Numb Hands While Sleeping

[jocdat]

I've been working out like crazy and my hard work and efforts are paying off. I noticed my muscle size is growing and I'm loving every minute of it.

However, I do have one complaint: because my arms are getting bigger, my hands become numb when I go to sleep. I tend to bend my arm and tuck my hand under the pillow when I sleep. It's like the blood stops at the elbow. I don't know if the veins are being pulled taut at the elbow when my arms are bent and constricts blow flow. So now I have to switch sides when I sleep so blood can flow back into my hands.

I tried to keep my arms straight down during the night but it just feels so unnatural after sleeping in my favorite position for so many years!

Does anyone have that problem? Please help since it is affecting my sleep!!

[mikec933]

mine does that too, depending sometimes if i wake up sudden for some reason my whole body is numb... someone told me its from waking before my body is fully awake or something

[Quickxi]

this used to happen to me, i would sleep with my arms under my pillow. I still sleep the same way, but i have another pillow that elevates my hand when i sleep. Problem is gone

[Turco]

Get another pillow and hug it when you sleep. Sounds weird, but it helps.

[Sem213]

I had it a while ago too, because I tend to put my hand between knies or something like that.
Really weird to wake up and have a paralysed hand (at least it feels like that).

In my case it was caused by supplements. I used to take a protein shake before going to bed and that apparently brought me in a different kind of sleeping state in which I would not notice the lack of blood going to my hand.
Purely hypothetical of course, all I know is that the problem dissappeared as soon as I stopped taking the protein before going to bed.

Maybe that's the problem in your case as well.

[jocdat]

I just woke up from my nap with numb hands! ARRGGGHHH!

Thanks for the hints, guys. Having another pillow won't work for me though because one hand goes BETWEEN two pillows under my head (2 pillows to elevate my head in line with my spine) and the third which I hug. I tried different variations of sleep positions and none of them work.

As for protein shakes before bed, sometimes I take them, sometimes I don't but I still get numb hands.

I tell you that the only thing I know that will stop hand numbness is stop curling for arm growth which I REFUSE to do. I'm gonna keep on curling no matter how big my arms get, I'm not stopping! No way!

Like they say, no PAIN, no gain!

[new2lifting]

coincidently, I woke up 2 mornings ago and couldn't feel my arm from shoulder down

It was like dead..I couldn't move it and if it was lit on fire I wouldn't be able to tell.

I was scared for a few seconds, then started slapping it with my other hand, and it came back to life

[new2lifting]

it seems to be a common problem
several threads on it:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/search...chid=182065811

[ROSEVILLECA]

Pretty normal stuff, anytime I start really bulking up I run into that... I think of it as a sign of progress!!

[jocdat]

Originally Posted by new2lifting

it seems to be a common problem. several threads on it: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/search...chid=182065811

I read some of the other threads and thought, "Hey, I DO sleep on my hand and that could be it!" But then I stop and thought, "Wait a minute, I've done that all my life and it's never happened before. Only when my arms started to bulk up, it happens."

By the way, it happened before and it stopped when I stopped working out due to Hurricane Katrina. I started working out again, my arms grew and the numbness returned. There's a connection between growing biceps and numbness. That's what I'm trying to figure out!

Originally Posted by ROSEVILLECA

Pretty normal stuff, anytime I start really bulking up I run into that... I think of it as a sign of progress!!

You're right, I wouldn't dream of stopping just for the numbness. I'm going to keep on pumping!!

[xMalicex]

i thought i was the only one!!
idk what the hell it is!! both of my ARMS go numb when i sleep. not just my hands. sometimes its bad and it actually wakes me up every hour. even if i sleep with my hands by my side they both go numb. anyone actually know what its really from????

[MIMdrummer]

Well my arm doesn't go numb but twice in the past couple weeks i woke up and two of my fingers were really tingly and i couldn't move them. It sucked but it's only happened to me like twice. Idk what the hell was goin on.

[willsong]

numb hands in the middle of sleep usually comes from your hand not extending at all during rest. However the numbness you feel may also come from increased time spent on the computer, in which carpal tunnel syndrome usually arises.

