Causes of hand numbness at night and treatment methods

What is hand numbness and its causes?

Many people are familiar with the unpleasant feeling of tingling, “crawling on the skin,” as well as pain, decreased sensitivity and deterioration of mobility in the limb. All of these manifestations characterize numbness, which can occur in the arms, legs and other areas of the body. It is associated with impaired blood circulation in the tissues or compression of the nerves.

Along with numbness in the hands, the following symptoms may also occur:

1. burning sensation;
2. muscle spasms;
3. tingling sensation;
4. pain in hands, fingers;
5. feeling of itching;
6. tingling and numbness that gets worse when you move your fingers;
7. increased sensitivity to touch;
8. pain in the cervical spine.

When to urgently call an ambulance

Sudden numbness of the fingers at night may be the first sign of an emergency vascular pathology. These are ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebral stroke, myocardial infarction or acute heart failure, pulmonary embolism. All these pathologies are conditions that threaten human life. If timely medical assistance is not provided, the person may die.

Therefore, if you experience numbness in your hands at night on one side, and there are other clinical signs of vascular problems, immediately call an ambulance team.

Additional clinical signs include:

• feeling of lack of air and inability to take a deep breath;
• pressing or cutting pain behind the sternum;
• darkening of the eyes;
• severe dizziness and unsteadiness of gait;
• numbness of the face on one side;
• inability to smile fully;
• confused or incoherent speech.

All these signs indicate that a person requires emergency medical care.

Causes of numbness in the left hand:

• Cardiac ischemia. In addition to numbness in the left arm, there is discomfort in the chest. If after taking nitroglycerin or stopping the physical activity that caused the symptoms, these manifestations disappear, then it is angina pectoris. In addition to numbness of the left arm, it is accompanied by chest pain in the heart area, panic, pale skin, nausea, shortness of breath, and cold sweat.
• Myocardial infarction. Sometimes hand numbness is the only sign of this acute cardiovascular disaster. During an attack, the patient experiences intense pain and a feeling of constriction in the chest, shortness of breath, and interruptions in the functioning of the heart. The skin becomes covered with cold sweat. Along with numbness in the hand, a person experiences pain radiating to the lower jaw, stomach, and the area between the shoulder blades.
• Atherosclerosis. Due to atherosclerotic damage to the blood vessels, decreased strength and numbness in the arm may occur. Symptoms intensify when raising the limb upward.
• Stroke. Numbness in the left hand may indicate damage to the right hemisphere of the brain. In this case, the upper and lower limbs on the left side become numb, vision and speech are impaired. Along with numbness in the hand, a stroke can cause a complete loss of sensation in the hand. Other symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage include weakness in the limbs, loss of coordination, severe headache, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, and irritation from bright lights and sounds.
• Vegetative-vascular, or neurocirculatory dystonia. This is a complex of autonomic disorders that is associated with disorders of nervous regulation. In addition to numbness of the left hand, it may be accompanied by headaches, insomnia, pressure fluctuations, arrhythmia, and panic attacks.
• Raynaud's disease. The pathology is accompanied by paroxysmal circulatory disorders in the arteries of the extremities. Along with the numbness of the hand, its rapid freezing is felt. In the cold and with excitement, a person’s fingers may turn blue. As Raynaud's disease progresses, not only the hands become numb, but also the legs, chin, nose, and ears.
• Vitamin B12 deficiency. This connection is extremely important for the normal functioning of nerve tissue. With its deficiency, a person not only experiences numbness in the hand, but also suffers from dry mouth and pale skin.
• Osteochondrosis (usually cervical and thoracic). First, the fingers go numb, then weakness develops in the upper limb, and the grip strength of the hand decreases. Sometimes pain is felt along the outside of the shoulder and forearm.
• Overstrain of muscles in the cervical-collar region. Pianists and PC operators suffer from hand numbness due to prolonged maintenance of the same position. The problem lies in the overstrain of the muscles, which compress the nerve fibers responsible for the sensitivity of the limbs.
• Insufficient blood circulation. The upper limb becomes numb due to impaired blood flow due to damage to the walls of blood vessels, for example, in diabetes mellitus.
• Stress and psycho-emotional overload can cause hand numbness.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. When the median nerve passing through the wrist is compressed, the left hand may become numb. This problem is familiar to people of certain professions (programmers, musicians). Nerve compression can also occur in women during pregnancy due to swelling, as well as in patients after surgery, in obese people.

Who to contact

Before going to the clinic, you should rule out all external causes of numbness. To do this, create conditions for a comfortable sleep: change the pillow and mattress, buy comfortable pajamas. If unpleasant signs do not disappear, then you need to consult a therapist. Blood tests will reveal the presence of high cholesterol. An electrocardiogram will show changes in the functioning of the heart.

