6 Things That Can Cause Shaky Hands

Maybe, everyone has ever experienced shaky hands at some point in life. It could be due to intense stress or anxiety. Someone had prolonged tremors which might be related to depression or poor sleep. Depending on the type of hand tremor, it's possible to identify the root cause of the issue.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a tremor is a condition in which your muscles contract rhythmically and accidentally, and one or more of your body parts end up shaking. Commonly, it occurs in the hands, however, it can also affect your arms, head, torso, legs, and vocal cords.

In fact, tremors can be caused by different things which means that your body is an endless source of surprises. The issue comes when your tremor gets to the point that your hands are basically vibrating in a way that concerns you. Below you can find a few potential causes of shaky hands—and when you should see a doctor for evaluation.

1. Depression or other mental issues.

The tremor caused by any mental problem (particularly, depression) is called a psychogenic tremor. When a person with mental condition experiences a psychogenic tremor it's known as a conversion disorder. It means that a psychological problem provokes physical symptoms for an unknown reason.

A psychogenic can affect all your body including your hands and it tends to get worse when you're feeling distracted. Typically if anything is actually distracting a person with a physiological tremor, it will actually enhance the tremor. If you experience psychogenic tremor, the only way to get rid of it is to treat the underlying condition.

2. Anxiety.

Anxiety is a common trigger of hand tremor. This is due to the fact that your autonomic nervous system impacts your response, which can get activated in response to your nerves in the form of tremors.

3. Lack of sleep.

Lack of sleep can enhance your body's usual tremor. This is called an enhanced physiologic tremor. Sleep actually plays a key role in maintaining your overall health. Sleep deprivation can negatively affect your autonomic nervous system (ANS). Your ANS regulates the work of your internal organs and does a lot to keep you alive. ANS is responsible for processes such as heartbeat and blood pressure that can arise if your body lacks sleep. This problem can lead to more noticeable tremors. In order to get rid of shaky hands, you simply need to improve your sleep quality and quantity.

4. Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease has a hallmark - hand tremors. Fortunately, it's a very rare cause of shaky hands for young people. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that affects movement. It occurs due to the degeneration of brain cells. The root causes of Perkinson's disease are still unknown but scientists assume that genetic and environmental factors might play a role. The biggest known risk factor for this condition is age. It's most common in people over 60.

Parkinson's disease also impacts coordination and balance and can lead to stiffness, slow movement, cognitive impairment, sleep issues, and many other problems. Fortunately, there are a lot of treatments available, and lifestyle changes might help reduce some symptoms. Visit a neurologist immediately if you have symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

5. Essential tremor.

Essential tremor is a movement disease that occurs for unknown reasons. Although, some scientists believe it might be due to a slight degeneration in the parts of the brain that are responsible for movement.

The most common symptom of essential tremor is very noticeable shaking in both of your hands and arms. This type of tremor can also cause your head to make a "yes" or "no" motion, or provoke a shaky voice.

6. Consuming too much caffeine, nicotine, or other stimulants.

Consuming too much caffeine or nicotine can enhance a normal physiologic tremor. Since things like your heartbeat can lead to enhanced physiologic tremor, overuse of the ingredients that impact those processes might make your tremor more noticeable.