Diagnosis | Nightly falling asleep of the hand

Diagnosis

Since, in addition to many harmless causes, there can also be serious but treatable diseases behind hands that fall asleep at night, a doctor should be consulted if the symptoms occur frequently. The medical history of the affected person is the first indication of the underlying cause. Here it is of particular interest whether the symptoms occur only at night or also during the day and under stress.

It is also relevant whether other symptoms accompany the hands falling asleep. To find out whether it is a carpal tunnel syndrome, the nerve conduction velocity is often measured, which may be reduced if the disease is present. In principle, the general practitioner should be the first point of contact for mild symptoms.

As a general practitioner, he or she can usually tell after taking a medical history and physical examination whether the problem is more of a neurological or orthopedic nature, or whether it is possibly something completely different. In less serious cases he can also treat the problem immediately. In special cases a referral to a neurologist or orthopaedic specialist may be necessary. A carpal tunnel can also be treated by a hand surgeon.

Therapy

The therapy is always based on the underlying cause of the symptoms. For example, a hand that falls asleep due to sleeping habits should be treated differently from carpal tunnel syndrome. In the case of hands that fall asleep due to local pressure during the night, it should first be determined at which sleeping position the symptoms occur.

The position the body is in when waking up during the night can provide an indication of the triggering position.For example, if the hands fall asleep whenever the affected person sleeps on the stomach, an attempt can be made to change the sleeping habits to prevent the symptom from occurring. It is also important to avoid sharp edges of the bed. Using a side sleeper pillow can help to reduce the pressure on the arm when lying on your side.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated in different ways. Especially the decisive factor is how advanced the disease is already. Mild symptoms can be treated first with conservative therapy options such as the use of special splints or bandages and anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen).

If these treatments are not sufficient, surgery may be considered. Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome is usually performed on an outpatient basis. Which therapy is best suited to the individual case and which cause is responsible for the hands falling asleep can best be clarified by a doctor.