You'll have to visit a neurologist's office. In addition to checking sensitivity, the doctor will examine an x-ray of the spine. In some cases, it is necessary to do a computed tomography scan of the cervical spine. Only on the basis of tests and examinations can an accurate diagnosis be made and treatment prescribed.

Numbness in the right hand may have the following causes:

1. impaired blood flow, pinched nerve due to incorrect position of the limb (for example, during sleep);
2. staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time (may be due to the nature of the work, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome);
3. frequent carrying of bags, suitcases and other heavy objects;
4. long exposure to frost or in a cold room;
5. long-term muscle tension of the upper limb.

In pregnant women

During the period of bearing a child, a woman’s hands often become numb at night. The pregnant woman's body is focused on ensuring that the embryo develops normally. Therefore, a pregnant woman experiences difficulties due to the restructuring of the work of all organs and systems. Her metabolic processes are disrupted. Lack of vitamins and microelements leads to cardiac dysfunction. Most women are diagnosed with anemia.

Pregnant women rarely sleep fully, especially in the last stages before childbirth. It is difficult to assume a natural sleeping position due to a large belly. The consequences of stress and nervous strain are disturbances in the functioning of peripheral arteries.

Why does hand numbness occur?

When a patient says that his upper limbs are numb, he may mean:

• a tingling feeling that causes discomfort;
• sensation of “goosebumps” under the skin;
• decreased sensitivity of the skin.

Numbness of the hands does not always indicate pathology. It may be the result of wearing too tight clothes and jewelry that compress blood vessels and nerves.

The most common causes of numbness in the hands:

• Uncomfortable body position, monotonous mechanical work, disrupting blood flow. After changing the position of the limb, the unpleasant sensations disappear.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (usually affects the working hand due to prolonged monotonous work).
• Atherosclerosis. Accompanied by tingling and numbness of the hands, in the future a decrease in their muscle strength is likely.
• Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine (numbness, usually symmetrical, may intensify after physical activity).
• Diabetic neuropathy (usually both hands go numb).
• Intervertebral hernia in the cervical region (numbness is associated with compression of the spinal nerve roots).
• Ischemic stroke of the brain (threatens numbness and paralysis of the arm).
• Multiple sclerosis (if part of the postcentral gyrus of the brain is affected, the limbs may go numb).
• Thoracic outlet syndrome (compression of nerve trunks and blood vessels in the area of ​​the upper chest opening).
• Brachial plexitis (numbness of the arm occurs due to inflammation of the brachial plexus).
• Damage to peripheral nerves due to alcoholism (alcoholic polyneuropathy).
• Brain tumor (the formation can compress the motor and sensory neurons responsible for the innervation of the upper extremities).
• Raynaud's disease (a disorder of the innervation of small arterioles, more common in women, manifested by numbness and pain in the extremities).
• Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation and deformation of joints leads to compression of nerve fibers) and others.

Main services of Dr. Zavalishin’s clinic:

• consultation with a neurosurgeon
• treatment of spinal hernia
• brain surgery
• spine surgery

Incorrectly selected pillow and uncomfortable sleeping position

In order for the body to fully recover and gain strength during sleep, it is important that the pillow is comfortable, and preferably orthopedic. An incorrect, high pillow forces the spine to unnaturally arch in the neck area, causing your arms to go numb during sleep.

There is a disruption in the blood supply and nutrition of the nerve endings of the cervical spine. In the compressed area, blood circulation weakens, and the limbs, especially the hands, begin to go numb.

It is very important to choose not only a suitable pillow, but also choose a comfortable sleeping position and clothing that does not restrict movement.

All this can lead to numbness in your hands. Despite the fact that this problem is not serious and can be solved very quickly, it still causes inconvenience to a person.

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Hands thrown back behind the pillow very often cause numbness. At night, when the body is sleeping, the heart works a little slower than usual, so blood may not flow to the hands in sufficient quantities, especially if a person occupies an unnatural position during sleep.

Dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis is a fairly common phenomenon that causes a lot of inconvenience to the sick person. This occurs due to compression of the vertebral artery by the bony processes. Read more in the article: “dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis.”

Diagnosis of the causes of hand numbness. How to identify?

At the appointment, the doctor examines and palpates the patient’s limb and asks the following questions:

• Where exactly is the numbness felt?
• When did the unpleasant tingling sensation and decreased sensitivity first appear?
• How long does numbness in a limb bother you?
• What actions and movements aggravate symptoms?
• Are there any other complaints, such as burning, itching, tingling, pain?
• How do your arms, hands, and fingers feel—cold or warm?

The main task of the doctor is to determine the causes of hand numbness. It is necessary to exclude systematic mechanical compression of blood vessels, as well as to determine household and industrial factors that could cause disturbances.

Numbness may be a harmless symptom, but it may also hide serious problems - myocardial ischemia, stroke, spinal problems, diabetes mellitus, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc. In this case, the doctor issues a referral to doctors of relevant specializations (cardiologist, endocrinologist, neuropathologist, etc.).

