Arms fall asleep during the night
 

I have been dealing with cramping in my hand a lot lately. That is something new to me. I have never been woken up by my arm falling asleep though. Maybe it is something similiar???

Don't you just love these quirky things that happen?!? Sorry I can't give you any advice.

I know that some people with this problem, have CTS. My neuro said
if you can shake it off or get rid of it by repositioning it, its CTS

Hope that helps, it sure is painful.

:hug:

What is CTS again?

This was my complaint so one of my 2 neuros did the EMG of my arms/neck and said I have mild carpal tunnel.

But when I told him my legs buzz daily with tingling/numbness in my foot and electrical pain shooting down my legs, he told me the MS neuro would have to see me again and tell him to do the EMG of my legs/feet. He was already doing the EMG of my arms but could not do my legs at the same time...hmmm...

Anyone else find its not carpal tunnel???

Jan

cts is carpal tunnel sydrome:)

Does your whole arm fall asleep?
or just your hands?

Do you sleep with your hands/arms above your head, under your pillow or bent tightly?

any other symptoms/pains that might be related -fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, neck, shoulder?

So sorry Baxter! :(

This is what a doc had me do to test for carpal tunnel (before MS dx):

Put the backs of your hands together and push your wrists together lightly (doesn't need to hurt) for 1 minute.

I think if there is no immediate pain (within 1 min.) that it is NOT carpal tunnel.

Not a trained professional here, just what I remember.

sorry baxter, I know what you are going through it is painful enough it wakes you and for me its the arms hands, totally numb and i sleep on my back, so its not like i slept on one of my arms, debbie had to masage my arms this morning to help me out they hurt so bad, I have tried a few meds now not much luck with the meds for this, for me at least make you make a note of this so you mention it to doc and or call him about it, hope it stops it does seem to come and go for me can say the more exhausted i am the more it rears its ugly head

I just got back from my neuro's office. He did an EMG on my arms because I've been having the same problem, arms falling asleep at night.


He said "good news! It's NOT carpal tunnel! It's the MS!" (how is this good news again?)

Apparently if it was carpal tunnel, then I might have to have surgery or some other kind of treatment. (I've been there, done that before...had CTS surgery in the early 90s) He said that the sleepy arms will probably get better. (ummm....my arms have been doing this since I was little)

I asked for a copy of my medical records. I want to see what he says about the EMG. So, I should get that in a week.

Weird thing, he was the one who actually did the EMG on me, last time I had something like that done (early 90s), they had a tech do it and I had to wait for the doctor to get the results before they'd tell me what it said.

As for the rest of my appointment, he didnt do a regular neuro exam (he did one at the beginning of April when I had a problem) He did say that he thinks I'm improving from the problems that I've been having. Not that I feel like I'm improving much, other than in my left eye that I had ON in 2yrs ago.

When I was first dx'd I had that problem...man oh man...sure does wake you up in a hurry! And uncomfortable!!!

Doc told me to get a different pillow...one that would keep me from rolling over onto my face and keep my arms from getting rolled up under my head. It worked!!!!

I was also tested for Carpal Tunnel and didn't have it.

I changed pillows. I got one that was shaped different, more like a triangle...anyway, you might go to one of the sleep shops at your local mall and talk to them about the problem you are having. I didn't have to use the pillow for very long before I retrained myself to sleep in a different position. I used to sleep on my stomach ... now I sleep on my side or my back and don't have any problems.

I still have that pillow...maybe I can send it to you...it's been sealed up and stored...I would be happy to lend it to you ... :D

I sleep on my sides (almost exclusively on the left side) and my left arm is the one that falls asleep all the time.

I'm wondering if it's not the MS causing my problem, but possibly laying on my side is causing some sort of ischemia from laying on my arm. I've tried moving my arm forward and away from my body, but I still have one bit of anatomy that gets in the way of my upper arm, and I'm thinking that may be pressing on my upper arm and making my arm fall asleep from compression on a nerve or an artery.

I wonder if I can re-train myself to sleep on my back...

I've been experiencing the whole arms/hands falling asleep and waking me. I then have pain in my joints for several hours after waking.

EMG didn't show CTS. But a quick test by O.T. to put my elbows on a table and bend hands at the wrist. Within 30seconds the tinglies had started.

My hands/arms can be in any position and fall asleep. But most of my MS probs are in my upper limbs, neck.

OT said it was spacisity while asleep causing my wrists to bend and create CTS sx. I had custom splints made to hold my wrists in a straight line while sleeping. Not exactly comfortable, but definitely solved the problem.

Much luck in your search for answers.

:hug:

It still amazes me how many other people struggle with someone so...weird :)

Thanks Av8rgirl for the offer of your pillow. :hug:

I don't think I have CTS. I really think it does have more to do w/ the position of my arm/hand. Like what MSacorn described.

And it doesn't happen all the time for me either. But if it starts to be an ongoing problem then I'm gonna have to mention it.

Maybe I can wrap my wrists with ace bandages to keep them from bending. Oh Joy! :rolleyes:

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions :grouphug:

BTB
You can buy splints and most drugstores, and stores such as Wal or K marts. I'm sure it will be less expensive the OT. I used them for CTS years ago (it really was MS, even had the surgeries) . My palms are very heat/touch sensitive so I had to go with a smoother material. It might be worth a shot. HTH
:hug:

I thought it was just me!
 

I had the same problem. My arms and legs would fall asleep frequently while sitting, sleeping, or standing. It happened almost daily for 8 weeks, then stopped. It was fine for months, and then started again and eventually disappeared. It seems to take several minutes to get a limb back to normal and it is painful! I'll hop around if it is one of my legs or feet, or wave my arms madly, gritting my teeth from the hot, shocking needle-like pain.

