Do you sometimes wake up and find your arms or legs falling asleep at night? This could be a frightening experience, and your discomfort is the same whether you have a complete or partial loss of sensation. When your arm or leg falls asleep, it is so weak and you cannot grip or stand.
Other annoying symptoms include pain, tingling, coldness, stiffness, or clumsiness, and an inability to feel in one or both your limbs when you first wake up You may feel these symptoms in your fingers, wrists and palms, or your leg.
For the most part, the symptoms should pass by quickly. If you have fallen asleep in the wrong position it can be helpful to slowly try to move your limbs until feeling returns and you can do it more quickly. Shaking your limbs gently and holding them up can help.
Reasons for Numbness
This condition can happen to anyone of any age. When the blood supply is cut off from your limbs – legs or arms, it is usually due to a pinched nerve or poor circulation in this area. However, there are also some medical problems that can cause limbs to fall asleep. Here is a list of some of the possible reasons Consult with your doctor if you are noticing severe symptoms or if the symptoms persist.
- Poor Circulation: This is likely the most common reason why your limbs might fall asleep and it can usually be alleviated by changing sleeping positions.
- Diabetes: Hands, arms, and feet can fall asleep due to diabetes and this can happen even when someone is awake and relaxing, such as while watching television, or while on the computer.
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome or Tendonitis: With pressure to the nerve in your wrist joint, these problems can cause hands to experience a tingling sensation and a loss of sensation that may be more pronounced early in the morning.
- Arthritis or Hand Surgery: These conditions may cause the nerves to be irritated or damaged.
- There are so many other causes not listed here, and if numbness persists, a visit to the doctor is very much in order.
To reduce or prevent this from happening, try the following tips:
- Avoid placing your arm or hand below your head or any part of the body when sleeping. Avoid hanging your arm and leg down the bed, since it can lead to tingling and numbness. Try to sleep in a different position.
- When you sleep, avoid placing your arm/hand under any part of the body. Make sure your arm and legs rest on the bed.
- Begin exercising such as walking, jogging daily to increase your blood circulation and reduce the risk of your arm falling asleep.
- When performing work that requires repetitive movements like typing, clicking a computer mouse, or hammering. Rotate your shoulders and wrists occasionally
- Don’t fall asleep with your hands in a fist or your legs curled; try to keep them uncurled.
- Hold your hands above your heart to help them “wake up.”
- Try drinking ginger tea, which can improve circulation.
- If you are having carpal tunnel or tendonitis problems that are causing your hands to fall asleep or feel numb, an anti-inflammatory drug might also be helpful.