[TinaBee]

do you clench your fist when you sleep? try not to and try not to sleep with your arm higher then your head it can restrict circulation

could be carpal tunnel or thoracic outlet syndrome (pinched nerve and/or vessels that run down your arm) or a tendonitis in your forearm or shoulder due to lifting so much or a pinched nerve in your neck.

try some of these stretches for carpal tunnel
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_carptun_rex.htm

these for thoarcic outlet
http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/thoracic_outlet

these for tendonitis
http://arthritis-symptom.com/tendoni...tendonitis.htm

you might also get relief from a wrist brace for carpal tunnel or from a good massage!

if your symptoms worsen or don't get any better after a month go see your doctor to get an MRI and make sure you don't have anything more serious (herniated disc, muscle tear, tendon tear, bone spur)

remember if you have a small injury and choose not to treat it while it's small so that you can keep lifting now, it only means you are going to make it worse and not be able to lift for even longer when you are finally forced to take care of it. don't let a little injury become a big injury.

[jocdat]

Originally Posted by TinaBee

do you clench your fist when you sleep? try not to and try not to sleep with your arm higher then your head it can restrict circulation

could be carpal tunnel or thoracic outlet syndrome (pinched nerve and/or vessels that run down your arm) or a tendonitis in your forearm or shoulder due to lifting so much or a pinched nerve in your neck.

try some of these stretches for carpal tunnel
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_carptun_rex.htm

these for thoarcic outlet
http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/thoracic_outlet

these for tendonitis
http://arthritis-symptom.com/tendoni...tendonitis.htm

you might also get relief from a wrist brace for carpal tunnel or from a good massage!

if your symptoms worsen or don't get any better after a month go see your doctor to get an MRI and make sure you don't have anything more serious (herniated disc, muscle tear, tendon tear, bone spur)

remember if you have a small injury and choose not to treat it while it's small so that you can keep lifting now, it only means you are going to make it worse and not be able to lift for even longer when you are finally forced to take care of it. don't let a little injury become a big injury.

THANK YOU TINABEE!!

I'm definitely going to check it out. You hit it right on the nerve! (No pun intended.)

[judokamatt]

i have the same issue man and i have not found out any way around it, i just rub my chest with them when i wake up, for me its usually both hands are numb as **** so i just do like i said rub my chest and bit and they wake right up

[kingofkc92]

its normal, you could try to take a few nitic oxide pills before you go to bed, after a while your body makes up for it and it will go away.

[The_Colonel]

this is a common condition with anyone who lifts weights. basically, your muscles have grown to the point where it puts pressure on the nerve that runs down your arm. certain angles will exacerbate the problem. mine happens if i am in a chair with arm rests.
you just have to deal with it...it's nothing serious, just feels weird.

[SmellsLikeTrout]

Dude, what are you complaining about??? When you wake up with a numb hand, man up and give yourself "The Stranger"!!! You won't regret it...

Seriously bro, you are a lucky man to have such 'problems'....

[jocdat]

Originally Posted by SmellsLikeTrout

give yourself "The Stranger"!!! You won't regret it...

The...Stranger? Am I thinking what it's supposed to be? If it is, I have never heard of that!! LOL.

Actually, I figured it out. I woke up in the middle of the night and found that my arm was bent at the elbow with my wrist also bent under the pillow and my hand balled into a fist. The contortion makes it harder for the blood to go from shoulder to hand and back. No WONDER why my hand is practically dead!

You're right though. Like I said, I rather keep my growing muscles and deal with the pain one way or another.

[soxfan80]

this is actually caused by compression of the nerves and not the blood vessels. one thing you could try is to get a brace the prevents you from flexing your wrist while you sleep. if you want to go the budget route take a magazine and place it longways on the underside of your arm and into your palm so you can't flex your wrist and then tie it in place.

[meiradam]

If your pinky, ring, and part of your middle finger is what is getting numb it is probably an ulnar nerve issue and maybe an ulnar nerve entrapment or cubital tunnel syndrom (CTS). If the numbness is in your thumb, pointer, and part of your middle finger (pointer finger side) it is probably carpal tunnel, and having your wrist bent will exacerbate the numbness.

I had a serve case of cubitalTS from power lifting - only way I found some relief was to sleep with ebow supports. You need supports that are stiff which will ensure that the elbow does not bend while you are sleeping:

http://www.imakproducts.com/product....upport&s=10172

DMSO seemed to help also, a lot more than NSAIDs.

IMAK makes good products for caraplTS also.

In either case if it is really bad, like you experience some numbness throughout the day, you should go get a nerve conduction test - both carpal and cupital TS can result in permanent nerve damage and loss of use of your hand - the first sign of some nerve damage will be a weaker grip. In either case, they are not something you really want to self diagnosis and treat....


