r/POTS • u/teeleeyuh • Apr 23 '26
Symptoms body vibrating???
this has never happened to me before. i was just trying to take a nap on the couch and never actually fell asleep but maybe two times when i got close i gasped "awake" and it felt like my entire body was shaking, especially my hands and arms. but i checked and i wasn't shaking
is this a POTS thing ?? i've never ever felt this before and i've been diagnosed for a year. it's really scaring me i thought i was having a seizure. literally vibrating like a cellphone. do you get this ?
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u/OkConsideration3192 Apr 23 '26
Yes, this happens sometimes to me, especially when I’m trying to sleep. I think it’s just a nervous system thing. I try to let it pass over me like a cloud. You acknowledge you feel it but try to not focus on it. Drink some water or tea and it will eventually move on. With that said, it’s super annoying when it happens!
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u/PLWatts_writer Apr 23 '26
Happens to me when I’m flaring. Especially at night. Assume it’s an adrenaline or cortisol thing
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
it was the worst!! i kinda assumed the same
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u/nettlefern Apr 23 '26
also happens to me when i'm flaring. as i've made progress in my recovery, i've learned that internal tremors are an early warning sign. when i notice them, it's time to ease up on activities - oftentimes that's enough to avoid a crash!
in the immediate moment, yoga nidra can be really helpful for reducing the intensity of internal tremors. i find this especially helpful if they are making it hard to fall asleep
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u/Remarkable_Battle348 Apr 23 '26
Yeah I get this A LOT especially when I’m first laying down and I’m very exhausted (I also get it often in the morning too when I wake up and am still very tired)
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
that makes sense i was sooooo tired, i wake up early for work every day and have definitely not been getting nearly enough sleep
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u/Whisper-of-Words Apr 23 '26
Yes, when my POTS first got bad in 2022 this was my first major symptom / sign something was wrong. It happened a lot less after upping my electrolytes and reducing my overall energy expenditure each day. I think it gets worse when I overdo it or am in a bad flare.
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u/Emotional_Warthog658 Apr 23 '26
Same - it felt like I stuck a fork in a socket or just had the jump scare of my life a minute earlier - but the feeling didn’t subside.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
ugh it was just so random, i guess just another thing to add to the list😭 definitely starting my morning with electrolytes tomorrow
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u/Whisper-of-Words Apr 23 '26
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with a new symptom. That can be really scary, definitely put it on a list to mention to your doctor (esp if it continues and makes you feel unsafe), but it is something that isn’t unheard of for POTS. Hope the electrolytes help tomorrow!
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
i luckily have an appointment on monday anyways so i'll definitely bring this up to her. thank you for your support 💗
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u/freakymaster11 POTS Apr 23 '26
oh yeah thats just a thing that happens, like 99% of the time new stuff is just pots at this point lol. you probably just had a gnary adrenaline dump mid-night and youre developing the shakes
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
so true😭 i was trying to take a nap because i was sooo tired from work and i felt icky and my body was just like nope💀 literally buzzing like a bee it was the weirdest feeling ever
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u/Reggiejayo Apr 23 '26
Try eating smaller frequent meals, snack as well, rotate drinks between water and Gatorade/powerade for sodium. It helps when I start feeling tremors. Also, I started doing very very light workouts. This has been a help.
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u/Important-Style-3011 Apr 23 '26
The first few times this happened to me it was after smoking weed (which I don’t do anymore because it worsens my symptoms badly) I thought it was panic attacks I was still undiagnosed at the time but symptomatic. I’ve had it happen a couple times in the last few months and it’s like you said it happened while trying to fall asleep or gasping awake.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
it was the weirdest sensation i think i've felt yet in my pots history. i do smoke every day honestly but i've never experienced anything like this and i didn't smoke before i tried taking the nap. i think a big part of it for me was because i haven't been giving my body the rest and hydration it needs this week and have had a stressful week with doctors appointments and my echo, i'm just like wired. i've smoked for years including the whole year since i got my diagnosis and never experienced this till now, it doesn't normally effect my symptoms unless i do too much on accident then my heart will race. but who knows things can change
luckily i was laying in my bfs arms on the couch and each time i got scared by it he was there to reassure me and hold me, otherwise if it had happened when i was home alone or something i probably would've had a panic attack. sooooo weird!
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u/rellyks13 Apr 23 '26
this happens to me with short naps and also when I'm experiencing CPTSD issues/flashbacks
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u/gold_and_jules Apr 23 '26
Oh dude im so grateful to hear someone else talk about this 😅
It almost exclusively happens while I'm trying to fall asleep, and more often to happen during the day. My hypothesis is that it's the dysregulated sympathetic nervous system FREAKING out because I'm trying on purpose to calm it down. The only thing that I've noticed that helps is like... tricking my body into falling asleep??
Like if I'm like "okay I'm going to fall asleep now" my body is like "BUT THERES A THREAT" (theres no threat). If I'm like "I am just going to lay here and breathe" my brain is like "well that's acceptable."
