I wake up sleeping on my hands every night and it’s going to cause a problem

[violentvix]

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

So I haven’t been able to sleep on my back for quite some time. When i was a teen my back broke or something and when it healed after a week I didn’t sleep on it for years. After it got better and I finally felt fine sleeping on it all was well but eventually I always started waking up on my stomach years later.

Fast forward to now I know it’s cuz of the sleep apnea. I can’t breathe on my back sometimes. Sleeping on my stomach is all fine and well (not really but whatever) however I sleep on my hands EVERY NIGHT and it’s causing issues with my hands. Issues that shouldn’t be happening in your 20’s lol.. has anyone else experienced always sleeping on their hands and causing them to be numb every single night? I know it’s a bit specific but I assume many of us had to sleep on the stomach instead of back before they had a cpap.

[chunkyfrog]

Don't blame apnea.
See a doctor.
My carpal tunnel started out this way, but I was foolish and blamed it on my sleeping position.
Then the numbness stayed--for 3 months, while I waited for my surgery.
The numbness went away right before surgery,
but I had the surgery anyway to prevent it from happening again.

[violentvix]

Don't blame apnea.
See a doctor.
My carpal tunnel started out this way, but I was foolish and blamed it on my sleeping position.
Then the numbness stayed--for 3 months, while I waited for my surgery.
The numbness went away right before surgery,
but I had the surgery anyway to prevent it from happening again.

Thanks for your reply I am glad I’m not alone!!

Also I thought it was because of my sleeping position? I do want to see a doctor about it but I was going to wait until maybe if getting my cpap would allow me to stop sleeping on my hands.

My hands aren’t completely numb but they are definitely tingly sometimes depending on my hand and arm position. I do feel as though something is coming and I feel as though it is a directly result of sleeping my hands every night.. I can’t even stop it. Like no matter how many pillows I use my hands end up under my head lol. I’ve thought about getting rails and tying my hands up when I get my cpap

[colomom]

The same thing happens to me when I sleep on my stomach or side. I do have carpal tunnel that flares up from time to time, but it seems like I had the hand numbness when sleeping in certain positions before carpal tunnel was a problem for me. I believe the numbness/ tingling can be caused by lack of blood flow and/ or compression of nerves when you are laying on your hand and wrist. I’ve found that sleeping with a wrist brace that fixes your wrist in a straight position can really help.
I’ve also been cursed with back problems, one of the best things about using my CPAP is I can now sleep on my back and breathe!

[violentvix]

The same thing happens to me when I sleep on my stomach or side. I do have carpal tunnel that flares up from time to time, but it seems like I had the hand numbness when sleeping in certain positions before carpal tunnel was a problem for me. I believe the numbness/ tingling can be caused by lack of blood flow and/ or compression of nerves when you are laying on your hand and wrist. I’ve found that sleeping with a wrist brace that fixes your wrist in a straight position can really help.
I’ve also been cursed with back problems, one of the best things about using my CPAP is I can now sleep on my back and breathe!

Oh I really am not alone amazing.

1. Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into wrist braces seriously!

2. yes I do believe that also causes the tingling when I’m sleeping. I feel as though I’m altering my hand somehow though to be honest because now it’s starting to tingle when I’m no longer sleeping on my hands. Like before it was just the numbness when I sleep on them and now it’s tingling and feeing weird like from lack of blood flow doing normal activities. Also my thumb will sometimes pulse. Does this mean I’m also getting carpel tunnel?

3. Can you talk about how you came to get carpel tunnel cuz I may be going down the same road! Thanks for your reply!

[chunkyfrog]

My thought is that your back injury may have resulted in some tightness around nerves.
Injuries in youth can trigger arthritis years later, often sooner than we expect.
Arthritis tends to narrow the pathways through which nerves need to pass.
A brace can help, but only temporarily--same with physical therapy.
Insurance makes you go through these "solutions", hoping that a miracle will happen.
When my thumb started triggering, I told my doctor, " No shot--let's just FIX it."

[violentvix]

My thought is that your back injury may have resulted in some tightness around nerves.
Injuries in youth can trigger arthritis years later, often sooner than we expect.
Arthritis tends to narrow the pathways through which nerves need to pass.
A brace can help, but only temporarily--same with physical therapy.
Insurance makes you go through these solutions, hoping that a miracle will happen.
When my thumb started triggering, I told my doctor, " No shot--let's just FIX it."

For my back, it just happened that it started to hurt one day and I don’t know why and got worse mid week then better with some medicine and ice/heat. I believe when I went to the hospital they said it was some sort of nerve issue. I still literally have no clue what actually happened lol. They said it wasn’t a disc thankfully. It went away after a week but I did not feel comfortable sleeping on my back anymore. I remember all of the ice I constantly kept on my back that week. Though that happened when I was 17 and I am 24 now so that would suck if I could get arthritis that quickly.. I am open to hearing all information and experiences. I won’t know for sure until I can get to a doctor but I do want to keep my ears open for some possibilities.

