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Why are your hands shaking?
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
Often a person faces a situation when for one reason or another their hands start shaking: be it from worries, excitement, or for unknown reasons. What can such a symptom tell us? And in general, why do hands shake? Since there can be quite a lot of reasons, let's try to understand this issue in more detail.
Why is my right hand shaking?
Most often, tremors (shaking) of both hands are observed, but sometimes it happens that only one hand shakes, for example, the right one.
The most common cause of trembling in the right hand is considered to be physical exertion, because most of us are used to working more with the right hand than the left. Those people whose work is associated with constant and monotonous load on the right hand suffer especially: this is conveyor production, high-precision work, etc. professions. In this situation, the hand simply "gets used" to the constant load, and in the "no load" state, the muscles begin to contract involuntarily, and trembling occurs in the right hand. There is no pathology in this, there is simply muscle memory of tension.
Sometimes the right hand may shake due to a cerebrovascular accident on the right side of the hemisphere. Everyone knows that the main symptom of a stroke is numbness of the arms and legs on the right or left side. So, in some cases, trembling in the right hand is a residual phenomenon of such a right-sided stroke, more often a microstroke. In this case, the hand may shake constantly, or only after nervous tension - as a result of stress and conflict situations.
Why is my left hand shaking?
The left hand may tremble with constant physical load on the hand, with incorrect distribution of such load on the upper limbs, with a sharp one-time load mainly on the left hand. In right-handed people, the left hand is obviously weaker than the right, therefore it is not adapted to a load greater than that offered to the right hand.
Tremors in the left hand may appear from carrying heavy objects or after an unsuccessful sports workout.
Why does the left hand shake if there was no physical load on it as such? The most common cause of this phenomenon is considered to be incomplete pinching of the nerve, when the nerve processes extending from the spinal cord are pressed by the nearest vertebrae or other factors: hernia, spasmodic nerve fibers, neoplasms, etc. Complete pinching of the nerve is usually accompanied by pain and disturbances in the sensitivity of the affected limb. Incomplete pinching can manifest itself in innervation disorders: periodic numbness of the hand, tingling, transient tremor. Such symptoms are inconstant, they disappear and then reappear. To confirm this diagnosis, you need to consult a vertebrologist.
Why do my hands and legs shake?
There are many known reasons why hands and feet shake at the same time. However, it is very important to establish that one true reason, because the person's further condition, comfort and health depend on it. Below we will describe the most common reasons for this condition.
- Excessive physical overload, unusual loads on the body are the most common factor of tremor. Tremors in the limbs in this case are explained by muscle fatigue and are their response to overload. Usually it is enough to give the muscles some time to rest and recover, and the tremors will pass.
- Emotional and mental shock – stress, conflict situation, worries, fear. Tremors in the limbs can be caused by the body's defense against an external stimulus, as well as some features of the autonomic nervous system. In this case, sedatives and normalization of the nervous system will help eliminate tremors in the arms and legs. Relaxing massage, reflexology, swimming in the pool, SPA procedures are recommended.
- Intoxication of the body caused by poisoning or toxic effects of chemicals or drugs. The most well-known type of intoxication is caused by alcohol - most people are familiar with the alcoholic tremor during a hangover. The cause of intoxication tremors in the arms and legs are toxic substances that affect the nervous system and brain. With systematic or constant intoxication, the effect also becomes constant, which affects the work of the vestibular system.
- Other pathologies that are the most serious and require mandatory consultation with a doctor and adequate treatment. Among such diseases, parkinsonism, hyperthyroidism and diabetes are more common.
Why do teenagers' hands shake?
In adults, hands may shake due to age-related changes, circulatory problems, or bad habits.
Most often, this condition is associated with an overly vulnerable nervous system of a young organism, which can be explained by the numerous changes that occur with the body of a teenager during adolescence. Hormonal changes and "rebooting" of the nervous system lead to mood instability, irritability, depressive states, increased fatigue and, as a result, to the appearance of trembling in the hands. Usually, this is considered a temporary phenomenon and goes away with age.
The second possible reason why a teenager's hands shake is that the nervous system is under too much stress, and is not yet fully developed. Studying, relationships with peers, lack of understanding with parents and teachers, the desire to define oneself - all of this leaves its mark on the young nervous system. There is no need to worry too much - with the end of adolescence, the shaking in the hands will also pass.
Why do my hands shake and feel weak?
If your hands are shaking and you feel weak throughout your body, you can also suspect many reasons. Most often, this condition is experienced by women and girls who adhere to a strict diet. General weakness, exhaustion of the body associated with a lack of nutrients, trembling hands - all these symptoms can be a consequence of a long and too limited diet. Eating unbalanced low-calorie food, fasting at any convenient opportunity affects the condition of the whole body. This problem can be solved by rationalizing nutrition, revising the composition and calorie content of dishes. The menu should be balanced with sufficient content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements.
