Do you wake up to find that certain parts of your body are numb? Read on to learn why you may have numbness while sleeping on your side.
Have you been keeping a secret about your sleep habits?
People who experience numbness while sleeping often hide it from friends and family members.
Okay, so maybe no one hides the fact that they have numbness and tingling in their hands or feet. They probably don’t use the resulting interrupted sleep as an excuse for arriving late at work. But it isn’t something most people discuss over coffee with coworkers.
In most cases, numbness in fingers or feet in the middle of the night isn’t normal.
With one exception, there are medical reasons for the tingling. And you can find relief!
Don’t let another sleepless night go by. Take a minute and learn more about causes and a few solutions for this annoying problem.
Side Sleepers Unite
A non-medical cause of numbness while sleeping is sleeping position. If you’re one of the many side sleepers, you may spend a good part of the night lying directly on a nerve in your arm or leg.
You wake up with a sensation of pins and needles in your arm, hands, or feet. It’s called paresthesia and you can make it go away without any secret treatments or visits to the doctor.
All you need is a change of position.
But what about people who don’t sleep on their sides and can’t sleep because paresthesia wakes them up?
There are several medical explanations for numbness in extremities while sleeping.
A Common Cause of Numbness While Sleeping
You’ve ruled out strange sleeping positions but you still haven’t figured out why you have numbness in your arms while sleeping. Have you heard of carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by repetitive wrist or finger motion. One of the symptoms is numbness and tingling in the hands at night.
Traditional medicine treatment often means either steroid injections or invasive surgery where the doctor cuts the ligament surround around the carpal tunnel. The procedure relieves pressure off the median nerve.
Through gentle manipulation of the wrist and elbow, a chiropractor can help alleviate that annoying numbness caused by carpal tunnel syndrome.
Blame It on Your Neck
Although carpal tunnel syndrome is common it certainly isn’t the only medical condition associated with numbness while sleeping. Your neck may be the culprit.
If that seems strange, try saying this: cervical radiculopathy.
Compression or irritation of a nerve root in the cervical spine can cause pain and/or numbness in the shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers.
Enter your friend cervical radiculopathy. Of course, this pain traveling along the radicular nerve is no friend, especially when it interrupts sleep.
Changing positions usually wakes the nerve up and numbness goes away. But if you notice frequent numbness, you may have a damaged or pinched nerve.
If you’ve ever had a pinched nerve anywhere in your body, you know how debilitating it feels. No matter how much rubbing you do, or how many heat treatments you apply, it persists.
A visit with your chiropractor may offer significant relief. Chiropractors use a variety of techniques when dealing with cervical spine issues.
A chiropractor can’t diagnose your numbness over the phone but after a short spinal examination, followed by a spinal adjustment, you could be on your way to a better night’s sleep.
Other medical conditions may be the cause of numbness while sleeping, including diabetes.
Are You Diabetic?
Numbness or tingling in the feet is often the first sign of nerve damage from diabetes. Called peripheral neuropathy, the symptoms can happen at any time but are worse at night.
About half of the people diagnosed with diabetes suffer from peripheral neuropathy.
While managing pain and numbness is likely at the top of your list of priorities. Preventing further damage is important too!
Aside from prescription medications, which only decrease pain by 30-50%, you do have other options.
Consider chiropractic care as part of your treatment plan for diabetic neuropathy. Chiropractic care works because it focuses on something deeper than the pain and numbness-targeting the root cause of the symptoms.
Chiropractic manipulations may help relieve, or slow the progression of peripheral neuropathy in your legs. If you’re not diabetic and have numbness in your feet while sleeping, think about your diet.
Look at Your Diet
Numbness at night in your feet or hands may also be caused by a vitamin deficiency.
Our diets today sometimes simply miss the mark. You may eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables and still not get enough Vitamin C or vitamin B6. Both affect collagen production, a critical protein necessary for connective tissue health.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, considered a connective-tissue disorder, shows improvement when patients use vitamin B6 supplements.
When you have your initial appointment with a chiropractor, you’ll discuss your overall health, including nutrition.
Ready for Relief?
Numbness while sleeping whether it’s in your feet, arm, or hands disrupts sleep and can be a sign of something more serious than sleeping in an odd position.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, pinched nerve in the cervical spine, or diabetes may cause numbness at night. A vitamin deficiency may be the guilty party too.
Here at Logan Chiropractic Ann Arbor, we’re dedicated to determining the root of the problem.
Don’t lose another night of sleep. Make an appointment with us today and let us help you sleep better.