For now I will wait until I get my cpap and buy some wrist straighteners on Black Friday and see about getting to a doctor within the year. I also hope a miracle will happen at the off chance that no longer sleeping on my hands will have them return to normal lol.

[ChicagoGranny]

So I haven’t been able to sleep on my back for quite some time.

If you want to sleep on your stomach while wearing a CPAP mask, the Falcon Position ( http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleeppositions.html ) is excellent.

If you have further issues after starting CPAP, please post in this thread so that members can easily see your history.

Good luck with the hand issues!

[khauser]

Listen to the frog ... that is a carpal tunnel symptom for sure. Been there, done that, have the (very hard to see) scars to show for it.

Here's the thing ... don't ignore the numbness! It only gets worse and if ignore culminates in some loss of function. Care to know how I know? Experience!

I have lost some strength in my right hand (and I am right handed), and some function. It's relatively minor, but there are some things I can only do left handed now, like anything involving strong gripping. I have the will and the strength but can't connect the two together.

I tried wrist braces. It did not stop the numbness for me.

Do you notice the numbness more on the thumb, first and second fingers, or the last 2? (actually, the middle finger is innervated by both main nerves so often is half and half). I think most carpal tunnel tends to exhibit the latter, but not sure of that. All I know is my doctor instantly understood, sent me for nerve conduction studies, and subsequently I had hand surgery. FYI the hand surgery isn't bad, or at least wasn't for me. My back surgery was far worse.

Oh, and I sleep on my back for the most part. This did not change a thing. When you are prone, more fluid collects in the upper body vs when standing (gravity works!) and thus your tissues swell. If you already have some nerve compression it just makes it worse.

[violentvix]

Listen to the frog ... that is a carpal tunnel symptom for sure. Been there, done that, have the (very hard to see) scars to show for it.

Here's the thing ... don't ignore the numbness! It only gets worse and if ignore culminates in some loss of function. Care to know how I know? Experience!

I have lost some strength in my right hand (and I am right handed), and some function. It's relatively minor, but there are some things I can only do left handed now, like anything involving strong gripping. I have the will and the strength but can't connect the two together.

I tried wrist braces. It did not stop the numbness for me.

Do you notice the numbness more on the thumb, first and second fingers, or the last 2? (actually, the middle finger is innervated by both main nerves so often is half and half). I think most carpal tunnel tends to exhibit the latter, but not sure of that. All I know is my doctor instantly understood, sent me for nerve conduction studies, and subsequently I had hand surgery. FYI the hand surgery isn't bad, or at least wasn't for me. My back surgery was far worse.

Oh, and I sleep on my back for the most part. This did not change a thing. When you are prone, more fluid collects in the upper body vs when standing (gravity works!) and thus your tissues swell. If you already have some nerve compression it just makes it worse.

Thank you for your reply. I do understand that the wrist and stuff are temporary. I will look into seeing the doctor next year.

The symptoms I’ve noticed goes as follows: The numbness is only when I sleep on my hand which has been going on for a while (hands always under my head when I wake up). It goes away as soon as I get off my hands. There is no numbness that I notice when I’m off my hands but more tingling. As for the tingling I can’t say exactly which finger it’s in but I’ll keep a close eye cuz it felt like everything was tingling lol. The tingling is very recent like last three weeks recent. It does feel like lack of blood flow tingling. My arm and fingers feel ever so slightly weird every now and then. And sometimes when I wake up and I use my thumb it starts twitching or pulsating. That eventually goes away during the day. Like within the first hour and it doesn’t pulse every day.

I was always worried if there were consequences for sleeping on my hand and I feel this is it. I cannot know for certain though until I see the doctor and I definitely will.

What did the doctor say about your nerves and how much did your hand survey cost if you don’t mind me asking? Thanks for your reply as well btw

[colomom]

Oh I really am not alone amazing.

1. Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into wrist braces seriously!

2. yes I do believe that also causes the tingling when I’m sleeping. I feel as though I’m altering my hand somehow though to be honest because now it’s starting to tingle when I’m no longer sleeping on my hands. Like before it was just the numbness when I sleep on them and now it’s tingling and feeing weird like from lack of blood flow doing normal activities. Also my thumb will sometimes pulse. Does this mean I’m also getting carpel tunnel?