The next reason for weakness and trembling in the hands is low blood pressure. Accompanying symptoms may include dizziness, headaches. You should not take measures to increase the pressure without first measuring it. Only when you are sure that the reasons are low pressure, you can try to stabilize it. Drink strong tea, coffee, take a citramon tablet, lie down with your legs elevated.
Why do my hands constantly shake?
Most often, tremor is a transient phenomenon that disappears after the cessation of the causative factor. But there are cases when hand tremors do not go away for a long time. It is impossible to name just one reason why hands constantly shake, since there are really many of them.
- Disorders of the vestibular and motor systems, possibly hereditary. Most often, with such disorders, tremors occur not only in the hands, but also in some other parts of the body.
- Prolonged nervous experiences, a prolonged state of fear, tension, shock. This condition requires long-term tranquilizer therapy, as well as consultation with a psychologist.
- Physical trauma, especially after major accidents: Here shock combines with physical injury, which makes the situation worse.
- Professional activity that involves long-term (over several years) stress on the hands, as well as monotonous manual work that forces the hands to be constantly under tension.
- Early stages of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, or increased production of thyroid hormones. To check for these diseases, you need to see a doctor and undergo a series of laboratory tests.
- Chronic poisoning, prolonged exposure to toxic substances (due to professional activity, or as a result of living in an unfavorable environmental situation, or as a result of prolonged ingestion of toxic substances: alcohol, medications, etc.).
All of the above situations require mandatory consultation with a doctor. The doctor will conduct the necessary examinations and prescribe, depending on the cause, sedative, hormonal or detoxification therapy.
Why do my fingers shake?
If your fingers start to tremble, it is recommended that you consult one of the following specialists: a narcologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, toxicologist or therapist. It can be quite difficult to accurately determine the reason why your fingers are shaking. Sometimes such tremors can indicate a serious illness, but in some cases this is a normal natural state of the body in response to some irritant.
Tremors in the fingers of a healthy person appear suddenly and disappear just as suddenly and without a trace. This condition can be caused by sudden and intense physical exertion, strong anxiety, prolonged depressive disorder, hysteria. The best treatment in such a situation is peace, rest, taking sedatives. You can drink warm tea with mint and lie down in a calm environment. In more severe cases, it may be necessary to prescribe strong tranquilizers and anticonvulsants.
A common cause of finger tremors is a side effect of some medications. If you are taking any medications and your fingers are trembling, contact your doctor: he or she should stop or replace the medication and conduct symptomatic therapy.
Why do my hands and head shake?
We have already considered many reasons why hands may shake. But sometimes tremors of the hands are accompanied by trembling in other parts of the body. For example, why do hands and head shake? Of course, physical exertion and anxiety cannot be considered the cause of such a phenomenon.
Simultaneous tremors in the limbs and head may indicate disorders in the central nervous system, which requires urgent and mandatory consultation with a doctor. This problem most often appears in old and senile age, when patients begin to notice that their fingers begin to make uncontrolled movements. Unfortunately, in most cases this may indicate the development of Parkinson's disease - a chronic degenerative disease of the nervous system, when the patient loses control over his movements. The second name for this disease is shaking palsy: a person experiences tremors in the limbs and head, and the patient is unable to cope with this condition.
Sometimes trembling in the hands and head of elderly people is not associated with Parkinson's pathology, but means instability of the central nervous system, when a person begins to be unreasonably nervous, looking for a comfortable position. He becomes irritable, trembling in the body appears. Such symptoms usually pass when the patient falls asleep. And the next morning the condition may resume.
Without a doubt, the hands and head also shake in people who abuse alcoholic beverages, due to constant intoxication and brain damage. In such cases, not only the hands and head may shake, but also the tongue and facial muscles. In this way, the body asks for help, indicating pronounced signs of intoxication.
Why are my hands shaking so much?
It is no secret that hand tremors, especially severe ones, cause a lot of discomfort to people. It becomes difficult for them not only to write, eat and do housework: this disorder causes a lot of problems in society, a person begins to have complexes, hide his hands, avoid companies. But, fortunately, hand tremors are not always a manifestation of diseases.
Sometimes this indicates a decrease in the level of glucose in the bloodstream. This condition is not uncommon if a person is hungry or has been depriving himself of carbohydrates for a long time (for example, following an exclusively protein or low-carbohydrate diet). Other symptoms of this condition are fatigue, depressed mood. In this case, stabilizing the sugar level will help: you need to eat something carbohydrate, for example, a chocolate bar, a banana, dried fruits. It would not be superfluous to consult an endocrinologist who will check your metabolic processes.
Strong hand tremors can be observed in people who drink large amounts of coffee and other caffeine-containing drinks (energy drinks, cola). As is known, caffeine stimulates excitation processes in the body, which can cause quite strong hand tremors.
The most common cause of hand tremors is increased adrenaline production, which occurs during quarrels, fright, or shock. Slowly increasing tremors can be caused by drinking alcohol, smoking (especially when a person tries to abruptly give up bad habits). In some cases, the reason why hands shake can be vegetative-vascular dystonia, a disease that often affects young girls and women. One way or another, only a specialist can determine the exact cause of this condition based on certain studies.
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