Why am I "vibrating" and my heart is racing in my sleep?

As of August I have been dealing with a 'mystery' medical illness. I have extreme fatigue, focusing and memory problems, physical pain and weakness, numbness and tingling, burning sensations, extreme dizziness when I attempt physical exercise, I get hot flashes and chills at night. These are all pretty common symptoms of literally hundreds of diseases. So far I have ruled out thyroid and hormones, some auto immune diseases. But I do not have health insurance or qualify for medicaid right now to continue seeing a neurologist and hematologist (the neuro I saw suggested it may be related to my anemia but that is still too mild to be causing these symptoms).

But anyhow the most fascinating thing I've just kind of put together is that I've been having really vivid dreams that I remember every single night since this illness started in late August, and that I sometimes "vibrate" and my heart races really fast in my sleep. Husband says it is not the same as shaking, I don't shake but I 'vibrate', the bed shakes, it terrified him the first time it happened. When I wake up after these 'episodes' my body is horribly sore the whole next day. So I'm wondering if maybe this could be tied into my illness or what might cause these particular sleep related symptoms.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

It is difficult to say that you have a single diagnosis based on the information you provided. However, I would suggest that you be evaluated for seizure activity. Seizures, depending on their location, can cause autonomic abnormalities such as racing heart as well as motor features of tremulousness/shaking. Secondly, do you have a headache with these episodes? Migraines can present with symptoms much like you described. Third, often these symptoms may reflect emotional/psychiatric problems related to stress (what is called somatization disorder). The latter is a true medical condition whereby instead of a patient experiencing depression or anxiety, they experience physical symptoms, and once the stress is addressed, the symptoms resolve.

I suggest that you follow up with you primary care physician. You may need an EEG to evaluate the electrical nature of your brain.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[AvaTara539]

The vibration only happens when I am sleeping and I do not remember it. Multiple people, my H and my former roommate and my mother when I was visiting, have told me I vibrate in my sleep and the bed shakes. I have however suffered from migraines long before the other symptoms I described started occurring- the migraines have been around for about 5 years. My pulse races with extremely minimal physical activity however, not just in my sleep (example- went to the memorial in Joplin, MO on Sunday, took maybe 5 minutes to walk back to the car and I couldn't make it all the way there because my heart was beating so fast and my legs got so sore and I felt myself getting super dizzy and fuzzy vision... this is just after a few minutes of *walking*). It's a good idea to get evaluated for a seizure disorder but if it's only in my sleep is it likely?

[AvaTara539]

Btw, sorry I forgot to mention that I am *not* obese. I have in fact spent the vast majority of my life being very athletic, mostly soccer. And I eat very healthy, I am a vegetarian and my folate, b12, and other essential nutrients are normal. I am mildly microcytic anemic but I have been since I was 15 (when I was a meat eater). My iron levels are only slightly low, I take 65mg of elemental iron a day and eat iron fortified w/vitamin C at every meal also. Just in case you were wondering- was I struggling with walking short distances because of obesity or lack of fitness.