Experiencing body tremors when waking up may seem quite concerning to people who haven’t had any experience with tremors before — and rightfully so — but in fact, it’s not necessarily a red alert. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why am I so shaky in the morning?” or “Why do I wake up shaky?” know that body tremors can happen for many reasons, and not all are serious. Nevertheless, you should still thoroughly examine yourself to be one step ahead of the problem in case it is serious.
In today’s blog, we will discuss why you might be feeling shaky when waking up, explore answers to “why do I shake when I wake up”, and provide helpful advice that might help alleviate your shakiness and help you regain control and independence.
Why am I Shaking When Waking Up?
Being shaky when waking up or experiencing shaky hands can result from multiple reasons. The causes of uncontrollable shaking or body tremors in general range from severe underlying medical conditions all the way to simply having a little too much coffee, making it a tricky condition to fully understand and diagnose, which leads people to feel afraid of it sometimes. You don’t need to panic every time you’re feeling jittery, because often, the reasons could be manageable. Here are a few good examples of why you might be shaky when waking up:
Low Blood Sugar Levels:
Low blood sugar levels, also known as hypoglycemia, usually develop when your body goes through a sudden drop in sugar levels, causing physical symptoms like shakiness. Hypoglycemia can happen overnight if you haven't eaten for several hours, causing your glucose levels to dip during sleep.
People with diabetes or metabolic disorders have a higher tendency to experience physical symptoms as a side effect of hypoglycemia. Aside from waking up feeling shaky, this condition also causes sweating, confusion, dizziness, and irritability.
Additionally, severe hypoglycemia could lead to seizures or loss of consciousness. Eating a small carbohydrate-rich snack before bed may help manage overnight dips in glucose levels and reduce shaking when waking up.
Anxiety or Panic Attacks:
Conditions like anxiety can trigger your body's fight or flight mode even during your sleep, leading to a significant increase in adrenaline and cortisol levels, which eventually causes you to wake up having "anxiety shivers," not to mention rapid heartbeat, sweating, shortness of breath, and feelings of dread or panic, which could be completely overwhelming. Sleep quality can be directly affected by anxiety, leading to disrupted REM cycles and increased morning shakiness. It's crucial to manage stress and anxiety with guidance from a qualified healthcare provider and, if necessary, professional assistance.
Sleep Disorders:
Some sleep disorders can interrupt your body's sleep cycle, causing many distressing side effects, such as shakiness. One good example of these sleep disorders is sleep apnea, which pauses your breathing for short periods during sleep. This causes a decrease in your blood's oxygen levels and, specifically, in the brain, and an increase in carbon dioxide. Aside from uncontrollable shaking, sleep apnea causes fatigue, morning headaches, dry mouth, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Medications:
Some types of drugs, such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and high blood pressure medications, tend to harm your body's central nervous system, causing side effects like uncontrollable shivering. These side effects usually happen at night when their effect completely wears off, causing you to wake up shaky. The side effects can also include dizziness and sometimes withdrawal-like symptoms if the medication dose is missed or wears off.
Caffeine or Alcohol:
As a stimulant, caffeine can produce sleep disturbances and uncontrollable shivering, particularly when ingested in excess or late in the day. Similarly, alcohol can cause poor-quality sleep and disturb sleep cycles even though it is initially a sedative. This may result in symptoms such as being shaky when waking up. It's crucial to be careful while consuming caffeine and alcohol because they can both have adverse effects on our capacity to sleep soundly. Overall, consuming too much of either could cause you to remain restless and experience an increase in your heart rate, in addition to the burden of having tremors.
How to Stop Shaking?
To properly address this type of uncontrollable shaking, you must first pinpoint the root cause, as this is crucial for figuring out your treatment plan and options in general. Here are some valuable pieces of advice that could be helpful as a starting point, but do get yourself examined because it's the foundation of the cure.
Keep a Regular Sleep Routine:
Each one of us has an internal clock known as the circadian rhythm. This built-in clock helps your body tell if it's time to sleep or to be active, as it regulates sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, and other bodily functions depending on what time of day it is. Keeping a regular sleeping pattern helps your built-in clock to synchronize itself better, ensuring a restful and quality sleep, enhanced daytime alertness, and keeping you away from uncontrollable shivering. So, remember that neglecting the well-being and synchronization of your circadian rhythm can lead to sleep disorders, fatigue, mood disturbances, and most importantly, shakiness when waking up.
Keep Your Diet Healthy and Balanced:
Sometimes, waking up shaky is your body's telling you that it needs specific nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, keeping a balanced diet that provides your body with everything it needs could be the perfect way to keep any potential health risks at bay. Your body needs a balanced diet to get all the nutrients it needs to function at its best. Be sure to include a range of foods from all the dietary groups in your diet, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats, to help your body stop the shakiness.
Keep The Stress and Anxiety Levels to a Minimum:
Excess stress and anxiety can significantly negatively impact your body, causing anxiety shivers and sleep disturbances. Managing stress levels is vital for your well-being, not just keeping the tremors away. So, do things that help you decompress, including reading, listening to music, walking in the park, or whatever else suits you. Always consult your healthcare provider for additional support if stress triggers shakiness when waking up.
Exercise Regularly:
In addition to reducing your body’s episodes of uncontrollable shaking, exercising regularly has more physical and mental benefits than you think. A daily exercise routine helps regulate your hormones, improves your sleep quality, boosts your cardiovascular health, and, most importantly, reduces stress levels. Moving your body for a few hours daily could seem like a chore, but it's significantly impactful, in every good sense.
How the Steadi-3 Glove Can Help:
At Steadiwear, we are committed to helping individuals regain control and independence and improve their quality of life. The Steadi-3 glove is a Class I medical device meticulously engineered to reduce the impact of uncontrollable shaking. Designed with user convenience, the glove features a unique vibration-dampening disk that moves in the opposite direction of your tremors, providing immediate stability and control.
Its lightweight, battery-free design ensures hassle-free use, allowing you to focus on daily activities like eating, writing, or using tools without obstruction. The Steadi-3 glove is not a cure for tremors; it is a tool to help manage and reduce shaking in daily life, including episodes of feeling shaky when waking up.
Conclusion:
You can enhance general health, maintain physiological balance, and lessen the chance of being shaky in the morning by incorporating these routines into your everyday life. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider if your symptoms persist or worsen. Cooperating with your healthcare provider is very important because they will work closely with you to develop the most suitable and effective treatment plan depending on your needs and condition.