The main emphasis in identifying the causes of numbness is on detecting signs of osteochondrosis. For this, the patient is referred for magnetic resonance imaging, radiography, computed tomography, and electromyography. The purpose of imaging studies for arm numbness is to determine the height of the intervertebral disc, detect osteophytes, and clarify the presence of protrusion or intervertebral herniation.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Frequent overstrain of the tendons of the hand can cause numbness in the hands, so the condition is called carpal tunnel syndrome. People who work at a computer and do a lot of typing, musicians, and seamstresses most often suffer from it.

– people who perform the same type of actions with their hands every day face discomfort during pregnancy.

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On the arm you can find a channel through which the tendons pass. Normally they are protected, but when overstrain occurs, the nerve is compressed and the hand goes numb.

Manifestations of this syndrome can be felt just at night.

The condition requires treatment; if this is not done in time, then complete death of the muscle tissue of the thumb is possible. Women are more susceptible to the disease, and, in the absence of proper treatment, over time the finger will lose its sensitivity and the person will not be able to clench a fist.

Principles of treating hand numbness

The primary task of the doctor is to identify the root cause of this symptom. For this purpose, radiography, myelography, MRI, blood tests, etc. can be performed.

Depending on the nature of the disease that caused numbness in the hands, treatment methods are selected. First of all, the underlying disease is treated. Drug treatment is supplemented by:

1. physiotherapy;
2. physical therapy;
3. reflexology;
4. massage;
5. diet therapy;
6. lifestyle correction.

Preventing numbness in the hands

In order to prevent discomfort in the upper extremities, it is recommended:

• exercise regularly (discuss the type and nature of exercise with your doctor in advance);
• maintain the health of blood vessels, joints and the body as a whole (give up bad habits, eat rationally);
• dress according to the season, keep your hands warm;
• take breaks every 40 minutes if your profession involves working on a PC or performing monotonous hand movements.

How to solve a problem

Before you begin treatment for hand numbness, you need to find out the specific cause of its occurrence. Keep track of what position you sleep in, meticulously examine your pajamas. If this is all right, you need to consult a therapist who will refer you to a neurologist or cardiologist. When your limbs constantly become numb after waking up, it is advisable to undergo an MRI of the spine and an electrocardiogram.

Hand paresthesia is most often treated with local methods. They make it possible to restore mobility to tissues and make compressed blood vessels work. These methods of therapy include:

1. Physiotherapy. The procedures increase blood circulation in tissues and improve their nutrition. Laser and ultrasound therapy have a biostimulating effect. And with the help of electrophoresis, you can treat the injured hand with the necessary medications.
2. Therapeutic and preventive gymnastics. This method helps to develop muscles and joints and strengthen them. Thanks to the exercises of a course of physical therapy, blood circulation increases and the condition of tissues improves.
3. Massage. Necessary for effectively reducing the inflammatory process and stopping hypoxia of constricted vessels.

To prevent your hands from going numb in the morning, you must first take care of improving blood circulation. How to do it? Exercise yourself physically regularly. A leisurely walk before bed and vigorous exercise in the morning will effectively eliminate the discomfort that appears after waking up in the upper limbs.

Treatment with folk remedies

The following recipes help with numb hands:

• as a compress or therapeutic bath, use a mixture of 2 liters of milk, 600 g of salt and 50 g of honey, heated to 60? C;
• apply an infusion of wild rosemary with apple cider vinegar (1:3) 3 times a day;
• infusion of garlic (several cloves) in vodka (400 ml) taken orally, 3-5 drops dissolved in water;
• for 1 liter of vegetable oil - 100 g of ground black pepper, cook for 30–40 minutes, rub the cooled product into the skin of the affected limb.

During pregnancy

Women's hands often become numb during pregnancy, and there are several explanations for this pathology:

• diseases arising during pregnancy;
• rapid gain of extra pounds in the last trimester of pregnancy;
• various changes in the vascular system;
• deviations in water-salt metabolism, which are accompanied by the appearance of edema;
• insufficient calcium and magnesium content, which causes cramps during sleep;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• too little mobility immediately before birth;
• overstrain of the neck muscles due to prolonged use of the computer.

In addition, various injuries, pathologies of the spine, and anemia in the expectant mother can cause numbness in the upper extremities during pregnancy.

Treatment of hand numbness in specialized hospitals

Department of Neurosurgery, City Clinical Hospital named after. A.K. Yeramishantseva sees patients with complaints of numbness in their hands. Here, progressive methods of conservative and surgical treatment of diseases manifested by such symptoms are used. Advanced technical equipment and extensive professional experience of the medical staff guarantee good treatment results. Telephone.

Neurosurgeon Evgeniy Evgenievich Zavalishin treats diseases that cause numbness in the hands. Sign up for a consultation by calling 8 (499) 940-04-30.