What are tremors?

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Hand tremors are a slight or significant tremor of the hands, which can occur for many different reasons. These reasons can be completely benign, and the shaking can be so mild, or associated only with certain activities, that it’s rarely bothersome. Some people experience more significant tremors caused by serious conditions. It is always advisable to determine the medical cause of hand tremors to rule out potential underlying problems.

One of the most common causes of hand tremors is essential tremor, which occurs mostly in people over the age of 65. Many people automatically assume that a person with a tremor that is particularly noticeable between activities has Parkinson’s disease. This isn’t always true, and essential tremor is very different from conditions like Parkinson’s. While it may be linked to the activity of the cerebellum in the brain, which may not coordinate muscle movement properly, it is not always a serious condition or one that necessarily requires treatment. Even though studies point to involvement of the cerebellum, this may be normal human variation instead of indicating brain damage.

Sometimes more than one person in a family has essential tremor, and while these are more common in the elderly, they can also occur in younger people. The affected body part is not always the hands, and some people may have a slight tremor in their voice or show tremors in other parts of the body. When several people in the same family have essential tremor, it is usually referred to as familial tremor.

There are other things that can cause tremors in the hand or other parts of the body. Conditions like Parkinson’s disease can cause it, some medications create tremor, and alcohol withdrawal can cause it to a large extent. People who are tired or stressed out might develop hand tremors, and they can be common in people who drink too much caffeine or have conditions like anxiety and panic disorder.

Most people who experience a shake from something like drinking too much coffee will notice that it subsides before long. When hand tremors do not go away, a person should see a doctor. Doctors will likely want to know a history of when the tremors started, when they are most common, and whether anyone else in the family has them. They may run several tests to determine the cause, or at least to rule out very serious causes.

Some people have very severe tremors and require treatment. Treatment might include various medications to reduce the tremors. Sometimes people have surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation, but this would generally not be an option for someone with very mild and occasional hand tremors.

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