Helping Hands Heal since 2005
From Dr. Z - Carpal tunnel syndrome specialist
Do you have numb fingers while sleeping at night? It may or may not be an issue to be concerned about. It all depends on how often it occurs.
If it's an occasional problem, then it's likely nothing to worry about. Occasional numbness affects nearly everyone at least some time in their life. But if it happens night after night for a long time, then it's something you should address.
Numbness, especially at the fingertips, could be a minor problem or could signal there's a more serious underlying condition. Here are the possible (minor and major) reasons nightly finger numbness can happen.
Finger numbness is an abnormal sensation. It's s sign that one or more of the nerves in your hand are (or are being) injured. The numbness is your body's way of saying, "Stop -- this nerve is being damaged!"
The 2 main nerves in your hand which can cause finger numbness are the median nerve and ulnar nerve. They travel down the arm, through the wrist, and into the fingertips. (See illustration.)
The sensation of numbness is known as paresthesia. It's usually accompanied by sensations that patients describe as prickling (pins-and-needles), burning, or tingling. Sometimes it's milder, causing feelings of skin crawling or itching. But it's almost always painless.
If you feel numb fingers night after night then it might be a sign of disease or trauma. But it can also be a sign that you're sleeping in a bad position.
There are several reasons why you can get numb fingers while sleeping night after night. These reasons are given in order from the most to least common:
Your head is heavy. The average head weighs 10-11 pounds.
If you sleep while cradling your head in your palm then you can crush either the median or ulnar nerves directly. This is usually most pronounced if your head exerts pressure on your wrist joint instead of your hand. Try to get in the habit of putting your hand under the pillow instead of over it.
Bending you hand forward or backward pinches structures inside the wrist joint. The median and ulnar nerves deep within the joint easily suffer such pinching.
Most people unconsciously bend their hands either forward or backward while sleeping. But they usually don’t do it for a long time. If the bending is prolonged, then the nerves are vulnerable to pinching.
The photo shows a woman with her hands bent while asleep. Her left hand is over-flexed and her right hand is over-extended. Both positions can pinch the nerves. Night braces can prevent this.
Getting numb hands while sleeping can happen becasue of your sleeping position. In each position shown in the photo, note that the left elbow is in a potentially nerve crushing position.
For example, sleeping on your back with one hand over your chest can force that elbow against the mattress. The pressure can crush your elbow (and ulnar nerve). The result will be pinky-side numbness in the morning.
Similar crushing can happen if you sleep on your stomach with your arm beneath you. Again, the ulnar nerve at the elbow can be affected. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic states that sleping on your stomach is the worst position you can use.
Do you still have numb fingers but didn't crush your median or ulnar nerves while sleeping? If so, it means something else is happening.
More than likely, you're feeling the numbness on the thumb-side of your hand. (Recall, this indicates a problem with your median nerve.) When this occurs, the usual suspect is that you're experiencing the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition occurs in about 1 in 20 people in the USA. So it's a good guess this is what's causing your numb fingers while sleeping or waking up.
Numb hands or fingers are just one early warning sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. The other signs include:
This is the easy fix. If you have numb fingers while sleeping or upon waking due to median nerve or ulnar nerve compression, it's relatively easy to eliminate the problem.
It's not a simple thing to "change your sleeping position". As soon as your eyes close, you'll be back in your usual contortion. Therefore, you have to
train
your body to sleep in a position that will avoid damage to your median or ulnar nerves. If you cannot train yourself, you'll need to
protect
your wrist and elbows.
The best and most long-lasting solution to preventing numb fingers while sleeping is to change your sleeping position. Try the following measures to achieve this.
One trick is to use a restraint. This can be a rope to loosely hold your hands to your sides. The rope restraint works well. But it's uncomfortable until you become accustomed to it.
Other people use the "tennis ball method". This means putting a tennis ball underneath a T-shirt on the side of your body you don't want to sleep on, like your back.
You can also use a high tech method. Sleep position trainers are available which are essentially electronic monitors. Basically, they zap you with just enough electricity to wake you when you're in an incorrect position.
This is perhaps the most popular solution to eliminating numb fingers while sleeping. A simple night brace will keep your wrist in the neutral position (meaning "straight"). This way, you won't over-bend your wrist.
There are a variety of elbow protectors available. Wearing one can protect your ulnar nerve from being crushed in a potentially harmful sleeping position. This is especially true if you sleep on your back, with your hands) on your chest.
This is a more challenging fix. When you have numb fingers while sleeping that's NOT due to a bad sleeping position, it means you probably have carpal tunnel syndrome.
If your numbness is due to carpal tunnel syndrome, don't despair. There are multiple ways to treat it without the need for surgery. The most widely used non-surgical methods to treat carpal tunnel syndrome focus on healing your median nerve. The methods are actually a combination of 4 distinct treatments:
There are specific ways to perform each one of these treatments. Learn more about them here.
Having numb fingers while sleeping or waking up in the morning is usually due a problem in the way you sleep. In particular, certain sleeping positions can compress or crush the nerves in your hand. That crushing can lead to temporary nerve damage - and therefore finger numbness. Using specific methods to avoid the nerve crushing will relieve the numbness. These methods include modifying your sleeping position as well as treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
