When hands, feet, arms and legs tingle and go numb, the vernacular speaks of asleep limbs. The unpleasant sensory disturbance is usually only temporary. However, there are also diseases in which these abnormal sensations occur frequently or are even permanent. If this is the case, the person concerned should immediately consult a specialist.
What are asleep limbs?
If limbs tickle or even become numb so that the person concerned can no longer feel them, this is usually a temporary disruption of the conduction of stimuli:
A nerve is pinched off by sitting or lying down or by staying too long in the same posture. This tells the brain through the strange body sensations that it is cut off from the oxygen and nutrient supply.
When the hands and feet are asleep, usually only the peripheral nervous system is affected.
causes
If the asleep limbs do not normalize despite a change of position and other measures or if they return frequently, they are based on a serious chronic disease.
If the unpleasant feelings on toes and fingers occur together with paralysis on one side, the inability to pick up an object and speech disorders, the emergency doctor should be called as soon as possible, as it is then probably a stroke.
In polyneuropathy (PNP), pinched nerves are permanently damaged: the peripheral nerves become inflamed immediately. The genetic polyneuropathy can be caused by diabetes mellitus, infections, alcohol addiction, autoimmune diseases, certain medications, chemotherapy and vitamin deficiencies.
In patients with polyneuropathy, pressure on the nerves quickly leads to damage that is slow to heal. Not only do they have fallen asleep limbs, which are well known to healthy people, but also a disturbed sense of pain. Even simple injuries cause burning and stabbing pain in the fingers and toes.
The discomfort occurs first on the feet, then on the hands and even on the lower legs. If the polyneuropathy patient is also diabetic, he usually feels an increased pain sensation at the beginning of the illness, which, however, weakens in the course of the disease so that he can hardly feel it. Combined with uncertainty when walking and standing, there are more accidents. Since the diabetic no longer notices the injuries to the foot, the so-called "diabetic foot" arises with open wounds.
A herniated disc or spinal column damage can also cause limbs to fall asleep. In such a case, the tingling or numb feeling is permanent.
In addition, the unpleasant sensations on toes and fingers associated with multiple sclerosis, angina pectoris, certain types of poisoning and vitamin B12 deficiency occur. The insidious thing about this deficiency disease is that it cannot be detected in the blood count and - if not treated in time - can lead to paralysis, impaired movement coordination, unsteady gait, memory disorders, depression and confusion.
Restless legs syndrome - as the name suggests - only affects the legs. It manifests itself in the form of twitching of the feet, tingling of the toes and the urge to move around when the body is at rest.
A carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve (carpal nerve) causing the discomfort is pinched in the carpal tunnel on the inside of the hand. If it does not find a better position in it, it causes frequent tingling and numbness. It is pressure-relieved by a specially made splint. If the symptoms do not improve, surgery is required.
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➔ Medicines for paresthesia and circulatory disordersDiseases with this symptom
- stroke
- Alcohol addiction
- Lyme disease
- Diabetic foot syndrome
- disc prolapse
- Restless legs syndrome
- Polyneuropathy
- Vitamin deficiency
- HIV infection
- arteriosclerosis
- multiple sclerosis
- Vitamin B12
- Diabetes mellitus
- chemotherapy
- Drug allergy
- diphtheria
- Angina pectoris
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
Diagnosis & course
In some cases the unusual tingling sensation, which can also occur on both sides and at night, is accompanied by severe pain and decreasing muscle strength.
If the patient also notices a disturbed movement coordination and an insecure gait behavior, it is necessary to see a doctor. The same applies if the unbearable discomfort does not go away despite a change of position and the condition occurs frequently and regularly. The first point of contact is then a neurologist and / or orthopedist.
If the autonomic nervous system is also affected by the polyneuropathy, the nerve signals are no longer passed on to the brain: even cardiac arrhythmias as well as bladder and bowel emptying disorders can result. People with a polyneuropathy have a reduced nerve conduction speed, hardly / no sensation of touch and hardly / no sensation of cold, warmth and vibration.
Complications
Limbs that have fallen asleep are usually harmless, but can sometimes lead to serious complications. If the numbness in the limbs persists over a longer period of time or occurs again and again, the muscle mass in the affected body region may initially be reduced, accompanied by a reduction in motor skills.
Hands that have fallen asleep, such as those that occur with carpal tunnel syndrome or with pinched nerves, can be moved less and less over time, as the nerve signals that are passed into the hand decrease. This is accompanied by the typical tingling sensation in the limbs. If the symptoms occur as a result of a herniated disc, an intensification of the symptoms can initially be assumed: severe pain, muscle tension and, in the further course, an incorrect load on the affected joints.
