Why do my hands go numb in the middle of the night?

Waking up in the middle of the night with numb hands is a very common phenomenon in life. Many people have had similar experiences. When most people have this kind of situation, they often worry about whether they have some disease and generally want to take treatment measures quickly. However, they don’t know much about the diseases that cause these symptoms and don’t know where to start. So why do my hands go numb in the middle of the night?

Why do my hands go numb in the middle of the night?

First: Compression of the upper limb nerves: One is 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 known as "cubital tunnel syndrome."

Second: 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.

Third: 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.

Note:

To confirm the numbness of the hands, auxiliary examinations such as cervical spine films and electromyography are needed to make an accurate conclusion. Once diagnosed, if the symptoms are still mild, they can be improved to varying degrees through regular non-surgical treatment. If the symptoms are obvious and the intrinsic muscles of the hand are obviously atrophied, surgical treatment should be taken in time to prevent the progression of the disease and avoid irreversible severe atrophy of the intrinsic muscles of the hand, which will lead to serious functional disorders of the hand.