Question: Since four years a strange sensation occurs when I wake up from a deep sleep. I feel a strong fluttering or trembling or tremor under my breastbone, indeed right where my heart is. First time it occured I ran to the doctor as I thought I had a heart condition, but after intensive checkups, I had a strong heart, nothing wrong there. Still the sensation occurs regularly. Not every night, but at least once or twice a week and several times per night. Never during the day. This fluttering sensation is strong and I can feel it everywhere in by body, if I loosely put my hand on thigh or arm, it trembles under the skin.If I see my hands , nothing trembles on the outside, you cannot see a thing, strong untrembling hands. I can breath perfectly, can think perfectly during the tremor. When I feel my pulse, my heart beats regularly and slowly, normal for sleep. When I change position, from back to side or vise versa, it stops. Sometimes it is strong and short, and stops quickly, but then it feels as if someone put the brakes on, as if my body stops and falls. I can even hear it in my ears..that it stops...so weird. I am trying to see a pattern and have come up with some questions. Is this the beginning of Parkinson - my biggest worry? Then, I take Zyrtec regularly as I am quite allergic. I do take a good daily glass of wine (max half a bottle) probably in combination with Zyrtec not the best thing? I sometimes think I see this connection but am not sure this is what I wish to be. Difficult. I am 61 years old, healthy female ( with a thyroid problem too, for thirty years already and very well medicated- just to mention the overall picture) and hardly ever visit a doctor. Should I have this checked, something so vague, or shall I just wait for it to disappear as it appears 4 years ago just out of the blue. Thank you for even reading this lenghthy question, but I thought I better be thorough.

Dear Doctor LLiri,

Thank you very much for your answer. I had already heard about the phenomenum you talk about but I am sure this is not what it is. I know I am awake, and is has nothing to do with seeing images, or not knowing where I am. It is always the same, never another hallucination, although a lot less severe as when it started and I am fully awake, in fact the fluttering awakens me. I am already quite used to it and know that it will stop when I change position , which I do immmediately each time it occurs. I am awake and fully rational. I always check my pulse in my neck to make sure it indeed is not my heart ( which always pumps perfectly). I have asked my husband to feel the fluttering under my skin and indeed he does! So it is there, it is not in my mind! When it first occurred 4 years ago, it was way stronger and I could place something on my breastbone and it would flutter with the tremor...so it is truly there. I thought , could it be my diaphragm, or a nervous system problem or a veins problem as I can feel it under my skin with my hand over all my body, extremities as well... that only occurs when I am at rest, at night so. It is a severe trembling, not visible on the outside, strangely enough. So it is not muscle tissue to my idea. And when it stops, it is very abruptly, as said as if something brakes inside my body, while I am lying down. My ears 'hear' this stop for some reason. It never occurs when I am upright. I cannot imagine this to be a hallucination, as I can converse with my husband and have asked him to feel it and he does feel it too, each time when I ask. He finds it very strange and a bit frightening too. So, I hope as it gradually gets less over the years it will eventually disappear altogether, but being as this age, I would not want to bury my head in the sand if I could have done something about this as it might be a sign of something going wrong or deteriorating... I know this is a strange descripton, unusual, have not been able to find anything online, and I am very proficient online...:-) but I still hope someone recognizes this and can put my mind at rest. The Parkinson threat still not fully away I am sorry to say..but again, thank you for at least taking me seriously. Best to you and yours, XXXXXXX