Arm Falling Asleep at Night

People who have issues with arms or hands falling asleep during the night may be sleeping on an incorrect position or experiencing nerve issues. Improving your sleeping position, attempting some natural home remedy and dealing with underlying nerve disorders are some methods to ease the issue.

Do you in some cases wake up and find your arms or hands falling asleep during the night? This could be a frightening experience, and your pain is the same whether you have a complete or partial loss of experience. When your arm or hand goes to sleep it is so weak and you can not grip or hold anything. Other annoying symptoms consist of pain, tingling, coldness, tightness, or clumsiness. You might feel these symptoms in your fingers, wrists and palms, or they may encompass your arms.

Causes of Arm Falling Asleep at Night

What causes your arm to falling asleep? These might describe your issue:

1. Incorrect Sleeping Position. When you sleep on your hand or arm for a long period of time, your body exerts pressure on the hand/arm, which can interrupt the circulation and nerve paths to that part of the body. The flow of blood is limited when the arteries are compressed, which leads to failure of the nerves in the arm to send proper signals to your brain. This disturbance of nerve function can make your hands/arms go to sleep until blood flow enhances.
2. Ulnar Nerve Entrapment. When your ulnar nerve, which runs from the neck down to the arm, gets compressed, it can make the hand/arm become numb. Keeping an elbow bent when sleeping can put pressure on your ulnar nerve and this can worsen nerve entrapment occurs. What causes ulnar nerve entrapment? It can be due to arthritis, cysts, fractures, or bone stimulates which cause elbow swelling, causing nerve entrapment.
3. Stroke. Around one from seven strokes occurs during the night while a patient is asleep, according to a study in the Neurology journal. A stroke results from a disturbance of the blood flow to your brain. Numbness and tingling of the limbs on one side of the body, a headache, disorientation and problem speaking and understanding conversation are a few of the symptoms of a stroke. If your arm and hand fall asleep, check for other symptoms of stroke and if they are present, call a doctor immediately.
4. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Inflammation of the typical nerve, which travels through a narrow tunnel in the wrist, occurs when it is pressed during repeated use of the hand and wrist. This results in loss of feeling or numbness of the fingers. Repetitive activities consist of playing the piano, typing, woodworking, painting, computer system jobs, or racket sports.
5. Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Swelling of the ulnar nerve, which passes a tunnel in the elbow, provides a tingling feeling and numbness in the palm and little and ring fingers. This occurs when you flex the elbow for a very long time, or when a traumatic injury in the elbow joint takes place.
6. Cervical Spondylosis. Degeneration of the cervical or neck joint accompanies aging. This causes a disk in between the joints to herniate or extend, compressing the nerve roots around the area. The result is numbness and weakness in the hands.

Causes of Both Arms Falling Asleep at Night

Sometimes not only one but both arms falling asleep at night. Apart of the causes mentioned above, pay attention to following:

• Vasculitis
• Type 2 diabetes
• Enlarged blood vessels
• Multiple sclerosis
• Low temperatures
• Amyloidosis
• Syphilis
• Lyme disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Tumors
• Neck injury
• Side effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Damaged shoulder blade
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Spinal cord injury
• Seizures
• Ganglion cysts
• Vitamin B-12 deficiency
• Raynaud’s disease
• Alcohol addiction
• Transient ischemic attack

Treatments and Preventions of Arm Falling Asleep at Night

1. Keep right sleeping position. Prevent putting your arm or hand listed below your head or any part of the body when sleeping. Prevent hanging your arm down the bed, since it can lead to tingling and numbness. Try to sleep in a various position.
2. Keep moving when you sleep to prevent placing your arm/hand under any part of the body. Ensure your arm rests on the bed.
3. Begin exercising such as walking, jogging or swimming day-to-day to increase your blood circulation and lower the risk of your arm going to sleep.
4. Take breaks when performing work that needs recurring motions like typing, clicking a computer system mouse, knitting, or hammering. Turn your shoulders and wrists periodically.
5. Alternate hot and cold water bath. To improve blood flow immerse your arm/hand in hot or cold water or cover the affected arm/hand with a hot or cold towel for relief.
6. Take medications and injections as recommended. Numbness and pain can occur together, and anti-inflammatory medications may be taken for relief. For a patient who is experiencing severe continuous pain, corticosteroid injections might be administered to ease pain and improve movement. Blood blood circulation problems due to formation of small blood clots inside their blood vessels may be treated with medications to liquify these embolisms. Drugs to lower tightness of blood vessels might likewise be used. Doctors likewise recommend frequently rubbing the hands to increase blood circulation and improve the condition.
7. Treat underlying causes such as peripheral neuropathy or pinched nerve. Treatment may consist of using painkiller, antidepressants, and anti-seizure drugs. Diabetic patients should keep normal blood sugar levels with proper diet and medications. Surgical treatment to eliminate pressure on a pinched nerve might be an alternative.
8. Manage your stress, which can cause rapid breathing (hyperventilation) that may aggravate your symptoms. Consult a doctor for proper medical diagnosis and treatment of arms or hands falling asleep in the evening.