Buzzing Sensation In The Feet, Toes, Hands, Fingers, Arms, Legs

Causes: Why Anxiety Can Cause Buzzing Extremities

Medical Advisory

Talk to your doctor about all new, changing, persistent, and returning symptoms as some medical conditions and medications can cause anxiety-like symptoms.

Additional Medical Advisory Information.

1. Anxiety-Activated Stress Response

Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response. The stress response secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel to targeted locations to bring about specific physiological, psychological, and emotional changes that enhance the body’s ability to deal with a threat—to fight or flee. This survival reaction is often referred to as the fight or flight response.[1][2]

Visit our “Stress Response” article for more information about its many changes.

Some of these changes include:

• Increases blood sugar so that we have an instant boost of energy.
• Stimulates the nervous system, increasing nervous system activity.
• Heightens most of the body’s senses.
• Shunts blood to parts of the body vital to survival, such as the brain, arms, legs, and vital organs, and away from parts less vital for survival, such as the stomach, digestive system, and skin.
• Increases heart rate, respiration, and metabolism due to the boost in energy.
• Causes muscles to tighten to make the body more resilient to injury.

The higher the degree of stress response, the more dramatic the changes.

Any one or combination of these changes can cause a buzzing sensation anywhere on or in the body, including the extremities.

For instance:

• A sudden blood sugar and energy increase can cause a buzzing sensation.
• A hyper-aroused sympathetic nervous system can also cause a buzzing sensation anywhere on or in the body.
• Increased sensory awareness can more closely detect physical changes in the body, resulting in a buzzing sensation.
• Shunting blood to the extremities can also cause a buzzing sensation in the extremities.
• Increased heart rate, respiration, and metabolism can also cause a buzzing sensation. They can also cause hyper- or hypo-ventilation, which can cause a buzzing sensation in the extremities.
• Tightening muscles can also cause a buzzing sensation.
• Stress hormones affect other hormones. A change in hormone balance can also cause a buzzing sensation, including in the extremities.

Many people report a buzzing sensation when nervous, afraid, anxious, or stressed.[2][3]

Some people say they have a “case of the nerves” because they are buzzing, trembling, shaking, and vibrating so much when nervous, afraid, anxious, or stressed.

Consequently, an acute stress response can cause acute buzzing in the extremities.

2. Hyperstimulation (chronic stress)

When stress responses occur too frequently, such as from overly anxious behavior, the body can remain in a state of semi-stress-response-readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are stimulants.

Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[4][5]

Hyperstimulation can cause the changes of an active stress response even though a stress response hasn’t been activated.

Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body and how we feel.

As hyperstimulation increases, so can the degree and prevalence of buzzing extremities symptoms.

Furthermore, the body’s nervous system sends and receives sensory information to and from the brain. A main component of the nervous system is specialized cells called neurons (nerve cells), which communicate with each other using an electrochemical process (the combination of electricity and chemistry).

When nerve impulse information is received from one of the body’s senses, neurons relay this nerve impulse information through the nervous system network to the brain for interpretation.

For example, if we want to move a particular muscle or group of muscles, nerve impulse information is sent from the brain through the nervous system network to the particular muscle or groups of muscles to bring about movement (muscles move through a combination of nerve impulse-triggered muscle contractions and releases).

Again, neurons convey this nerve impulse information electrochemically through the nervous system network.

This nervous system's communication and reaction perform normally when the body and nervous system are healthy. However, problems can occur when the nervous system becomes hyperstimulated.[5][6]

For instance, neurons are particularly sensitive to stress hormone stimulation because of their electrochemical properties. When neurons become hyperstimulated, they can act erratically.

This erratic behavior can cause neurons to send erratic nerve impulse information to and from the brain.[6][7]

Moreover, because hyperstimulation can increase the electrical activity in parts of the brain, which can cause neurons to become even more unstable, neurons can fire even more erratically when the nervous system becomes hyperstimulated.[8]

The combination of the above factors can cause many odd and bizarre sensations, symptoms, and feelings, including experiencing a “buzzing” feeling in the extremities (or anywhere on or in the body).

Like all sensations and symptoms of hyperstimulation, the frequency, intensity, and duration of buzzing is typically tied to the degree of hyperstimulation. As the degree of hyperstimulation increases, so can the severity and frequency of buzzing sensations.

Hyperstimulation is a common cause of chronic buzzing in the extremities.

3. Sleep deprivation and fatigue

Sleep deprivation and fatigue can contribute to this symptom. Sleep deprivation and fatigue can increase the circulating cortisol level to compensate for the lack of sleep and energy.[9][10] Cortisol is a powerful stress hormone, causing many changes associated with the stress response.

Many people who are sleep-deprived and tired experience buzzing in the extremities until their sleep debt is caught up and they become sufficiently rested.

4. Side effects of medication

Many medications, including common psychotropic medications (anti-anxiety, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, etc.) can cause buzzing in the extremities as a side effect.

If you think your buzzing symptoms might be related to your medication, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about options.

5. Other Factors

Other factors can create stress and cause anxiety-like symptoms, as well as aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, including:

• Recreational drugs
• Stimulants
• Hyper and hypoventilation
• Low blood sugar
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Dehydration
• Hormone changes
• Pain

Select the relevant link for more information.

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