Numbness a sleep deprivation symptom?

In October of 2008 I first started becoming seriously sleep deprived. At first I did not associate it withs lack of sleep. What I was having was numbness in my hands, arms, chest, and particularly my forearms and face. I complained to my doctor about this and he set me up with a neurologist who pronounced me healthy and told me I just needed to get more exercise. At that time I managed to get more sleep by sleeping longer and I did a lot of walking. But the numbness persisted whenever I got tired. Its been a series of sub 5 hour sleep days and so I have it now. Do any of you get numbness when sleep deprived?

I have not had this problem, but i would be interested to see how many of us do. sleep deprivation can cause many things

Yep, definitely. Though I'm not sure as a direct cause so much as triggering other symptoms.

First off if I'm not on my CPAP, when I sleep my extremities fall asleep more easily. Not sure if this is less O2 or just the weird positions I end up sleeping in to be able to breathe easier.

But also I've been diagnosed with congenital spinal stenosis which ends up causing numbness in my lower legs. It's especially bad when I'm tired and/or fatigued.

Hi, there can be other reasons for numbness, anything from carpal tunnel syndrome to MS (unlikely without other signs) to diabetes, so you should ask about glucose testing at least, if you think there could be any connection.

So since Oct 2008 you have seen your doctor or the neurologist again despite having these symptoms? Why not? Was the "Doctor" that checked you an Internist, MD?

Not knowing your age or other ailments that you have, here are my guesses (I am not a physician):

Your OSA and the numbness seems to me as two separate issues but you must have enough sleep FIRST

1) Cardiovascular problems
2) Peripheral Neuropathy {I have this now}
3) Cervical Spine pathology

Check this:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sympto ... %2520hands

and this:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sympto ... r%2520pain

I would go see an Internist ASAP.

About a year and a half before October 2009, I started having numbness in my right leg to the point it felt heavy. Lying down was bad and I thought a pinched nerve, but it got worse. My doctor sent me to a neurologist who did his tests. MRI, Nerve Conduction, and some other thing I cant remember. He said "Its most likely a pinched nerve and just wear pants that are not tight and lose weight." Thanks for your expensive medical advise.

During this time I was having my night breathing problems with gasping, but never mentioned it due to the fact I thought it was my asthma. So, now flash forward to This year and I had a Lung Function Test for my asthma. All clear, no issues there. Now I was diagnosed in January with Sleep Apnea. I wonder if this is related to the lack of oxygen I had been getting? Or, I do have a pinched nerve. I guess I will never know.

Heart checked out great, and so did my lungs. I had an arteriorgram, and my arteries in my legs are great. MRI saw no tumors, no bad bones in my back except for ONE slight degenerative disk that the doctor said is not causing pinched nerves, etc. So...who knows. I still have it and when in bed, my right leg is totally numb from the hip to my knee.

I hope you can find answers.

I am hypothyroid, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, overzealous immune system. So, I get my blood thoroughly tested a couple times a year. I insist on full chemistry and complete blood count. Once for the annal physical and once at lower cost at a health fair. All my blood chemistry has been really good so far.

Yeah, I've actually been to see this neurologist once before and got the nerve conduction test on my legs for numbness in left foot. Was told no MS. I'm guessing that is related to my loss of ACL in left leg and maybe a nerve is getting pinched. But I had to ask and yeah they sock you for money. Hypothyroidism does give me a tendency towards carpal tunnel in my hands. But I am referring to feeling numbness on the skin and not in the flesh. I associate it with being just dog tired and I never had it till I got this sleep apnea.

hi, I definitely notice numbness in my face when I am sleep deprived. Not in the legs, arm, or chest though. I also have Hashimoto's. Wonder if there is a connection there.

Mr Bill wrote:Yeah, I've actually been to see this neurologist once before and got the nerve conduction test on my legs for numbness in left foot. Was told no MS.

Hi Mr. Bill,

I suggest a trip to a DIFFERENT neurologist. A nerve conduction test is in no way diagnostic for/against MS. You can have a perfectly normal nerve conduction test and still have MS. It is mostly used to rule out/in neuromuscular problems, an entirely different thing from MS, which is a demyelinating syndrome resulting in damage to nerves in the brain and/or spinal cord. MS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and typical tests can include: Brain Mri, Spine MRI, Lumbar Puncture, Video-evoked Potentials.

Not saying you do have MS, but if that was the only test run, MS has not been ruled out. Numbness and tingling in extremities is one of the hallmark symptoms that lead to diagnosis. The symptoms often disappear completely between 'attacks', but tend to progress over time.

Julie wrote:Hi, there can be other reasons for numbness, anything from carpal tunnel syndrome to MS (unlikely without other signs) to diabetes, so you should ask about glucose testing at least, if you think there could be any connection.

I did recently get the glucose tolerance test because of elevated triglycerides and I passed it OK.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63767&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=jonesing

DreamLady wrote:

Mr Bill wrote:Yeah, I've actually been to see this neurologist once before and got the nerve conduction test on my legs for numbness in left foot. Was told no MS.

Hi Mr. Bill,

I suggest a trip to a DIFFERENT neurologist. A nerve conduction test is in no way diagnostic for/against MS. You can have a perfectly normal nerve conduction test and still have MS. It is mostly used to rule out/in neuromuscular problems, an entirely different thing from MS, which is a demyelinating syndrome resulting in damage to nerves in the brain and/or spinal cord. MS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and typical tests can include: Brain Mri, Spine MRI, Lumbar Puncture, Video-evoked Potentials.

Not saying you do have MS, but if that was the only test run, MS has not been ruled out. Numbness and tingling in extremities is one of the hallmark symptoms that lead to diagnosis. The symptoms often disappear completely between 'attacks', but tend to progress over time.

He did say at the time that the conduction test was not diagnostic to rule out MS but that in his opinion, I did not have it. I guess he was as you say, checking for other things and not very forthcoming about his objectives.

sdf081 wrote:hi, I definitely notice numbness in my face when I am sleep deprived. Not in the legs, arm, or chest though. I also have Hashimoto's. Wonder if there is a connection there.

Ah ha! A fellow sufferer; interesting question.