Dealing With Shaking Hands – An Ideal Life

For the better part of a decade, my hands have had a mind of their own. What started as occasional shakiness has gradually progressed, leaving me to figure out how to deal with shaking hands.

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Understanding Shaking Hands

Shaky hands, or tremors, can have many causes, ranging from temporary issues like caffeine intake or anxiety to long-term chronic conditions. While occasional shakiness is normal enough, persistent or worsening tremors can indicate an underlying medical cause.

In my case, my shaking hands have been classified as tremors attributed to my fibromyalgia. I’ll be seeing a neurologist in a few months, though, to rule out differential diagnoses and cover all our bases. But shaking hands can stem from a number of causes. Some common causes include:

• Essential Tremor (ET): A neurological disorder that causes rhythmic shaking, often hereditary, and tends to worsen with movement.
• Parkinson’s Disease: A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes resting tremors, typically starting on one side of the body.
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS): An autoimmune condition affecting the nervous system, sometimes leading to intention tremors that occur during movement.
• Nutritional Deficiencies: Lack of essential nutrients like B12, magnesium, or electrolytes can contribute to shaking hands.
• Medication Side Effects: Certain medications, such as antidepressants, stimulants, or asthma medications, can cause hand tremors as a side effect.
• Anxiety & Stress: Psychological factors can exacerbate tremors, particularly in high-stress situations

Identifying the root cause of hand tremors is crucial for effective management. A healthcare provider may perform neurological exams, blood tests, or imaging studies to determine the underlying cause.

Tracking Your Tremors

If you’re dealing with frequent hand tremors, tracking your symptoms can be helpful when discussing them with your doctor. Keeping a log of your symptoms can reveal patterns and triggers you might not have noticed otherwise. Consider noting:

• When the shaking happens
• What seems to make it better or worse
• Any family history of similar issues
• Other symptoms you experience

Tools like our Fibromyalgia Journal or trackers like those from our friends at Wellness Warrior Press can help guide you through symptom tracking.

Keeping a symptom journal or using an app to log these observations can provide useful insights over time. Additionally, recording videos of your tremors can be helpful for medical professionals to assess patterns and severity. This is where being a content creator has really paid off—I have years of videos in which my progressively worse shaking hands are obvious!

Daily Adjustments for Managing Shaking Hands

Whatever the cause, shaking hands can interfere with everything from eating and drinking to writing and using a phone. Here are some daily modifications that can make life a bit easier.

Using Adaptive Tools

Adaptive tools can make everyday activities more manageable when dealing with shaking hands. Weighted utensils and pens are particularly useful, as their added weight helps stabilize movement, making it easier to eat or write.

For personal care, larger-handled items like toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and makeup tools require less fine motor control, making them easier to use with shaking hands. Technology has also introduced solutions such as electric toothbrushes, can openers, and razors, which eliminate the need for precise hand movements.

Some devices even take it a step further—gyroscopic stabilizers like self-stabilizing spoons and smart styluses actively counteract tremors, allowing for greater control.

Leveraging Technology

Technology has evolved to offer several ways to accommodate and work around shaking hands. Many smartphones, tablets, and computers come equipped with built-in accessibility settings that allow users to adjust sensitivity, customize gestures, or enable voice commands. Voice-to-text apps make communication easier by allowing you to dictate messages instead of typing, eliminating the frustration of mis-taps caused by shaky hands.

Stylus pens with built-in stabilization features help make digital writing and drawing more accessible. For those who rely on touchscreen devices, anti-tremor touchscreen software can reduce unintended taps and gestures while making navigation more precise. Some assistive keyboards and mice also feature tremor filtering, which helps minimize erratic movements while typing or clicking for a smoother digital experience even with shaking hands.

Making Lifestyle Tweaks

Although some tremors are neurological and cannot be controlled entirely through lifestyle adjustments, certain habits can help manage symptoms. For instance, stress is a major trigger for many people with shaking hands, so learning to regulate with deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can less the severity of tremors.

Caffeine is another common culprit—some people find that reducing their intake of coffee, tea, or energy drinks helps to calm their shaking hands. Hydration and electrolyte balance also play a role, as dehydration can lead to muscle instability.

Incorporating gentle exercises or joyful movement like stretching or tai chi can improve coordination over time. Some individuals also explore dietary supplements such as magnesium, B12, and omega-3s to support neurological health, though consulting with a healthcare provider is always crucial before starting any new supplements.

DIY & Budget-Friendly Solutions

Not everyone has access to specialized equipment, but small and affordable changes can still make a big impact. One simple trick is wrapping rubber bands around utensils, pens, or toothbrushes to improve grip.

Another low-cost adaptation is attaching velcro straps to a phone, remote, or tablet to provide extra control. Fingerless compression gloves offer mild compression, which may help reduce shakiness during tasks.

These DIY solutions may not replace medical-grade tools, but they can be helpful alternatives for improving daily functions while dealing with shaking hands.

Occupational Therapy Techniques

For those seeking more targeted approaches, occupational therapy can offer customized exercises to help improve control and dexterity. For example, hand-strengthening exercises such as squeezing a stress ball or using therapy putty can build fine motor control.

Practicing everyday activities like buttoning shirts or writing in a structured setting can also help, helping you develop strategies for managing tremors. Some therapists recommend small wrist weights to provide resistance, while others teach patients how to brace their arms against a stable surface to minimize excessive movement.

Living with shaking hands is far from easy, but these strategies can make dealing with tremors a little bit easier. If you deal with shaky hands, I’d love to hear what’s helped you!