Why Do You Feel Tingling in the Hands and Feet?

It’s likely that on more than one occasion you’ve felt a tingling sensation after sitting too long with your legs crossed. This is a common thing and nothing to worry about.

If you feel tingling in your hands and feet on a regular basis, however, you should pay attention to it.

It’s not normal to experience this feeling continuously. If this is the case, you should write down your symptoms and visit your doctor.

Here are the most common reasons that this could happen to you.

A pinched nerve in the neck or back

Poor sleeping position or a sports injury can pinch a nerve in your neck or back.

Although it’s not a severe problem, it can cause tingling sensations in your hands and feet. You might feel like you slept on the wrong shoulder or have pain in certain positions.

It’s important to take care of this problem quickly because it could lead to a more serious condition like arthritis.

While there are medications that can help you deal with the pain, it’s best to work with a physical therapist to relax the area and get the nerve back in place.

One important thing to remember is never try to fix the problem yourself through massage or unsupervised exercises. You could cause more serious damage due to your lack of knowledge.

Visit this article: Alleviate arthritis symptoms

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Are you feeling tingling in both your hands and feet? A vitamin B12 deficiency could be your problem. This causes anemia due to an inability to produce red blood cells.

If this is your problem, you’ll also experience:

• Fatigue
• Dizziness when exercising or standing up
• Pale skin
• Inability to concentrate
• Trouble breathing
• Depression

Take a look at your diet and start making some necessary changes. The first thing you can do is eat more foods that are rich in vitamin B12, such as:

• Poultry
• Beef
• Seafood
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Dairy products
• Lamb
• Liver
• Tuna
• Trout

This deficiency is very common among those who adopt an extreme vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

Could this be you? Did you change your diet dramatically and now you’re feeling tingling in your hands and feet? In that case, you should add:

• Cereals (including cereal bars)
• Tofu
• Soy and soy products
• Powdered milk

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Do you spend too much time sending messages on your smartphone or typing on the computer? The repetitive motion and vibrations can cause the nerves of your wrist to become compressed, causing carpal tunnel syndrome and tingling in the hands.

What you can do is:

• Rest your hands. Take short breaks every half hour to an hour. During this time, change the position of your hands, rotate them, and open and close your palms.
• If possible, take the opportunity to do some stretching exercises with your shoulders to relax the whole body.
• Make sure you have correct posture. If you work at a desk you should ensure your hands are placed in the right position. You can achieve this by choosing a desk that’s not too high or low and the right desk chair.

Diabetes

If you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or a resistance to insulin it’s important that you pay attention to high blood glucose levels. This is because blood glucose is toxic to your nerves and can cause tingling in the hands and feet.

This toxicity, if left untreated, results in diabetic neuropathy and the continued increase of blood glucose levels.

If you are diabetic we recommend:

• Having periodic ALC (glycated hemoglobin) tests to indicate your real blood glucose level for the past three months.
• Maintain strict control of your diet to avoid spikes in blood glucose.
• Keep a healthy and balanced diet.
• Get exercise to maintain proper muscle function.

Hypothyroidism

A thyroid that isn’t working correctly can cause tingling, fatigue, sensitivity to cold, weight gain, dry skin, and hair loss.

Have you noticed all of these symptoms in the last few months? If so, you should see your doctor as soon as possible because the problem will only get worse if you don’t follow the correct treatment.

Your doctor will order a blood test to check the status of your thyroid. We recommend that you follow their treatment regime to the letter to avoid any future complications.

See also: 7 ways your body warns you of thyroid problems

Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis occurs more often in women than in men, between 20 and 40 years old. It’s a disease that still has no known cause. The most common symptoms, in addition to tingling in the hands and feet, are:

• Problems with balance
• Numbness
• Difficulty moving your arms and legs
• Double vision
• An itching sensation
• Trouble concentrating

If the tingling in your hands and feet is associated with multiple sclerosis, you need to work together with your doctor. This is because there are several organs that are affected by this disorder, and you can’t just improve one symptom without taking the rest into account.

Now that you know some of the common causes of tingling in the hands and feet, it’s time to see if your problem is something that’s merely temporary, or if your body is telling you that something is wrong with your health.