Why do my hands go numb when I sleep?
Usually it’s pressure from how you lie. Feeling comes back in a few minutes. But if it keeps waking you, the fingers that go numb point to the cause and the first fix.
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Why do my hands go numb when I sleep?
Most often you’ve been lying on your hand or arm. The NHS says pins and needles happens when the blood supply to the nerves is cut off. That’s usually when you sit or sleep on part of your body.
Think of a garden hose with a foot on it. Lift the foot and the water flows again. Take the weight off your arm and the feeling usually returns, as the NHS puts it, in a few minutes.
So a numb hand now and then, gone once you move, is the kind everyone gets. Numbness that keeps coming back is a different story.
| What happens | Most likely cause | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Numb after lying on it, gone in a few minutes | Pressure cutting off blood to the nerve | Change position. Nothing else needed. |
| Keeps coming back, often waking you at night | A squeezed nerve, often at the wrist (carpal tunnel) | Note which fingers go numb, try the night fix for them, and see a GP. |
| Sudden numbness or weakness in 1 arm, a drooping face or slurred speech | Possible stroke | Call 999, even if it stops. |
Sources: NHS: pins and needles; NHS: carpal tunnel; BSSH; NHS: stroke
In the middle row? Your next step is to look at which fingers go numb.
Which fingers go numb when sleeping?
That clue is your fingers. Different nerves give feeling to different fingers, so the numb patch points to where a nerve is squeezed.
| Numb fingers | What it may point to | Night fix |
|---|---|---|
| Thumb, index, middle and part of the ring finger | Median nerve, at the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome) | A wrist splint at night to keep the wrist straight. |
| Half the ring finger and the little finger | Ulnar nerve, at the inside of the elbow (cubital tunnel syndrome) | Keep the elbow straight at night, for example with a towel and tape. |
| Whole arm or hand, after lying on it | Pressure on the arm from how you lie | Change position. |
Sources: BSSH; nidirect; Royal Berkshire NHS; NHS: pins and needles
The elbow nerve often plays up in the early morning or late evening. At first, symptoms may come and go.
Next time it happens, note which fingers are numb. A GP can usually spot carpal tunnel from your symptoms and a check of your hand.
Is it carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a squeezed nerve in your wrist. Symptoms often start slowly and come and go, usually worse at night.
Other signs: aching fingers, hand or arm, a weak thumb, or trouble gripping. Shaking or rubbing your hand may bring relief.
It’s more likely if you’re overweight or pregnant, often grip hard or bend your wrist, or have arthritis, diabetes or an old wrist injury. A parent, brother or sister with it adds to the chance.
What usually happens with carpal tunnel
- 1
Night splint
Keeps your wrist straight. It can take up to 6 weeks to help.
- 2
Fewer triggers
Cut down on hard gripping, wrist bending and vibrating tools.
- 3
Steroid injection
To bring down swelling around the nerve, if the splint doesn’t help. Symptoms can come back.
- 4
Surgery
If it’s getting worse and nothing else worked. It usually cures it.
Source: NHS: carpal tunnel
Pregnant? It sometimes gets better by itself in a few months, particularly when pregnancy is the cause.
Paracetamol or ibuprofen may ease pain short-term, but there’s little evidence they treat the cause.
Why is my arm numb when I wake up?
Usually it’s the same pressure, from sleeping on the arm or with it trapped under you. Once the weight is off, the feeling should return as the blood supply comes back.
A bent elbow can do it too. Keeping the elbow in one position for long periods can irritate the nerve to your little finger and half your ring finger.
Your neck can be the source. A trapped nerve in your neck can cause pins and needles that lasts. The NHS says see a GP if neck pain comes with pins and needles or a cold arm.
Sudden numbness or weakness in 1 arm is different, especially with a drooping face or slurred speech. It can be a stroke. Call 999, even if it stops.
How to stop your hands going numb at night
In a US survey of 396 people, some with carpal tunnel and most without, a third had night tingling at least weekly. Sleeping with the wrist bent was linked to more of it, and side sleeping to less.
That’s a link, not proof. But a straight wrist is what the splint is for.
Six things to try from tonight
- Keep your wrist straight in bed. A wrist splint from a pharmacy holds it there.
- Try sleeping on your side, with your wrists unbent.
- If your ring and little fingers go numb, keep your elbow straight at night. A towel and tape around it can help.
- If your neck aches too, don’t sleep on your front. Use a low, firm pillow so your head is level with your body.
- By day, cut down on hard gripping and frequent wrist bending, such as using vibrating tools.
- Write down which fingers go numb and how often, to show your GP.
Sources: NHS: carpal tunnel; NHS: neck pain; Royal Berkshire NHS; Roth Bettlach 2019
A splint can take up to 6 weeks to start helping.
Not improving? In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy.
More on how you lie: our best sleeping position guide.
Numb in the daytime too? See which blood tests are checked for tingling and our diabetes blood test guide.
When to speak to a GP
Book an appointment if:
- You constantly have pins and needles, or it keeps coming back.
- Numbness wakes you at night, or you drop things or your hand feels weak.
- Carpal tunnel symptoms are getting worse or not going away, or home treatment isn’t working.
- You have neck pain with pins and needles or a cold arm.
- You have pins and needles, pain or numbness in your hands and feet. The NHS lists diabetes as one possible cause.
Call 999 if you have sudden numbness or weakness in 1 arm or down 1 side, a drooping face or slurred speech. Do this even if it has stopped, and don’t drive yourself to A&E.
Some medicines, such as some antibiotics or medicine to prevent seizures, can cause lasting pins and needles. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.