormy feast, and “professional” alcoholics spend their entire biography in a state of tremor.
- Bad habits (alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction) exert an increased load on the heart, blood vessels and lead to overexcitation, the effect of anxiety, nervousness, which causes hand tremors. The same consequences are observed after excessive consumption of coffee, energy drinks, an overdose of medications, including vitamins.
- Taking medications, the use of which has a side effect in the form of hand tremors.
Having got rid of bad habits and changing some eating habits, you may not later wonder why hands are shaking without any obvious prerequisites.
Pathological causes
If a person has to find out why his hands began to shake for a long period of time, then this means that the time has come for a visit to the doctor.
Pathological tremor is divided by specialists into several types:
- Alcoholic. The result of acute or chronic poisoning of the body. It differs from all other types of tremor in a wider amplitude. Hands become calm after removing toxins from the body or after taking a regular dose of alcohol. In the late stages of development of addiction, trembling of the eyeballs, peritoneum, and a change in gait and voice are observed. Treatment is carried out in a hospital, under the supervision of a specialist. In therapy, a complex of measures is used - elimination from binge, detoxification drug therapy, administration of magnesium preparations, vitamin complexes, sedatives, etc.
- Essential. Hereditary manifestation of pathology, which manifests itself in adulthood. As it progresses, the disease will invade the entire body. A trembling of the legs, head, lower jaw, etc. may appear. Many, trying to find out why their hands are shaking, believe that these are signs of Parkinson's disease. The difference is that essential tremor intensifies when a person moves and decreases in manifestations with a calm state. Pathology does not pose a threat to health, but it causes many inconveniences and is chronic, it can only be stopped. In treatment, beta-blocker medications, anticonvulsants are used, Botox injections are made, etc. In some cases, the patient is treated with deep brain stimulation.
- Cerebellar. Occurs with damage to the cerebellum of the brain. Tremor is strongly pronounced when activating movements or when fixing the limb in one position (outstretched arm). This type of pathology can be manifested by trembling of one arm or both, in a relaxed position the tremor disappears. Cerebellar lesion is characterized by the inability to control movements, high fatigue, a gradual decrease in muscle tone. Also, a symptom of cerebellar tremor can be caused by traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, intoxication with barbiturates. Pathology can not be cured, stimulation of the thalamus has a positive effect on the patient's condition. The medication is effective - Clonazepam, Primidon and other drugs prescribed by your doctor.
- Rhythmic myoclonus. Signs of this type of tremor are sweeping movements of the arms and body. The amplitude can reach several centimeters and appears when you try to make any movement, when the muscles relax, the twitching stops. With active gesticulation, the patient sometimes has to sit on his arm to fix it and stop the involuntary movement. In this case, specialists understand why their hands are shaking. The reasons lie in the underlying disease, which may be multiple sclerosis, Wilson’s disease, brain stem lesions, vascular pathology. Treatment of the underlying disease is the only way to get rid of this complication.
- Some diseases. This category includes: diabetes mellitus, disorders of the thyroid gland, pathology of the liver, kidneys, encephalitis, etc.
With a gradual or spontaneous manifestation of tremor, you should not prescribe treatment yourself and find out why your hands are shaking. Trembling in the hands can be a symptom of a serious illness, in time contacting a doctor, the patient avoids fatal consequences.
When to see a doctor
In addition to the common causes of tremor, there are a number of factors explaining why hands are shaking. What should a person do not cope with manifestations on his own? Consult a doctor for diagnosis. This is especially important in cases where the symptom lasts for more than 14 days.
Get a doctor's consultation in such cases:
- Tremor of varying degrees of intensity and range appeared after taking medications, chemicals (consequence of poisoning).
- The symptom appeared suddenly, repeats with some periodicity or progresses.
- The patient knows why his hands are trembling, but the quality of life suffers greatly from this, his position in society is violated, the symptom interferes with working and solving everyday problems.
Sometimes the patient asks why his right hand is shaking. In most cases, this one-sidedness, due to worldly reasons. Most people are right-handed, almost all physical activity falls on this particular arm. But, in some cases, tremor of any one upper limb may be the result of a stroke, damage to the spine.
Tremor at a young age
Diseases and some conditions of the nervous system are not the prerogative of an adult or an elderly person only. Why are young people shaking hands ? Experts note that the most likely cause will be a stressful situation - exams, difficulties in relationships with peers or with the opposite sex. Also, a reaction, in the form of tremor of the upper extremities, can provoke a change in the hormonal background, the restructuring of the body in the puberty period.
The psychological problems of adolescents and youth play an important role. The time when a person is engaged in self-determination, clarifying his position in society, establishing relationships, learns frustrations and undergoes the formation of his own personality is always accompanied by excitement, and in the case of young people, all difficulties are multiplied by a change in the hormonal system. These factors most strongly affect the body, largely weakening the immune system and nervous system, which generally answers the question of why young people are shaking hands.