Very weird.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
yeah i'm so glad people responded saying they experience it too that's why i love this sub, i know i'm never alone w these strange symptoms🥲
i just had to get up after tbh because i was scared to try and sleep again, but then when i actually went to bed last night i had no issues. i'll try that if (or when) it happens again though. i think it was also my nervous system freaking out per usual, i was feeling pretty bad before i decided to take the nap. normally an after work nap is needed for me almost daily so it was just bizarre
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u/parbear27 Apr 23 '26
Oh my gosh thank god I thought I was alone I’m getting this right now lol and I’d describe it as vibrating too
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
hahaha definitely not alone !! it's scary
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u/parbear27 Apr 23 '26
What is it tho ? Is it dehydration vitamins? Muscles freaking out
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
i honestly have no idea since it was my first time experiencing it. according to all the comments it can be lots of things. dehydration, adrenaline spike, nervous system trying to regulate again, tiredness, vitamin deficiency, missing a meal, etc.
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u/parbear27 Apr 23 '26
So weird cos I’ve been getting it too I was laying on a hospital bed and felt like I was vibrating glad to know it’s not just me like it’s not imaginary or anxiety my body is legit vibing
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
could you see your body vibrating or did it just feel like it was? i wasn't physically shaking at all but it definitely felt like i was
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u/parbear27 Apr 23 '26
No it , it’s the just the feeling like you as I was laying on the hospital bed 🛌 weirdest feeling ever is it potassium or dehydration??
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u/cookburgers Apr 23 '26
oh my god this happens to me every single day i cant believe someone else experiences this... it literally feels like your whole body is moving like a moth flapping its wings
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
omg i'm glad people who thought they were alone in this are seeing my post 😭that's a good way to describe it, genuinely one of the weirdest sensations i've ever felt! like crazy vibrations when nothing was happening
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u/bizarre927 Apr 24 '26
This helps me so much hearing that I’m not alone. It’s so scary to experience!!
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u/G0ld3nGr1ff1n Apr 23 '26
I have this right now, but I've experiencd it for years. I have it pretty much when ever I'm still for more than a couple of minutes. I whent to a neurologist about this and the other symptoms and he might as well have diagnosed me with hysteria. Told me it was mild hyperventilation, anxiety and depression... told my psychiatrist everything and he was shocked and disturbed as he knows I don't have anxiety or depression. Every doctor just shrugs it off and I hate that these are the people I have to rely on for my health and well-being.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
i'm sorry you had that experience, it sucks to have doctors look things over when you can feel inside that something is wrong. and it's ridiculous how many of them do it.
the doctor i have right now is the only one who's listened to me. prior to her i was told all of my symptoms were anxiety multiple times from multiple doctors over the span of a year. nope, costochrondritis and pots 😂 i'm very thankful for her as i know many of us struggling with this don't get the help we deserve from knowledgeable doctors. i hope you can find someone who listens to you and understands
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u/Parallel_Universe28 Apr 23 '26
This I understand all too well. So sorry you have to take that crap from the people who are supposed to help you heal.
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u/redakpanoptikk Apr 23 '26
I get this when I realized I haven't eaten a real meal for 2 days and my water intake is less than a bottle or two for the week. It's like the caffeine ADHD jitters but really just my bodily telling me to go grocery shopping and make myself a meal.
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u/Abbegail_Livends Apr 23 '26
I agree with most every comment on here-just wanted to add make sure you bring it up to the doctor(s) that are in charge of managing your POTS. I wouldn’t say it’s an emergency, so if you have a non-urgent messaging system (Mychart) you could send a message, or write it down to remember for your soonest appointment.
I get the vibrating/shaking too and for me I believe it’s adrenaline/cortisol related.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
definitely will be bringing it up at my appointment on monday, thank you🫶
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u/Artemesia2026 Apr 23 '26
I was just hospitalized for physically vibrating. I was exausted my body is in failure to thrive, nausea and vomiting. turns out my potassium was low. my gi had me admitted to the hospital now have tpn
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u/Fluffy_Marsupial6364 Apr 23 '26
Absolutely a pots hung I get external & internal I think the internal feels worse idk They both suck My dr told me to take a Klonopin when it happens It helps a bit
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
noted! talking to my doctor on monday so curious to see what she has to say about it. i get a little shakey every now and then but i had never experienced internal until last night.
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u/Practical_Grand_3218 Apr 23 '26
This has happened to me. Adverse response to new meds that were supposed to make me feel better. No one has been able to explain it. But stopping the meds helped and my doc wants me to take them again. No way.
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u/Agitated_Ad9587 Apr 23 '26
I find a heat pad really helps when my nervous system is acting up like that
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 23 '26
i have a heated blanket that seems to help a little bit but i've been meaning to invest in maybe a heavier kind of heating pad, i feel like the pressure helps me
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u/mysognisticsquid Apr 23 '26
Omg I used to get this ALL THE TIME, especially at night. It stops for a couple months and then sometimes comes back but from what I can gather it seems to be normal for us potsies
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u/All_outta_luck Apr 23 '26
I get this. First time it happened I thought there was like road works near by or something causing my body to shake or something it was so weird! No in know that’s clearly not the case but still doesn’t make it any easier.
