Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to discover that your hand had “fallen asleep” or become numb? If so, you are not by yourself. A third of adults experience nocturnal paresthesias, which are characterized by tingling or numbness in their hands, wrists, or arms when they wake up at least once a week.
It’s normal for most people to occasionally wake up with numb hands. However, you might need to see a doctor if your symptoms significantly disrupt your sleep or continue after you get up and move around.
What Usually Leads to Numb Hands?
Nerve compression, damage, or other issues that disrupt the nervous system are typically the cause of numbness and the tingling or “pins and needles” sensation that frequently accompanies it.
Your body is communicating with you if you awaken with numb hands. In order to alleviate your discomfort and safeguard your nervous system, it’s critical to identify the cause of the numbness.
Position for Sleeping
Numbness and tingling can result from certain sleeping positions compressing nerves in the hand, wrist, arm, or elbow.
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Furthermore, certain postures can stop or lessen blood flow to the hands, which temporarily stops the nerves there from communicating.
You run a higher risk of developing hand numbness due to nerve compression or reduced blood flow if you sleep with your:
- Inward-curling wrists
- Hands beneath your head or face
- Your head resting on your forearm
- On top of your arm, a torso
Head resting on a pillow that misaligns the spine
While there is conflicting evidence regarding side sleeping, some experts claim that as long as your wrists are straight, this position is the least likely to cause hand numbness. Stomach sleeping has also been linked to nerve compression.
