Have you or a loved one developed shaky hands? A person can develop shaky hands quickly or gradually, depending on the cause. The reasoning for shaky hands could be attributed to an undiagnosed illness, injury, or a psychological or emotional disorder.

Experts refer to shaky hands as hand tremors. Sometimes there is a simple solution for reducing shaky hand symptoms, but not always. So again, it depends on the overall cause of the condition.

Reasons for Shaky Hands

Shaky hands could be due to a disease or the culmination of bad lifestyle choices. Let's review the main reasons why people get shaky hands and the solutions for overcoming these problems.

Reasons for Shaky Hands
Reasons for Shaky Hands Pixabay

1) Drug or Alcohol Withdrawal

Alcoholics and drug addicts attempting to get clean will experience horrific withdrawal symptoms. If someone has been addicted to drugs or alcohol for many years, they could experience shaky hands as part of the withdrawal.

It might seem scary to the person when they have shaky hands during the withdrawal process. However, there is no need to worry because it is a normal response to the body fighting the withdrawal. The shaky hands will go away after the withdrawal passes.

2) High-Intensity Workouts

Athletes undergoing intense workouts and training could experience shaky hands. It is often attributed to low blood sugar because athletes have deprived their bodies of precious carbohydrates and proteins.

When overworked muscles don't have a chance to recover or receive proteins and amino acids to rebuild themselves, the adrenaline system will activate. Then you will experience subconscious hand shakiness until you eat food or rest.

If you are an athlete who continues to get shakiness in your hands, you should find a doctor specializing in sports medicine to get your condition diagnosed. So get on the internet and search for sports medicine near me to find a local doctor of sports medicine.

3) Too Much Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine is everyone's favorite stimulant. People like to consume coffee and pre-workout supplements to get a quick boost of energy and more focus and alertness. The most popular times to consume caffeine are in the morning and before an exercise workout.

One to two cups of coffee per day is no big deal. It should give you the boost of energy you need in the morning to start your day focused and alert. But once you consume more than two cups of coffee daily, you may notice some unwanted side effects or symptoms from the overconsumption of caffeine.

The first symptom you may experience is shaky hands. Since caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands, it causes more adrenalin and cortisol to be produced. Hand shakiness is a reaction to the secretion of these hormones due to caffeine overconsumption.

The simple solution to the problem is to stop consuming caffeine and wait eight hours for it to get removed from your body. If you need to stay awake, turn to an alternative energy-boosting substance with no caffeine.

4) Overactive Thyroid

The thyroid gland is located above the collarbone in your neck. The thyroid produces hormones to stimulate the body's metabolism, function, and growth. It does everything from managing your heartbeat speed to controlling the level of calcium in your bloodstream.

Certain thyroid diseases can cause you to develop an overactive thyroid, also known as hyperthyroidism. This condition causes your thyroid gland to produce an abundance of hormones, resulting in a faster than normal heartbeat and metabolism.

A rapid heartbeat may cause your hands to shake. It could also get so bad that it interferes with your sleep. The best solution is to visit your doctor and ask them to recommend treatment for the problem.

Here are the most common treatments for overactive thyroid:

  • Antithyroid drugs
  • Beta-blockers
  • Radioactive iodine
  • Thyroid surgery (thyroidectomy)
  • Hormonal supplement

All these treatments require a doctor's approval. There are no guarantees you'll be able to stop your overactive thyroid entirely, but at least you can reduce the symptoms like hand shakiness.

5) Certain Prescription Drugs

Mood-enhancing prescription drugs can usually be linked to hand shakiness because they regulate neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for mood, such as dopamine. Drugs prevent neurotransmitters from moving to other parts of the brain in order to elevate mood.

On the downside, hand shakiness is an unwanted side effect of mood enhancement drugs. Although some people don't experience this side effect from consuming mood enhancers, you should immediately discontinue using mood enhancers if you develop hand shakiness.

The shakiness should go away if the drugs were the cause of the problem. Then you can look for other ways to elevate your mood that don't involve mood enhancement medications.