3. Can you talk about how you came to get carpel tunnel cuz I may be going down the same road! Thanks for your reply!

The many years I spent carrying heavy trays while waitressing during high school and college is what caused my carpal tunnel. My carpal tunnel is manageable, I don’t anticipate ever needing any type of surgery for it. Carpal Tunnel is often caused by repetitive movements, some medical conditions, and genetic factors can also play a role. Your symptoms certainly sound like it could be Carpal Tunnel. While other posters have given you great advice in that you shouldn’t ignore it, life experience tells me that there is a high probability that the doctors won’t do much for it. You are young and it sounds like going doctor for this right now isn’t possible, so if I were you I would focus on the many things you can try that might help. A good starting point is do your best to avoid repetitive movements of the hand and wrist that can worsen the problem, when I do a repetitive motion such as typing I take lots of breaks. Use good form when carrying heavy items to minimize strain on your wrists, hands, and back. It may not work for everyone but sleeping with a wrist brace really helps me, hopefully it will help you. Make sure you get a soft brace that fits and is comfortable enough to sleep in. I try not to uses braces during the day because if you over do immobilization it can lead to weakness, but a good alternative you can try during the day if it is bothering you is KT tape. You can find many videos online that show how to tape for carpal tunnel. I’m also a big fan of physical therapy, you can find some simple exercise online that can help with mild carpal tunnel that you could give a try.

[khauser]

Thank you for your reply. I do understand that the wrist and stuff are temporary. I will look into seeing the doctor next year.

The symptoms I’ve noticed goes as follows: The numbness is only when I sleep on my hand which has been going on for a while (hands always under my head when I wake up). It goes away as soon as I get off my hands. There is no numbness that I notice when I’m off my hands but more tingling. As for the tingling I can’t say exactly which finger it’s in but I’ll keep a close eye cuz it felt like everything was tingling lol. The tingling is very recent like last three weeks recent. It does feel like lack of blood flow tingling. My arm and fingers feel ever so slightly weird every now and then. And sometimes when I wake up and I use my thumb it starts twitching or pulsating. That eventually goes away during the day. Like within the first hour and it doesn’t pulse every day.

I was always worried if there were consequences for sleeping on my hand and I feel this is it. I cannot know for certain though until I see the doctor and I definitely will.

What did the doctor say about your nerves and how much did your hand survey cost if you don’t mind me asking? Thanks for your reply as well btw

Numbness and tingling are not usually signs of blood flow issues. I know it is very common to think your foot, leg, whatever went to sleep because you were sitting in some way that restricted blood flow, but what's really happening is you are sitting in a way that compresses a nerve.

The usual symptom for blood flow restriction is pain.

Consequences ... there are the consequences I described for delaying treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, but you are not at the point where anything is urgent. Along with the problems when I wake up in the morning I was experiencing some numbness during the day. Not the tingly feeling ... I would only notice it at first when I wanted to feel something and realized it wasn't 'right'. Later, I started to feel the tingly feeling more often. That finally got me to the doctor, and like I said, it was a bit late for a full recovery on my right hand. (I have regained some strength. I can still do some precision work, though for unrelated reasons that's getting more difficult to.)

This was all a few decades ago, in my thirties. You are definitely NOT too young (there is no such thing) and if a doctor dismisses your concerns, fire the doctor! (That advice carries to ANY interaction anyone has with their doctor ... I have a lot of respect for some doctors, others are simply worse than useless.)

The hand surgeon was hopeful I'd fully recover but warned me that might not be the case, or that it might take some time. She's an excellent doctor, did a great job with a truly minimal incision (which they hide in your life line), very fast recovery with little discomfort. That said, you won't be using that hand for much over a couple of weeks, and for this reason they don't do both hands at the same time. Also, there is an endoscopic surgery that can sometimes be used (it was not a good fit for me). That would probably be an even shorter recovery.

Cost: No idea. Along with being decades ago, we had very different medical insurance back then. All I ever saw was a co-pay. A quick search shows it to be around $1000 before insurance. Carpal tunnel release surgery seems to run around 2500 - 5000 per hand.

Your doctor will likely be reluctant to do the study unless you are ready for surgery. Insurance wants to know the problem is what is thought and that paying for surgery makes sense. That is literally the only reason to do the study ... to prove surgery is worthwhile.

There ARE other treatments. One you might want to inquire about is local steroid injection. A small amount of steroid is injected right near the compression point. Steroids reduce swelling, and can provide a period of relief.

I'm definitely not trying to tell you that surgery is your only or best solution. That's for you and a trusted doctor to determine. It sounds to me like your symptoms are just starting, so if you get on it quick enough its possible that you can reverse the progress of the syndrome before it becomes more intransient.
Best of luck!

[chunkyfrog]

---NEXT !@#$% YEAR? Excuse my "profanity", please.
I'm sorry, but waiting is sometimes a very bad idea.
Delaying real treatment (like surgery) for a nerve impingement can result in PERMANENT damage.
Note Khauser's weakness--he knows why it happened--we all know--later.
If finances/insurance force a delay, a brace may help minimize damage,
but sometimes braces can cause other problems--some permanent.
Localized arthritis can happen after an injury--at any age.
Early intervention can help delay/prevent further damage.