In the worst case, the symptoms intensify and persist after the cause has been eliminated. Nerve damage as a cause is particularly problematic, because these symptoms lead to further damage to the muscle fibers, muscle paralysis and so-called root death, i.e. irreparable damage to the nerves. Limbs asleep impair the perception of pain in the affected body region and thus lead to bedsores, pressure pain and abscesses, especially in bedridden people, often accompanied by severe pain, circulatory disorders and chronic nerve damage in the affected limbs.
When should you go to the doctor?
A long unchanged sitting position, inconvenient lying down and crossed or kinked legs can lead to limbs falling asleep. The remedy is usually simple: a change in posture or, even better, movement. The tingling sensation that set in soon afterwards signals the end of this spook. The cause of asleep limbs is the pinching of nerves - not blood vessels, as is often assumed.
Despite this in itself harmless cause of falling asleep limbs, this condition should be avoided as far as possible. If limbs are repeatedly provoked asleep, permanent nerve damage can occur. If the limbs have fallen asleep more often and the numbness does not go away completely, a doctor's visit is essential. The phenomenon may be due to an illness that requires treatment.
Limbs that have fallen asleep can be caused by diabetes mellitus or multiple sclerosis. An arm that has fallen asleep can result from the not so rare carpal tunnel syndrome, in which the carpal nerve is pinched in the area of the palm. An unbalanced diet and extreme alcohol consumption are also possible triggers for limbs to fall asleep. Deaf limbs are also a side effect of chemotherapy.
Occasionally, limbs that have fallen asleep can be due to a damaged spine. Especially with a herniated disc, the nerves responsible for sensations in the limbs are pinched. If the sensation of limbs asleep is accompanied by coordination disorders, the emergency doctor must be called immediately.
Doctors & therapists in your area
Treatment & Therapy
To end the condition, the person can change their position or massage the affected part of the body so that blood is supplied again. However, if the person remains in the position that is harmful to the nerve, extreme numbness occurs and, if the person is in the position for a long time, real nerve damage occurs.
If the cold is the cause, simple measures such as a hot water bottle, blanket or warm compresses can help to quickly eliminate the tingling or numbness.
Mental stress can trigger anxiety, which in turn, through the accompanying shallow breathing, affects the blood circulation in such a way that the limbs can no longer be felt. In this case, soothing coaxing and conscious control of breathing helps. So that the condition does not return, relaxation exercises and breathing training are recommended.
If the underlying disease is treated, the nerve problems also decrease. Otherwise, tablets help against nerve pain.
Outlook & forecast
Most of us are probably familiar with limbs that have fallen asleep. Usually a nerve is pinched, which is harmless: once you've moved into a more favorable position, the numbness disappears quite quickly. This process can be accelerated by careful gymnastic exercises or by tensing and relaxing the muscles in the corresponding limbs.
However, limbs asleep can also be caused by very serious diseases. In these cases the prognosis is worse. Multiple sclerosis (MS), for example, is basically incurable. However, research is progressing rapidly into the treatability of the insidious disease. So if you go to the doctor in good time, you can live with the disease for a long time undisturbed.
In diabetes, limbs asleep often indicate that the disease is changing and the patient needs readjustment. Here, too, the following applies in the first place: The instructions of the doctor with regard to diet and general lifestyle must be followed, as otherwise the symptoms cannot be alleviated.
Limbs that have fallen asleep often have a clear cause: alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption for a long period of time leads to symptoms that usually go away when patients change their lifestyle. This is not easy, but it is also not impossible. The doctor can help here, as can various therapy facilities and self-help groups. The same applies to the abuse of medication or even drugs, which can also lead to such symptoms.
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➔ Medicines for paresthesia and circulatory disordersprevention
The unpleasant sensory stimuli have the function of informing the person sitting incorrectly or uncomfortably lying down that his posture is unhealthy and that he should change it. In other cases, the short-term abnormal sensations can also be triggered by extreme cold, a slight shock and severe psychological stress. It is therefore important to ensure a healthy posture and to keep the body healthy as a whole and not to over- or under-demand.
You can do that yourself
In most cases, limbs that have fallen asleep are not a noxious medical complication and therefore this symptom does not need to be treated directly. If the limbs have fallen asleep, they must first be supplied with blood before they can be actively used. With this blood circulation, the person feels a slight tingling sensation, which is completely normal.
If the asleep limbs appear more often, this is often due to the poor position of the limbs. This includes sitting for too long or unhealthily. The patient should exercise more and do more exercise in general. It is also helpful to keep the limbs in warm water. However, if the tingling occurs often, it indicates a pinched nerve. This should not be treated by home means, but directly by a doctor. A pinched nerve can indicate a herniated disc and should be examined immediately.
In most cases, changing the sitting posture or massaging the limbs that have fallen asleep will help. If the tingling sensation was caused by the cold, a hot water bottle will help. It can also happen that anxiety and stress trigger the limbs to fall asleep. Breathing exercises help in these situations.
