Waking Up With Your Hands Asleep Could Signal These Conditions

Ugh, not again! If you’ve been waking up with your hands asleep a lot lately, you’re probably beginning to wonder if it’s normal. It sure doesn’t feel normal, coming to with that aggravating pins-and-needles feeling from the wrists down. If you find yourself shaking and scrunching your hands trying to get some blood flow back each morning and not knowing what gives, well, you’re not alone. We asked experts why this happens, and it turns out some pretty common conditions can all lead to waking up with your hands asleep.

If you wake up with your hands asleep every now and then, you don’t need to fret too much. But if it’s happening repeatedly, it’s time to ask some questions.

“It’s a good idea to see your doctor if the numbness happens frequently or nightly, you notice it in specific fingers consistently, there’s pain, weakness, or clumsiness in your hand or arm during the day, it’s worsening over time, not relieved by changing positions, or you have other symptoms like neck pain, balance issues, or fatigue,” says Jamey Maniscalco, PhD, a neuroscientist and founder of Manifest Wellness.

The Possible Causes Of Waking Up With Your Hands Asleep

In many cases, that pins-and-needles feeling comes from having a nerve compressed for too long, like when you fall asleep in an odd position, says Dr. Uma Darji, a board-certified family medicine doctor. “The most common cause is compression of a nerve, usually the median nerve or the ulnar nerve. Many of us sleep with our wrists or elbows bent, which can trigger these symptoms.”

But if you’re waking up with your hands asleep often, Darji says it might be your body’s way of asking you to dig a little deeper. Some other possible causes include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome, which is particularly common in people who type a lot or do repetitive wrist movements throughout the day, Darji says. Carpal tunnel tends to worsen overnight and primarily affects the thumb, index, and middle fingers, Maniscalco says.
• Ulnar nerve entrapment (the nerve that runs through your funny bone area, as Darji puts it), which causes numbness in the pinky and ring fingers.
• A herniated disc or arthritis that is pinching one or more nerves going down to the hands.
• Vitamin deficiencies, like B12.
• Diabetes, which can affect nerve health over time and cause neuropathy.
• Fluid retention, like during pregnancy, that can put pressure on nerves.
• Autoimmune conditions, like lupus or multiple sclerosis, could cause pins and needles in the hands but are much less common, Maniscalco says.

The easiest thing to do to try and stop this feeling in your hands is to change your sleeping position. “Try keeping your arms straight and avoid sleeping with your wrists or elbows bent. Wearing wrist braces at night — you can find them at any drugstore — can help keep your hands in a neutral position and relieve pressure on nerves as well,” Darji says. “Also, pay attention to what brings on the symptoms. Is it worse after a day of typing? Or when you sleep on a certain side? That can help clue you in on the cause. If these don’t help, definitely see your primary care doctor.”

Keep a log of when you feel numbness and tingling in your hands, as well as which fingers and parts of the hand are affected, Maniscalco says. This can help you and your provider spot patterns and potentially identify what’s making your hands fall asleep.

“While occasional tingling can be nothing, persistent or progressive symptoms deserve a closer look. We can check for medical issues that need more targeted treatment,” Darji says. That may mean a nerve conduction study, physical therapy, or an MRI, Maniscalco explains. In any case, checking on the issue will help you feel more peace of mind about what’s going on, and potentially intervene early and prevent worse nerve damage long-term.