Numbness in Fingers While Sleeping

Needless to explain, numbness in fingers is felt as a loss of sensation in these parts, which may be accompanied by a tingling feeling. The numbness can also be felt in the entire arm, shoulders, and in other parts of the body. It is actually a manifestation of some kind of damage caused to a branch of a nerve in the affected part of the body. Occasional occurrences of this condition during sleep may have an explanation if the person has the habit of sleeping in an awkward position that makes his/her hands come beneath his/her body. Here, what happens is, the weight of the body cuts the blood circulation to the hands, fingers and may be the entire arm thus, causing a numb feeling. This feeling however goes away once the hand or the arm returns to its normal position. But if this cause is ruled out, then the other possible factors that may cause numbness in hand or fingers while sleeping, may not be a health concern, especially when, the numbness is accompanied by a sharp pain, burning sensation, weakness, tingling, and paralysis.

Probable Causes

Medical conditions that cause numbness in the limbs may include diabetes mellitus (causes nerve damage), alcoholism, carpal tunnel syndrome (painful condition of the hand and arm), and Raynaud's disease (causes fingers, and other parts to go numb as a response to cold temperatures or stress). Sexually transmitted disease such as HIV/AIDS, may also be one of the culprits, and so may be a condition of vitamin B-12 deficiency in the diet. Fortunately, in most cases, the numbness is less commonly associated with severe issues such as stroke, tumors, or any problems in the brain or spinal cord. Brachial plexus injury, lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, syphilis, and Sjogren's syndrome too could be some more possible causes of the condition. Patients who have undergone or are undergoing chemotherapy treatment, may also face the same problem as one of the side effects of the drugs.

What Could be Done?

Know that it is not the occurrence of the hand or finger numbness that should be the main concern, but the underlying condition that is causing it. The numbness is just one of the many complications that the condition may bring on in the future. That is why, it is important to get evaluated by a doctor if you are experiencing such numbness every night, or even during the day. Once the cause gets identified, treatment may be initiated to deal with the condition. If we take Raynaud's disease as an example, then its treatment may involve the use of medications which could help dilate the blood vessels in order to encourage circulation thus, relieving the symptoms. In some people, mere medications may be of no help. For them, nerve surgery, and injecting chemicals may be some options. And in some extremely severe cases amputation may be the last resort.

Fortunately, numbness in fingers during sleep or at any time of the day, in most cases, is not associated with any life-threatening conditions that might require aggressive treatment methods such as amputation. The early you attend to the problem the better chances you have to solve it. So if you are feeling your fingers, hands, shoulders, etc., going numb frequently, then you have enough reasons to take an appointment with your doctor.