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Falling asleep hands - causes and countermeasures
contents
- Symptoms and complaints
- Why are hands falling asleep??
- Numbness feelings through Ulnarisrinnensyndrom
- Ulnar tunnel syndrome
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Other causes for sleeping hands
- diagnosis
- therapy
- Naturopathy falling asleep hands
- Treatment and prevention of complaints due to bad stress
Symptoms and complaints
The nerves pass numerous narrow passages on the way between hand and brain, at which the nerves could be disconnected under certain circumstances. The nerve fibers then send a signal to the brain, which we perceive as tingling. This should alert us to the fact that the signal transmission of the nerve is impaired and the clamping - for example by changing the posture - as soon as possible to remedy.
The falling asleep of the hands or the numbness may be related to impairments of the supplying nerve tracts. (Image: Dron / fotolia.com) Falling asleep in the hands is also described as tingling or numbness of the fingers, which occurs preferentially in certain postures. For example, the emotional disorders of the hands are often expressed as so-called sleep pressure palsy during the night's sleep. The unfavorable position of the arms while lying pinches the nerve tracts, causing the unpleasant tingling sensation.
This form of asleep hands is known in the medical community as park bench paralysis (neurapraxia). It is considered a harmless form of nerve injury, but can certainly be a significant burden in everyday life. Especially since those affected by tingling in the hands are often torn from sleep at night and therefore increasingly suffer from lack of sleep and chronic fatigue.
Why are hands falling asleep??
However, the falling asleep of the hands is by no means only observed while lying down. Unfavorable postures and repetitive monotonous movements in everyday life, such as when working on the computer, can also cause the appearance of the symptoms.
Repetitive, monotonous movements, such as daily work on the PC, can often cause hands to fall asleep. (Image: Wrangler / fotolia.com) It is not without reason that today the so-called Repetitive Strain Injury Syndrome (RSI syndrome) is also known as the mouse arm. The incorrect loading leads to narrowing of the nerve tracts, which then manifest themselves in repeated falling asleep of the hands. If the jamming of the nerves is not resolved, the complaints occur more frequently in everyday situations such as when driving or phoning.
Numbness feelings through Ulnarisrinnensyndrom
In Ulnaris trough syndrome, the ulnar nerve experiences pressure damage to the elbow, which can also cause tingling and numbness in the hands or fingers. A frequently bent elbow and regular support of the elbow are referred to as typical risk factors.
Ulnar tunnel syndrome
Damage to the ulnar nerve in the wake of a so-called Loge-de-Guyon syndrome leads to similar symptoms. The nerve in the Loge de Guyon bottleneck at the wrist, for example, is trapped by an overbone or prolonged kinking of the wrists during cycling.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
As a trigger of falling hands, the carpal tunnel syndrome is considered. This is also due to a narrowing of the nerve tracts. The median nerve is trapped in the carpal tunnel, which, among other things, causes the hands to fall asleep. In the course of the disease, the nerve fibers are increasingly damaged, the muscles supplied by the nerve begin to dwindle and the powerful access is increasingly difficult. Due to the damage of the nerve fibers, the pain in the course of the carpal tunnel syndrome can quite relax.
In a carpal tunnel syndrome, the hands often fall asleep at night. (Image: santiago silver / fotolia.com) Other causes for sleeping hands
Nervous system disorders that do not involve constriction or pinching of the nerves, such as polyneuropathy, can also cause tingling and numbness in the hands. However, such nervous diseases are relatively rare. They are favored by chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, but also by alcohol abuse.
In addition to the sensations caused by trapped or diseased nerves, a fall asleep hands due to circulatory disorders is possible. The insufficient blood flow in the hands is often due to diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as arteriosclerosis.
diagnosis
As with any diagnosis, a thorough history should be taken at the beginning, asking patients about the symptoms, their occurrence, and existing pre-existing conditions. Based on the described symptoms arise for the treating physicians usually already first indications of the cause of the complaints.
The palpation of shoulder, arm and hand provides further clues to the diagnosis. Also, a blood test can make a significant contribution to the diagnosis. If there is a suspicion of a disease or jamming of the nerves, a measurement of the nerve conduction velocity (electroneurography) and under certain circumstances the removal of a tissue sample is used to secure the diagnosis. In the carpal tunnel syndrome, however, an ultrasound examination is often sufficient to confirm the diagnosis.
Experienced therapists are often able to reliably determine whether a carpal tunnel syndrome, an ulnar trough syndrome, a neurapraxia, a mouse arm, a clamped nerve or other nerve diseases are the cause of the symptoms, based on symptom description, a visual inspection and the examination of the patients.
When falling asleep the hands are based on cardiovascular diseases, however, this can often be clearly determined only by means of imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography.
therapy
While some triggers of asleep hands, such as neurapraxia, usually heal without therapeutic intervention, others are in danger of becoming chronic and, in the worst case, require surgical intervention.
In diseases such as carpal tunnel or Ulnarisrinnensyndrom is often initially provided by a rail immobilization. Accompanying anti-inflammatory drugs are often used in conventional medicine. If the symptoms continue to increase, surgery may be the last option.
Naturopathy falling asleep hands
In the course of the treatment of the different underlying diseases, natural remedies such as acupuncture, massages or physiotherapy can be used. The same applies to osteopathy, which is intended to alleviate the symptoms by releasing existing blockages.
An osteopath can track and treat dysfunctions in the body. In this way, the complaints can be alleviated lasting. (Image: karelnoppe / fotolia.com) According to the holistic approach of naturopathy, other conditions, such as chest pain, neck tension, upper arm pain and back pain, are associated with the falling hands and their treatment is included in the therapy accordingly.
Treatment and prevention of complaints due to bad stress
Whether it's typing, mouse-clicking or pressing piano keys, there are many areas and professions where people perform the same monotonous moves every day. Due to the one-sided load it comes here quickly to incorrect loading and subsequently to typical mouse arm symptoms such as tingling, falling asleep, finger pain and weakness.
The most common trigger for the so-called RSI syndrome (Repetitive Strain Injury Syndrome) is an unfavorable workplace and the use of a wrong keyboard and mouse. In order to treat or prevent complaints due to bad stress, it is therefore essential to provide an ergonomic workplace. This applies in addition to a corresponding chair (or seat ball or kneeling chair) and desk (or lectern) and the equipment such as mice, pens, mouse pads, etc.
It is also important to ensure the right indoor climate and sufficient fresh air at the workplace and to avoid drafts. Who often, e.g. At the same time, you need to use a headset to relieve the head and avoid permanent malposition. (fp, nr, last updated on 7.3.2017)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor) 