6) Stress and Anxiety

Anything causing stress and anxiety can contribute to hand shakiness. Some common triggers of stress and anxiety include the following:

  • Financial concerns
  • Job loss or worries
  • Anger
  • Hunger
  • Lack of sleep / insomnia
  • Health problems and concerns
  • Relationship issues
  • Trauma
  • Death of a family member or friend

Health experts refer to this as a physiologic tremor. You have to eliminate the primary cause of your stresses and worries to stop the tremors in your hand. Sadly, it may not be as easy as it sounds.

Talk to your doctor about natural ways to reduce stress in your life. Try to avoid taking any mood enhancement medications to alleviate stress because you'll just create all new problems for yourself.

7) Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a disease targeting your immune system and central nervous system. The disease destroys the nerves protecting your immune and central nervous systems, disrupting the communication link between the body and the brain. Then you won't be able to fully control the functions of certain body parts, such as your hands.

There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. The best thing you can do is seek physical therapy and prescription medications to reduce the symptoms and hinder the growth of the disease in your immune system.

Here are some ways you can treat multiple sclerosis to reduce hand tremors:

  • Medication (e.g., Acetazolamide, Buspirone, Hydroxyzine)
  • Hand braces
  • Deep brain stimulation surgery
  • Medical or legal recreational cannabis
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Weightlifting

Many people with multiple sclerosis have successfully alleviated their symptoms by introducing these treatments into their lives. Whether or not they will work for you is not guaranteed. Ask your doctor to guide you further on the decision to try these therapies and treatments to control your hand tremors.

8) Parkinson's Disease

Roughly 10 million people in the world have Parkinson's Disease. One of the first noticeable symptoms of Parkinson's Disease is hand shakiness. It usually happens when your body remains idle but then goes away when you start moving again.

Your hands may not be the only body parts to shake. Parkinson's disease can also cause your foot, jaw, and tongue to tremor as well. It is a terrible and uncomfortable disease that gets progressively worse.

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. The only treatment options are medication and deep brain stimulation surgery, where a doctor surgically implants small electrodes in your brain to manage your hand tremors.

The prescription medications available to treat the disease include:

  • Carbidopa-levodopa
  • Dopamine agonists
  • Anticholinergics
  • Amantadine
  • MAO B inhibitors
  • Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors
  • Inhaled carbidopa-levodopa
  • Carbidopa-levodopa infusion

The drugs will work to diminish the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, like hand shakiness. But you'll have to spend the rest of your life controlling the symptoms with medication. It is worth it, though.

9) Essential Tremor

Most people with hand tremor disorders have a condition called essential tremor. It is not life-threatening but can cause extreme hand shakiness, fatigue, and stress. The shakiness symptom could also spread to other body parts over time, such as your arms and legs.

Little is known about the cause of essential tremors. However, researchers believe it could be attributed to environmental factors and a person's age. For instance, people over 40 years old are more likely to develop essential tremors, but no one knows why.

There are no effective medications for treating essential tremors. The most effective treatment is deep brain stimulation surgery, but this option is only recommended for people who have severe tremoring symptoms.

10) Peripheral Neuropathy

Any disease or injury affecting your central nervous system could cause you to develop hand tremors. The scientific name for this kind of nerve damage is peripheral neuropathy, affecting the nerves in your brain and spinal cord.

Some of the leading causes of peripheral neuropathy include:

  • Poor nutrition
  • Vitamin deficiency
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Diabetes
  • Bad genes
  • Certain medications
  • AIDS
  • Kidney disease
  • Thyroid disease
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome (the nervous system mistakenly attacks the immune system)

The most effective treatments for peripheral neuropathy will depend on the cause. For example, someone with actual nerve damage may need surgery to treat the condition. But if the condition stems from alcohol or poor nutrition, making simple lifestyle changes would be the most effective solution.

Conclusion

Hand shakiness can be normal or a sign of something more like a disease. You won't know for sure until you get a complete medical examination from a doctor.

Are you ready to seek professional medical care for your hand tremors and shakiness? Nicelocal is the best business directory for finding qualified doctors in your local area.