What Could Cause Tingling, Buzzing, or Vibrating Sensations Throughout the Body?

Reviewed by Suo Lee, MD

Internal Medicine

Tingling, buzzing, or vibrating feelings in your body can sometimes be due to nerve signals sending extra messages. These sensations might be linked to conditions like diabetes, phantom vibration syndrome or internal tremors seen in some people, including those with a history of long COVID.

Explanation

The feeling of tingling, buzzing, or vibrations throughout your body might happen because your nerves are sending unusual signals. Sometimes, people experience something called phantom vibration syndrome, where they feel a vibration even when nothing is touching them, perhaps from frequently feeling phone vibrations. Other times, these sensations might be part of internal tremors, which are feelings of buzzing or shakiness coming from our internal muscles and nerves. Recent research has linked these internal vibration symptoms with long COVID, suggesting that after an infection, some people's nervous systems may react differently. In other cases, these feelings may be related to changes in how nerves send signals or problems with nerve pathways. If these symptoms cause worry or affect how you live day-to-day, it is a good idea to talk with a healthcare provider who can check your nerves and overall health. They can help you find the right steps to feel better and understand what’s causing these sensations.

(References)

Massey D, Sawano M, Baker AD, Güthe DB, Güthe N, Shidlovsky SP, Fisher L, Grady CB, Caraballo C, Zhou T, Sharma R, Krumholz HM. Characterisation of internal tremors and vibration symptoms. BMJ Open. 2023 Dec 28;13(12):e077389. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077389. PMID: 38154880; PMCID: PMC10759066.
Zhou T, Sawano M, Arun AS, Caraballo C, Michelsen T, McAlpine L, Bhattacharjee B, Lu Y, Khera R, Huang C, Warner F, Iwasaki A, Krumholz HM. Internal tremors and vibrations in long COVID: a cross-sectional study. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Aug 28:2023.06.19.23291598. doi: 10.1101/2023.06.19.23291598. Update in: Am J Med. 2024 Jul 26:S0002-9343(24)00470-4. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.07.008. PMID: 37693623; PMCID: PMC10491284.
Singh RK, Esht V, Chahal A. Timed Vibration Sense and Joint Position Sense among Male University Students Experiencing Phantom Vibration Syndrome, Affecting Their Lifestyle. J Lifestyle Med. 2022 Sep 30;12(3):171-177. doi: 10.15280/jlm.2022.12.3.171. PMID: 36628183; PMCID: PMC9798882.

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