Why Do My Hands Go Numb When I Sleep?

3 minutes

Do your hands go numb when you sleep? Have you ever woken up suddenly with an unexpected feeling in your hands? Do your hands go numb several times at night, waking you up with a strange sensation? If so, read on!

Reviewed and approved by psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Written by Valeria Sabater

Last update: 27 May, 2022

Simply sleeping in a bad position can cause hand cramps or numbness. But at other times, numbness doesn’t have anything to do with your position. This is an unpleasant sensation that you can sometimes feel in other areas like your legs or feet. Let’s take a look at the causes of hand numbness.

Reasons why hands may go numb

Carpal tunnel

This is undoubtedly the most common cause. The three main fingers, the thumb, index, and middle finger, tend to be the most affected by Carpal tunnel syndrome. This problem is associated with the median nerve, a peripheral neuropathy that applies pressure to the wrist, causing symptoms like pain, difficulty moving, loss of sensitivity, and numbness. And people tend to suffer from these symptoms mostly at night.

Working throughout the day

Sometimes the wrists become tired. Manual work like typing a lot on the computer, using scissors, tools, and sewing could make the hand nerves suffer. The continued bending and unbending of this area overload it. People feel their hands go numb especially at night when they’re no longer moving and the nerves and tendons release pressure intensely.

Fluid retention

Being a few pounds overweight, not exercising, or having a bad diet could cause swelling in the hands and feet due to fluid retention. The tingling is always most intense at night. During the night, the blood doesn’t flow as much, thus creating pressure that results in this discomfort.

Read on: Natural Treatments for Fluid Retention

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Often times, having a deficient diet leads to a lack of B vitamins. This vitamin deficiency has a lot of consequences that people associate with other things, such as work fatigue. Fatigue, drowsiness, skin paleness, tachycardia, and numbness in the hands and legs are characteristic of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Remedies you can try when your hands go numb

Before going to sleep, drink a tablespoon of linseed oil. According to several studies, this is an effective anti-inflammatory that acts on the extremities, alleviating the sensation of numbness in the hands.
Soak your hands in your bathroom sink. Adding a few ice cubes makes this much more effective. This will relieve pressure, inflammation around the nerves, and pain. Do this before going to bed and you’ll see the difference!
Reduce salt and acid drink intake. These products worsen inflammation and pain.
Keep yourself well hydrated. Drink at least two liters of water a day. You could, for example, prepare an artichoke drink to benefit from its diuretic and cleansing effects, thereby preventing fluid retention. All you need to do is boil a few artichokes in water, strain the mixture, and then mix it with the juice of half a lemon.
It’s important to include Vitamin B in your diet. Tuna, potatoes, bananas, and all other leafy green vegetables have this essential vitamin. Additionally, you could find supplements at the pharmacy or in health food stores to supplement your diet. After doing this, you may experience numbness relief at night.
If you do a lot of manual work that forces you to use your hands and wrists for several hours, use a compression wristband. This will apply enough pressure to protect your nerves and joints.