Getting a grip on treating shaky hands
Handshakes are a social convention that has been used for at least 3,000 years, according to historians who found a ninth century B.C. relief that shows the kings of Babylonia and As syria shaking hands. But if your hands are shaking — that ’s quite something els e.
There are many reasons that can happen — too much caffeine, lack of sleep and low blood sugar are all possible causes. Some medications for mental illness, seizures, migraine, neuropathy and asthma, as well a sim mu no suppress ants, are possible triggers. But the major cause of shaking hands is called essential tremor. It causes in voluntary and rhythmic shaking, most often in the hands, whenever you do tasks like dr inking from a glass or tying shoelaces. It is not life- threatening, but can be extremely disruptive to daily life, and there is no cure. Other disorders that may be related to shaky hands include chronic anxiety, hyperthyroidism, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injur y and stroke.
Sometimes, lifestyle changes — less caffeine and alcohol, avoiding over- thetop exercise, stress control and psychotherapy — may relieve symptoms. But because your medications may be to blame or you may have a more serious undiagnosed illness, it ’s smart to get checked out by your physician. For essential tremors and other persistent cases, beta- blockers such as propranolol, anxiety medications and anti- seizure medications such as primidone are suggested. For multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s, there are specific therapies.
Stressing your heart
The journal JAMA Network Open published a study on how shor t- ter m, work-related stress can trigger an acute cardiovascular event such as stroke — especially if a person doesn’t have any way to control or mitigate stressful situations. Acute stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing blood vessels to contract and increase blood pressure. That puts more pressure on weakened vessels and causes plaque that’ s lining arteries to rupture.
Home- related stress, such as family conflict, divorce, death of a spouse or violence, also can up the odds of a stroke.
Want to reduce your card io risks? A three-month pilot study of folks with high blood pressure found that 15 minutes of yoga added each day to a five- days- aweek aerobic exercise routine reduces systolic blood pressure and resting hear t rate and improves 10- year cardiovascular risk.