Why do my hands feel numb when I sleep?

It is normal to feel numbness in your hands when you sleep on the table with your arms as a pillow. It is caused by poor blood circulation. However, if you sleep in bed, slight numbness and pain in your hands while sleeping is a common symptom of hand diseases. This symptom often indicates that the nerves in the upper limbs are compressed, but it may also be due to other reasons. So, why do your hands feel numb when you sleep? Let me introduce it to you now.

1. Compression of upper limb nerves: First, numbness and pain in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often with a history of waking up from numbness at night, which can be improved after waking up and moving around. In severe cases, there may be atrophy of the hand muscles, affecting the fine movements of the hand. This is because the median nerve is compressed in the wrist, the so-called "carpal tunnel syndrome"; the second is numbness and pain in the ring and little fingers, and there may also be a history of waking up from numbness at night. In severe cases, there is muscle atrophy and decreased flexion strength of the ring and little fingers, affecting fine movement. This is because the nerve becomes pinched at the elbow, a condition called "cubital tunnel syndrome."

2. Cervical spondylosis: The most common disease causing numbness in hands is cervical spondylosis, which is one of the common diseases among middle-aged and elderly people. When people enter middle age, some organs tend to undergo degenerative changes. When the cervical intervertebral disc degenerates, it often leads to cervical disc herniation or hyperplasia or hypertrophy of the articular processes. Once these protruding cervical discs or hyperplastic articular processes compress the adjacent cervical nerve roots, cervical spondylosis occurs. In addition to numbness and abnormal sensation in the fingers, cervical spondylosis is also accompanied by other symptoms, such as: soreness in the bones and muscles of the neck and shoulders, radiating pain in the upper limbs or movement disorders. It is not difficult to diagnose cervical spondylosis, all you need is an X-ray. There is also a simple method to check cervical spondylosis. One person supports the affected side of the head and holds the affected upper limb with one hand, abducting it 90°, and pushes and pulls in opposite directions with both hands at the same time. If there is radiating pain or numbness, it can be preliminarily diagnosed as cervical spondylosis.

3. Stroke: Another common disease that causes numbness in the hands is stroke. The book "Health Treasure Book: Stroke" once said: "Anyone who initially feels numbness or loss of function of the thumb or index finger will suffer a stroke within three years." It is necessary to prevent it: be careful in your daily life, eat in moderation, stay away from sex, and be emotionally relaxed. Although finger numbness does not necessarily lead to a stroke, middle-aged people over the age of 40 should pay more attention and be alert to the occurrence of stroke if they often experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, heavy head and light feet, limb numbness, and tongue swelling, and if they also have high blood pressure, high blood lipids, diabetes, cerebral arteriosclerosis and other diseases.

4. Menopausal syndrome: Women who enter menopause sometimes experience numbness in their hands, but it is not obvious. With the end of menopause, the numbness will disappear.

In daily life, you should be careful not to bow your head for a long time, do not keep your neck in one posture for too long, pay attention to keep warm, do not overwork, do not use a pillow that is too high or too hard when sleeping, and do not massage your neck casually. You also need to pay more attention when doing neck exercises, and you can also apply hot compresses, which can all improve these symptoms!