Yoga and stretching help, too, as a preventative. I try to move around more and flex my writsts and feet a lot if I have to sit in the car or at a desk for a long time.

I can handle a few minutes of discomfort. If it means that I can still move my limbs, I'll deal with it and be thankful for today.

I feel sorry for you, though, and I'm not discounting your experience. :hug: I think it's a good excuse for a therapeutic massage and a new pillow at the very least!

This happened to me a lot in '92, '93. I only remember because I was stationed in England at the time.

Don't know what caused it. Don't know why it went away.

Do remember that it would wake me out of the deepest sleep and it didn't tickle.

It is important make sure this is not a circulation problem.

I get it in my arms and legs, at first thought it was limbs falling asleep for no reason but turned out it was MS. This is why I think I've had MS so long, this symptom has been with me on and off for over a decade. Do not think it is carpal tunnel in the legs.

Is yours only at night? Mine comes and goes at anytime, with no rhyme or reason at all.

There is something called "Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome" , but I think that's pretty rare.


I'm actually starting to wonder if my hands sleeping while I'm sleeping is just some bizzaro MS thing. The neuro said it's NOT carpal tunnel syndrome, and since I dont have pins&needles when I wake up and wake up my hands...the feeling just comes back after about 30 seconds to 3 or 4 minutes, I'm starting to think it's not a compression or ischemic problem.

Just another not-so-fun aspect of the stupid MS. *grumble* Why does MS have to be so freaking annoying??????? :mad::confused:

Yeah, I think you were smart to have it checked out but many of us get this and imo most times it is just another joy of MS, sigh.

I remember early on seeing an interview with Annette Funicello and she said this was her first symptom and she ignored it thinking she just slept funny. :(

There are different kinds of numbness, and solutions:

1. Do they feel completely numb, like if you lay there and concentrate, you can't even figure out where they are laying? Not the heaviness feeling (like when you cut off the circulation), or even ANY sensation what-so-ever, just that you can't "find" them?

If so, this is a MS symptom called "Proprioceptive Dysfunction; Loss of awareness of location of body parts."

2. If it is more like a very tingly sensation, like when "normal" numbness is starting to subside and the pins and needles are coming . . . this can be caused by MS too, but can be dependant on the way you sleep.

I have some 'permanent' numbness/tingling in my hands, but when I get up from laying down, it can be much more tingly then it is normally throughout the day. I think it is due to my spinal lesions being pinched/cramped or something, as the tingling is the same feeling as when I am in an attack, but not constant or as difficult.

If this is the sensation, I agree with Cheryl that it is worthwhile to try to find another way to sleep, by using a different pillow or position. I do think it's related to MS spinal lesions, but is dependant on how we are laying as to how much we are affected by it.

3. Then there's spasticity . . . which is a different feeling again. :rolleyes: For me, my hands and arms are very achy after sleeping, from bending my wrists in weird positions while I sleep.

In that case, I agree that wearing braces at night will help that.

Depending on WHICH "limbs going to sleep" sensation you have . . . there may be ways to relieve it. The first thing to do though is try to observe and come up with a solid description of the sensation; the timing if it, the length of time it stays, etc.

Cherie

I too have had the EMG on my hands to rule out CTS - which I had no CTS. I had it on my legs and feet also. My neruo says no CTS so must be MS sx.

I sleep curled up on my side with my hands either under my head. I found that if I a small pillow and hug it to my stomach / chest area that helps my hand / arm not get that numbness / tingle / prickle feeling....

Good Luck!

Check out Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. if i sleep on my back, both arms go numb, on the sode, that side goes numb, if i sleep sitting up, both arms go numb. My doc just pointlessly sent me to get my neck x rayed without feeling around for knots. i told her i have scoliosis and have been to a chiropractor. the X rays came back normal, which is the only time they ever have.

TOS is getting pretty common, it seems. There's also cell phone elbow.

Not sure if you noticed ShapedLikeaGun, but this thread is from 2 years ago. Not all the original posters are active here now, but I'm sure your information will be beneficial to others with similar problems.

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Please let us know if we can help you in any way.

Hi Shapedlikeagun,
Welcome!
Yes this is an old thread but I, too, have had Cervical Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I had surgery for that when I was young. My bones in the neck area were compressing on the nerves to my arms and they would go numb at night or when hands over the head position.

I had to have the extra ribs I had removed.

That is funny cell phone syndrome! :) With the ear clip they will have ear problems or noise related problems with ear buds. Always something.

In my time, they used to call it. "Shoulder, pocketbook, Syndrome" or books in the shoulder bag which puts pressure on the nerves on the shoulder. Very painful and the same symptoms. Use a underarm bag and pain goes away.
Nice to meet you.

I also have the same feeling in my arms. My neuro said it is worse at night because we so still for so long. During the day we are constantly stretching as we go about our daily activities but at night our muslces are still.

Read this at 3 in the morning as I woke in great pain (no numbing( in arm, shoulder and down to elbow, in where bicep isa nd wrist and elbow joints a little achy. Goggeled arm/shoulder sleep pain and got some advice. Special pillows are made to avoid stress to shoulder/arm. different techniques, could be c5/6 fusing,pinched nerve positioning. After a sit upright in chair, 3 ibuprofens, use of 2 side sleeper pillows, exhaustion, I don't know, returned to bed at 5 and slept 4 hours more.

Wake up during the night and I can barely feel with my hands. Afer I get up they return to their right fingers barely feel anymore state, left better but following suit of right probably by next year. It s---- so much losing feeling in hands as im sure you's know. My carpel tunel test was good. I watched and asked questions.

it hurts.
 

I have had this trouble. I do not have ms but i have peripheral neuropathy and my hands and arms go to sleep on me. I wake up in pain from this at times. Amatriptyline for nerve pain has helped me alot.