Prognosis | Nightly falling asleep of the hand

Prognosis

The prognosis for hands that fall asleep at night depends on the underlying cause. Falling asleep hands, which are caused by sleeping habits, are not dangerous. In this case, the symptoms should disappear completely by relieving the nerves.

If carpal tunnel syndrome causes the hands to fall asleep, the disease should be treated. If a conservative therapy does not work, an operation must be considered. Not in all cases a therapy can completely eliminate the unpleasant symptoms. In some cases, sensations and pain occur even after surgery on the affected nerve.

Prophylaxis

To prevent hands falling asleep during the night, the cause of the symptoms should be critically examined. If only the sleeping position is responsible for the complaints, the individual sleeping habits should be worked on. In order to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, overloading of the hand and wrists should be avoided. Since inflammations also contribute to the development of the syndrome, they should always be treated adequately.

Falling asleep hands during pregnancy

Towards the end of the second third of pregnancy (usually around the sixth month), most pregnant women experience slight swelling of the joints. This usually affects the feet, but can also affect the wrists. This can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal tunnel is a channel on the wrist. The median nerve, which supplies parts of the hand sensitively, runs through it. If the carpal tunnel swells, pressure is exerted on the nerves.

This leads to numbness, tingling and burning pain. It is quite typical that these symptoms occur at night. If you change your sleeping position, the symptoms usually improve.

If the pain also occurs during the day, you can relieve the pain by shaking your hand. Daily stretching exercises of the fingers and hands also help. After birth, the symptoms usually disappear again.

If they persist, it is advisable to consult a neurosurgeon. If necessary, a minor surgical procedure may be necessary to relieve the nerve.