ADAM

[musclepeak88]

I always wake up in the morning with numb hand, even arms up to the shoulders, i guessed my is just from sleeping on them. They sometimes go like it from leaning on them durining the day to.

[armorforsleep]

this happens to me every night...i wake up every morning with one or both arms numb from sleeping on them

[melon]

Originally Posted by soxfan80

this is actually caused by compression of the nerves and not the blood vessels. one thing you could try is to get a brace the prevents you from flexing your wrist while you sleep. if you want to go the budget route take a magazine and place it longways on the underside of your arm and into your palm so you can't flex your wrist and then tie it in place.

No, it is pressure on the blood vessels. Pressure on the nerve itself will cause other symptoms. External pressure exceeds capillary filling pressure around the nerve, meaning the nerve is not perfused and becomes slightly ischaemic and so stops working. This is transient and once you start moving again, circulation is restored and sensation returns.

Everything else you said is spot on though.

[Fresch]

Originally Posted by soxfan80

this is actually caused by compression of the nerves and not the blood vessels. one thing you could try is to get a brace the prevents you from flexing your wrist while you sleep. if you want to go the budget route take a magazine and place it longways on the underside of your arm and into your palm so you can't flex your wrist and then tie it in place.

Night splints?

Stopped using them 20 years ago as they were of no use.

The problem is of the nerves or blood vessels (there is a simple tests to tell which) usually up at the thoracic outlet (or inlet if you are a surgeon) in the neck region, but can be further down the arm. Muscle bulk and lack of movement is the issue, so splints are sueless.

[melon]

Originally Posted by Fresch

Night splints?

Stopped using them 20 years ago as they were of no use.

The problem is of the nerves or blood vessels (there is a simple tests to tell which) usually up at the thoracic outlet (or inlet if you are a surgeon) in the neck region, but can be further down the arm. Muscle bulk and lack of movement is the issue, so splints are sueless.

Night splints are still used for conservative treatment of carpal tunnel in this country (UK), particularly when Phalen's test (flexion of the wrist reproduces carpal tunnel symptoms) is markedly positive, coupled with NSAID's. Anything else though and you're right - they wouldn't help.

You know more about this than me, is there an upper limit to numbness at night time at which point it is deemed abnormal? Or is it purely subjective to each patient?

[ben3133]

Originally Posted by melon

No, it is pressure on the blood vessels. Pressure on the nerve itself will cause other symptoms. External pressure exceeds capillary filling pressure around the nerve, meaning the nerve is not perfused and becomes slightly ischaemic and so stops working. This is transient and once you start moving again, circulation is restored and sensation returns.

I would actually argue that in his case it is CTS, based on the idea that uncommon presentations of common conditions are more common than common presentations of uncommon conditions. Sleeping with the forearm/hand in the outstretched position with the hand/wrist compressed is clearly linked to CTS (as you know). Sleeping in this position it would be difficult to cause vascular obstruction (possibly you would get some venous congestion, but arterial would be patent) except for instance with a cervical rib causing TOS (but he would likely have other symptoms). CTS would explain both the hand and forearm numbness too.

I also agree with what you said about splints being useful in those with a positive Phalen's test.

[houser31]

Ive had the numb fingers or hands at least 4 times a week... i've also got laberal tears in both shoulders... if i sleep with my arms above my head or under my pillow i figure it cuts off circulation and for hours on end it would cause blood loss i.e. numbness... so i started sleeping on my back with my hands in my pockets and i've noticed i sleep alot better and no numbness... just my experience...

[Fresch]

Originally Posted by ben3133

I would actually argue that in his case it is CTS, based on the idea that uncommon presentations of common conditions are more common than common presentations of uncommon conditions. Sleeping with the forearm/hand in the outstretched position with the hand/wrist compressed is clearly linked to CTS (as you know). Sleeping in this position it would be difficult to cause vascular obstruction (possibly you would get some venous congestion, but arterial would be patent) except for instance with a cervical rib causing TOS (but he would likely have other symptoms). CTS would explain both the hand and forearm numbness too.

I also agree with what you said about splints being useful in those with a positive Phalen's test.

Wrong

May I introduce you to the concepts of Neurodynamics (the work of Butler).

Familiarise yourself with this and you will understand why splints are useless and redundant.

Also note that the OP sleeps with 2 pillows and the position of the arm behind the head actually puts the ulnar nerve on stretch.

Nothing to do with CTS.