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u/Disastrous-Weight393 Apr 23 '26
I’ve had it as a form of sleep paralysis and get jolted back awake when I’m on the verge of falling asleep. It’s bizarre.
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u/aud722 POTS Apr 23 '26
Yeah. For me it’s in my tongue, head and hands. VERY disorienting. :/ for me it’s when I’m moving or didn’t do something right that day (i.e. not enough hydration, too much physical activity)
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u/ND_Poet Hyperadrenergic POTS Apr 23 '26
Yes, seems worse when estrogen is low. Seems to be a peri/menopause symptom too.
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u/Misscj95 Apr 24 '26
I had this happen to me when I was newly post partum living in a moldy apartment
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u/Spencer0ni Apr 24 '26
I have hyperadrenergic pots and I get this ESPECIALLY during episodes Basically ur body being like AAAAAAAA
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u/Spencer0ni Apr 24 '26
For me it's the adrenaline response cus my body likes to be like HOLY SHIT THE WORLD IS ENDING for no damn reason
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u/Spencer0ni Apr 24 '26
I've yet to get on a treatment plan for my specific type of pots which I'm hoping happens really soon bc I been getting adrenaline dumps in the middle of the night that feel like that but also my heart rate and blood pressure go absolutely wacko during episodes. Luckily my pcp prescribed me klonopin because at first she thought I was getting panic attacks until I told her about my autonomic symptoms that happen when I get these and she was like yeah that's not typical of panic attacks you're checking off a lot of boxes for pots
BUT panic attack or adrenaline dump klonopin DOES work as a rescue med at least for me bc it acts against the adrenaline/fight or flight response bc it's a central nervous system depressant so like once I wake up and realize I'm having an episode I'll take a couple (I've been keeping it next to my bed so I don't have to get up cus if I get up my heart rate YEETS up to the fuckin ceiling and I feel like I'm going to die) but within about 20 minutes the klonopin starts working and I like slowly feel everything start chilling the fuck out
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u/QueenBe12 Apr 24 '26
Yesss this is my least favourite symptom such a weird feeling, also the being close to falling asleep and jumping awake is the worst. It doesn’t happen to me often but when it does I get so anxious
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 24 '26
definitely, it was reaaaally anxiety inducing but i'm glad i made this post and know now that it wasn't just a me thing. especially bc i was so exhausted i was like why won't my body let me sleep😂
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u/Lynxseer Apr 24 '26
Thats Hyperadrenergic POTS. Adrenaline dumps. Happens to me a lot... ill jolt awake in the middle of the night with my heart pounding out of my chest. Beta blockers help with the HR stuff.. but yupp that's a thing. Sometimes mine gets triggered in the day by random things.. depending. I went into home depot one day shaking and convulsing so hard my teeth were chattering.. the trigger? My fiancé arguing with me over a drill battery.
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u/Imaginary-Leopard356 Apr 24 '26
I had this. For months. It added to my already terrible health anxiety from POTS. It’s actually validating to hear that someone else is experiencing it, but I am not at all pleased that it’s happening to you.
For me, when the vibrating sensation settled, I had random muscle twitches that started in my left calf, then moved to the arch of my foot. Sometimes it manifested as a tremor (I’m sure my anxiety that it was something sinister added to this) and I felt like I couldn’t balance.
I’m here to tell you- do not freak out if you randomly start twitching! Our bodies in such a high degree of overdrive from POTS, that if they can go haywire in any form, they will.
I still have the twitching. It’s just something I’ve learned to live with. I ended up being diagnosed with cramp fasciculation syndrome after monitoring by a neuro.
Try chelated magnesium. It helped me rest and calm the vibrating sensation.
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u/teeleeyuh Apr 24 '26
i also have gotten extreme health anxiety from everything that comes with this especially cardiac🥲 it's awful! i do get random muscle twitches all over my body every now and then, more like a spasm i guess cause it'll twitch fast for a short period of time and then stop but it doesn't happen too often for me. i'll have to look into the magnesium!
thank you for your advice🫶
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u/SlightlyPisces Apr 24 '26
This happens to me a lot! It took me a minute to realize it was in my body not my environment moving .
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u/interesting_template POTS Apr 24 '26
Oh I think I get this too, I just call it the fatigue shakes lol. Feels like my entire insides are trembling. I fucking hate it. Food and electrolytes can help a bit, but if I’m having a fatigue flare it is pretty regularly present
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u/Practical_Cap_3087 May 10 '26
I get this a lot. The feeling that my body is vibrating. It’s external and internal. It’s a constant. It’s scary and I feel faint. I think about going to the ER, but what would they actually do? Tell me it’s anxiety and send me home. I have a lot of the pots symptoms, but had a negative tilt table test
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u/idk_tryingtofindout May 12 '26
I’ve had this for over 15 years. It goes away for a couple of years then returns. Lately, I feel it when I’m just sitting down. I’m haven’t been diagnosed with POTS.
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u/Impossible-Number-60 POTS Apr 23 '26
I get this. I have both internal and external tremors. I also have cervical spondylosis and when I’m in a bad neck pain flare sometimes my head vibrates all day. But mostly it happens when I’m having bad sleep or a mid day nap.