Muscle tremors at night

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Since August, I wake every night 3-5 times and feel my muscles tremor. Arms, legs, back, abdomen. There's no visible jitter, only the super fast tremors that go on for 5-10 minutes, depending how powerful they are. When they are stronger, heart also starts racing for no other obvious reason.

I've always felt I don't get much rest during sleep and thought it's related to having Aspergers. This is a totally new thing. At first I got scared that I have a heart problem but doctors said heart works fine. A sleep specialist could not help me either, but she told me my brain is overactive during sleep.

Has anyone experiensed anything similar? This occurs only during sleep, never during daytime.

I wonder if my nervous system is slowly starting to deteriorate, after pushing myself too hard for years and years at work

To me, I would get things like this due to stress and then eventual burnout... I wore out my front teeth from behind while in my sleep and would often wake up hearing a grinding noise! I was also thinking today about the times I woke up (Sometimes happened while awake as well) where I would feel like I was falling backwards and suddenly in an automated bodily panic I would make a sudden movement to steady myself even though I would be lying down in bed where it was impossible to fall backwards! Also had balance issues during burnout and where in the padt I could walk on icy paths and across semi-icy car parks almost as if there was no ice, it suddenly took me ages to slowly cross such places as each step felt like my feet were sliding away from me due to my balance. Yet walking on frosty grass I would walk normally.

But I would consider with such spazms ones day-to-day stress. As often things like this play out at night when ones asleep.

I experience something like this mainly in my legs and have done for the past 45 years. Over the past 12 months I have undergone a number of NHS tests focused on my metabolism and nervous system including a full CAT scan. They have no clue as to what is causing it and have no idea as to what to do next.

I have a private assessment for EDS next week (the NHS in my area wont assess for this) so will be interested to see if the Consultant things there is a link.

Ive learned to live with it but would like to know what causing it.

If this only happens when your falling asleep or sleeping I would guess you have something called Hypnic Jerks. There's various causes including meds(especially psych ones), being tired, & stressed to name a few. Some of the treatments include addressing the causes or making med changes. I'd recommend discussing the tremors with your doc &/or psych if you have one weather this is the cause or not.

Maybe ask the doctor for a blood test. Are you are getting enough vitamins and minerals? Salt could even be low.

The sleep doctor suggested a few intresting things:

- my body could be releasing tension during deep sleep, like when animals stretch and shake their muscles.

- I should look into TRE- therapy which “activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscular tension, calming down the nervous system.”

Anyways, I think first priority should be making my life less stressfull. Easier said than done though!

consider this might be part of willis ekbom/rls syndrome. jerking trembling, shakiness, twitchiness usually of legs but sometimes also full body involvement or just arms/hands. low iron , low calcium, low zinc may also play a part and some sufferers may find relief in using supplements. Do you take a daily supplement that includes vitamins and minerals?
Also meds might cause side effects ... is there any med you have been on during the same time period?