Hand/arm numbness during sleep

Posted by jhamil01 @jhamil01, Aug 12, 2023

Distinct from numbness and tingling when awake, I have been experiencing my upper limbs falling asleep which frequently awakens me during sleep.

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@mishka85

I know u posted this long ago..so just in case you’re still searching for answers then this is my take .. but if you’ve found out what it is then don’t bother reading!
I just saw your post now …and sounds like it could be potentially what I have, which is HNPP. Get it checked out, worth researching into a little then ask your doctor if you can get tested for it (or a referral to a specialist who can) HNPP stands for hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies. I get woken up in the middle of the night from time to time. Pins n needles, numbness in limbs, sometimes so bad I can’t stand until about 5 minutes of stamping my foot to get the sensation back in my leg (calf n foot). Sometimes I have it weekly then, at the moment, nothing for over 6 months. My cousin has it and we suspect an auntie (ie: it’s genetic.. plus most general doctors would not have a clue about this. 50% chance of passing this on to your children.).

Neuropathy means damage to the nerves that supply the electrical impulses to the muscles as well as the nerves that detect sensation. Liability to pressure palsies means that when pressure is put on a nerve, it stops working for a period. Very variable condition. I’ve been great and no symptoms recently and I’m 47 female. My 32 year old cousin male, has it. It affects people who are missing one of the two copies of the PMP22 gene. Check it out if u have not yet found n answer.

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@mishka85 , that’s very interesting information. It sounds like what I have. My mom has a form of it too. I never had it until a couple of years ago. How does it differ from carpel tunnel syndrome? Which is what I am being evaluated for by a hand surgeon.

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@celia16

@mishka85 , that’s very interesting information. It sounds like what I have. My mom has a form of it too. I never had it until a couple of years ago. How does it differ from carpel tunnel syndrome? Which is what I am being evaluated for by a hand surgeon.

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Hmmm I’m not sure if it’s related to carpel tunnel or how it differs from it. However, I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel about 18 years ago, had it for roughly a year or two maximum. No treatment except I loosened my grip on my flower bouquets at work as I had just started floristry.. after I got used to the technique and loosened my tight grip on bouquets my carpel tunnel went away and has never come back. A couple of other florists I’ve worked have had carpel tunnel and had to have surgery ..not sure why mine got better so easily. Anyway in the report from the specialist about my HNPP there was no mention of carpel tunnel but maybe there is a link .. I’d have to ask my doctor next time. Good luck with the hand surgeon .. hope you can get some answers .. sorry I could exactly answer your question but maybe the implications in what I’ve written may provide clues.

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@mishka85

Hmmm I’m not sure if it’s related to carpel tunnel or how it differs from it. However, I was diagnosed with carpel tunnel about 18 years ago, had it for roughly a year or two maximum. No treatment except I loosened my grip on my flower bouquets at work as I had just started floristry.. after I got used to the technique and loosened my tight grip on bouquets my carpel tunnel went away and has never come back. A couple of other florists I’ve worked have had carpel tunnel and had to have surgery ..not sure why mine got better so easily. Anyway in the report from the specialist about my HNPP there was no mention of carpel tunnel but maybe there is a link .. I’d have to ask my doctor next time. Good luck with the hand surgeon .. hope you can get some answers .. sorry I could exactly answer your question but maybe the implications in what I’ve written may provide clues.

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Oh I should mention, so when I had carpel tunnel it affected my hand and wrist in that I had a kind of loss of feeling in half of my fingers and I think in my wrist or there was was something going on with my wrist, can’t remember exactly as I can’t quite remember the sensation as it was so long ago lol… but with the “hereditary neuropathy ..pressure palsies” it’s my whole arm numb and pins n needles feeling from elbow to hand and it’s woken me up whilst I was sleeping and I aware I was not lying on it .. usually tho I’ve noticed my arm was up above my head in a relaxed position like when babies are sleeping if that makes sense and sometimes I’d wake up to numbness and no feeling in leg from knee to foot except for a pins n needles feeling. Bit scary when I couldn’t walk ..but after 5 minutes all feeling returned to normal. Interestingly, I’ve never had it while standing and awake. Occasionally get it when I’m awake but lying on my bed on my side reading a book (pressure on 1 side of my limbs).

One last thing I had this a couple of years before COVID started, I had it during the COVID restrictions time and I’ve had the Pfizer jab twice …it hasn’t gotten better or worse before or after the immunisation.... and I’ve had zero numb pins n needles symptoms of the HNPP for 6 months.

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I wear wrist braces and a soft neck brace to eliminate the numbness in the hands and arms at night. That works well.

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I wear braces on my wrist so I don’t bend them during the night and that helps. If I don’t bend them, it doesn’t happen. Besides sleep, it happens to hand in bed if I lend to one side while reading. This started after covid.

The paresthesia in my feet is constant, barely detectable at night when lying down. I’m not sure if they are related, but of course I am alert for information to help determine the cause. I also had Vitamin b12 deficiency, post covid syndrome and long term type 1 diabetes. My neurologists don’t think it’s neuropathy, so…..idk. I’m keeping an open mind. The hand surgeon thinks it could be from sustained pressure…..I do have sustained use of ipad, typing on computer, etc.

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That has also happened to me since I got LC. It is frustrating and it does wake me during my sleep.

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@celia16

I wear braces on my wrist so I don’t bend them during the night and that helps. If I don’t bend them, it doesn’t happen. Besides sleep, it happens to hand in bed if I lend to one side while reading. This started after covid.

The paresthesia in my feet is constant, barely detectable at night when lying down. I’m not sure if they are related, but of course I am alert for information to help determine the cause. I also had Vitamin b12 deficiency, post covid syndrome and long term type 1 diabetes. My neurologists don’t think it’s neuropathy, so…..idk. I’m keeping an open mind. The hand surgeon thinks it could be from sustained pressure…..I do have sustained use of ipad, typing on computer, etc.

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I also get numb hands if I use the ipad without my hand brace and a stylus. The stylus stops all of the bumping of the finger tip onto the screen...did not know how much impact that makes on the hand until my hand would go numb from carpal tunnel,

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