What can be done in cases where there are no diseases provoking hand tremors? Parents should seek the advice of a psychologist, neurologist and endocrinologist. Having excluded all possible pathologies, the specialist will be able to advise effective methods for eliminating the symptom - from establishing a lifestyle and daily routine to medications that neutralize the hormonal storm in a young body.
Age changes
Why an elderly person’s hands are shaking - almost no one wants to figure it out, the symptom is attributed to advanced age and the gradual extinction of body functions. But any unhealthy phenomenon has its own reason; it must be found and eliminated.
The most common factors that cause tremor are:
- Pathology is caused by professional activity (the prevalence of severe physical exertion on the hands - miners, builders and others), which caused overwork in the muscles.
- Stress and negative disturbances, which provoked malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system, impaired cerebral circulation.
- Cumulative intoxication (alcohol, tobacco smoking, work in hazardous industries, living in the area of industrial facilities, etc.).
- Diseases (stroke, Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, endocrine system pathologies and other pathologies).
You can stop or cure hand tremors at any age. Tremor, in itself, is not a disease, but always a consequence or complication of any pathology or condition. It is impossible to find out independently what the reason is; a doctor's consultation is required for diagnosis and therapy.
Features of tremor in children
There are several trivial reasons why a child is shaking hands, for example:
- The baby is cold or has chills from a high temperature.
- The child is hungry (lack of glucose causes tremors).
- Walking for too long or strenuous exercise was too tiring and caused muscle cramps. It is enough to arrange a massage session to relieve symptoms.
In all other cases, parents need to contact a pediatrician or get advice from a pediatric neurologist, neurologist. Specialists will prescribe a series of tests to diagnose the condition in order to confirm or rule out the disease.
In children of the first year of life, hand trembling is noted quite often, especially in premature infants. The nervous system continues to adapt. After 3 months from the date of birth, tremors, twitches and tremors usually disappear. If the symptoms remain and the child is still shaking hands, head, legs - this is an occasion to suspect an intrauterine failure in the development of the nervous system, a thorough diagnosis is required.
Boys and girls
Why are the hands of the young guys shaking? There are no significant differences between the causes of male and female tremors. Common factors in the appearance of tremor are the same for all age categories and have the same base. A feature of the male body is the appearance of trembling in the hands after an intense adrenaline rush, but in this case, tremor is an individual feature, and not all representatives of the strong half of humanity are manifested. Also, young people are more prone to risk and frequent injuries, of which craniocerebral can cause brain malfunction, and as a result, be complicated by trembling hands.
Why the girl's hands are shaking is also an almost rhetorical question. Critical days can be considered a special reason for the appearance of tremor; during this period, hormonal adjustment occurs. Also, many doctors consider the tremor of female hands as one of the signs of pregnancy. All other causes are common. You need to look for answers in the doctor’s office, passing tests and passing diagnostics.
Go to the doctor or wait?
Lost in guessing why hands are shaking so much, many people take feasible actions, trying not to harm the body with arbitrariness. They take sedatives, refuse energy drinks and foods, and start playing sports. But even after these correct measures, tremor may remain. How to understand what is the intensity of hand tremors, and what kind of symptoms to attribute?
Self-diagnosis is quite simple - you need to draw a spiral with a pencil or pen on a piece of paper and carefully consider:
- The spiral is drawn in a straight line - this means that the tremor is physiological in nature, the condition will soon return to normal.
- The spiral is drawn with teeth, the line is heterogeneous - there is a need to observe your condition, perhaps the patient has a pathology. If within 2 weeks, the symptom does not go away, then a visit to the doctor is necessary.
General treatment recommendations
In the event that the tremor causes concern, it is necessary to consult a doctor, undergo a complete diagnosis and get advice. It is advisable to contact a neurologist for a diagnosis and qualified help.
If a person knows his own reactions to any external stimuli and does not yet find sufficient reasons for a visit to the clinic, it is worth taking such measures to improve overall health:
- Three times a day, take sedatives of plant origin (tinctures of valerian, motherwort, etc.). To obtain a greater effect, it is recommended to periodically change the drug.
- Normalize work and rest, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time.
- Avoid strong unrest, stress.
- Reduce to a minimum, and it is better to completely abandon alcoholic, energy drinks. Stop smoking, reduce coffee consumption.
- When a spontaneous tremor caused by nervous tension appears, it is worth doing several exercises - lifting weights, clenching and unclenching your fists several times, doing the exercises with effort.
As a preventive measure, the development of fine motor skills of the fingers is useful: embroidery, woodcarving, drawing, knitting, and others. Sports activities are beneficial - yoga, swimming, running, cycling. Pathological tremor requires compulsory treatment, as it is a consequence of the disease.
Prevention
Preventive measures are based on good habits:
- Weekly sports without undue stress.
- Positive outlook.
- Compliance with the daily routine.
- Avoidance of stress and excessive psychological stress.
- Periodic relaxation - warm baths, massages, etc.
- Compliance with a diet from which fatty, salty, smoked, spicy dishes are excluded.
In cases where tremors and spontaneous movements for a long time, after all the measures taken do not pass, you must consult a doctor.