Having numb hands while sleeping is a common problem. In almost every instance, it's one of the first signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Does your occupation involve a lot of strenuous hand activity? Do you use your hands and fingers rapidly and repetitively during the day? Both of these are associated with having carpal tunnel syndrome. And  getting numb hands while sleeping is the most common way carpal tunnel patients first experience the symptoms of this condition.

Don't panic because there's a few things you can do to eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome which don't involve surgery. Here's what's going on, and how to fix it.



 Want to know how severe your carpal tunnel really is?

 Take this 60 second Quiz designed by Dr. Z.

We already established that having numb hands while sleeping is one of the first signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. But there also several are others, listed below. It's not necessary to have these other symptoms, but most people get more than one.

It's also important to establish WHERE these symptoms occur. The diagram below shows where ALL carpal tunnel symptoms appear. The symptoms must be confined to these areas or else you may not have carpal tunnel syndrome.

In its early stages, carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't bother you during the day while working. In fact, symptoms become noticeable when your hand is quiet and relaxed, as when you're asleep. That's why it's common to have numb hands while sleeping instead of working.

Usually, the fingertips go numb first. The thumb is also most commonly involved. Furthermore, the numbness can be so bad that it wakes you up. Upon waking, you might feel the need to shake out the numbness. Some people find relief by hanging their hand off the bedside.

As carpal tunnel syndrome progresses, the numbness will last into the daytime. This is a sure sign that the condition has become more severe.

Pain in the areas indicated in the above diagram is another common sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. In the beginning of the disorder, the pain will also likely be present only at night. It might wake you up with the need to rub your hand to relieve the pain.

As the disorder progresses, the pain (like numbness) will show up during the daytime. Whether during the night or day, the pain can have one or more of these qualities:

• dull
• aching
• sharp
• shooting electrical
• burning
• throbbing

Tingling, prickling or pins & needles is another key sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. It also occurs in the areas indicated in the diagram above. Usually numbness is accompanied by tingling, but not necessarily.

Sometimes carpal tunnel syndrome makes its appearance by giving you itchy hands. It's even possible the itching can appear before you feel painful or numb hands while sleeping.

The itchiness is usually confined to the palm and ends of your fingers. It can occur during the daytime or while sleeping. Any benefit from applying creams is only a placebo. That's because the problem is not on your skin but in the nerve supplying it.

Having the feeling of puffy or swollen fingers (or palm of the hand) is also a common carpal tunnel symptom. But even with the puffy feeling, the skin looks perfectly normal. And usually the skin is not discolored.

It's rare for the initial symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome to appear as hand or finger weakness. While not a rule, it's usually a sign of more advanced disorder.

However, losing hand strength is a sure sign you have this condition. It starts by having difficulty opening doors or jars. More advanced stages of carpal tunnel syndrome can see progressive and catastrophic loss of hand strength. That means people often drop things like phones, cups, keys, and even infants.

Like weakness, hand clumsiness usually occurs as carpal tunnel advances further. It's rarer for clumsiness to be a first sign of the condition. 

The clumsiness means loss of dexterity. Carpal tunnel patients often find it difficult to write with a pen, pick up coins or keys, or turn a door knob. Dropping things is a daily occurrence.

The painful or numb hands while sleeping associated with carpal tunnel syndrome is easily explained. But to do so, you must understand that the problem starts deep inside your wrist joint.

It's there that one of the main nerves to the hand (the median nerve) passes through to provide nerve endings in the areas illustrated in the diagram. In addition, your flexor tendons (responsible for curling your fingers) also run along side the median nerve deep within the wrist.

With rapid and repetitive finger movement, for instance, the tendons in some people inflame and swell. That swelling pushes against the adjacent median nerve. The result is that the nerve is crushed. And that's what gives  you all of the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Anybody can get carpal tunnel syndrome. However, there are certain risk factors that make the probability of getting this disorder much higher. These are:

• High risk occupations (see more about this below)
• Family history of carpal tunnel syndrome
• Pregnancy
• Being female
• Being obese
• Being over 70 years old
• Having a small body frame
• Having rheumatoid arthritis
• Being under emotional stress
• Having hypothyroidism
• Having fibromyalgia

There are specific occupations commonly associated with getting carpal tunnel syndrome. That's because each of them requires either repetitive or forceful finger and hand activity. These occupations are:

• Truck drivers
• Housekeepers
• Fine artists
• Dental hygienists
• Data-entry clerks
• Sewers & knitters
• Radiologists
• Transcriptionists
• Musicians
• Farmers
• Graphic designers
• Hair stylists
• Assembly line workers
• Horse riders or trainers

No doubt you've heard about carpal tunnel surgery to relieve symptoms. You might even know somebody who had this hand operation (like millions of people already).

But did you know that the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) advises doctors to recommend surgery as the very LAST option?

The reason is because surgery has a success rate of approximately 50%. The other half of patients see symptoms return within 2 years.

Moreover, there are multiple non-surgical options available. These have a high success rate of eliminating symptoms permanently.

How do these non-surgical remedies work better than surgery? Surgery aims to cut the transverse carpal ligament inside your wrist joint. This provides more room for the swollen tendons to expand. Therefore, the median nerve isn't squeezed as much.

But this is a temporary fix because the body eventually fills in the extra space. Then the median nerve is compressed once again and symptoms return.

But each non-surgical remedy listed below works to reduce the source of the swelling. By doing so, the tendons will not cause harm to the median nerve again. In fact, these remedies together have a 97% success rate when followed correctly.

Taken together, these non-surgical remedies are called B.R.E.M. It stands for Brace, Rest, Exercise, and Massage. Patients are advised to use B.R.E.M. the following way:

1. Perform each B.R.E.M. step listed below.
2. Do not cut short or skip over any of the steps.
3. Perform each step for 4 weeks or until symptoms resolve.
   

Keeping your hand in the neutral (flat) position helps reduce pressure inside your wrist joint. If you bend your wrist unconsciously when you sleep, pressure rises inside the joint. This compresses the median nerve, making your carpal tunnel syndrome much worse. In contrast, bracing in the neutral position promotes healing.

IMPORTANT BRACING CAUTION

1. Generic (pharmacy) braces commonly sold at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc. are harmful if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. Why? They usually contain a palmar spine. This pushes into your wrist joint causing increased pressure. Therefore, only wear a certified carpal tunnel brace. 
   
   
2. Do not wear ANY wrist brace while you're working. Your hand and wrist are already damaged with carpal tunnel syndrome. So why force your hand fight a brace when it's trying to do its regular work? That only stresses your wrist joint more.

Rest is the remedy for most ailments. And rest is also exceptionally good for carpal tunnel syndrome. But you don't have to lie in bed to rest your hand. Just be mindful that you should take short breaks if your hand is involved in any of these activities:

1. Repetitive and rapid motion (like using a mouse or keyboard)
2. Pinching repeatedly and forcefully (like sewing)
3. Bending the hand with force (like playing tennis)
4. Grasping and releasing repeatedly (like using a hair brush)
5. Gripping and releasing forcefully and repeatedly (like hammering)
6. Maintaining a bent wrist (like lifting weights)
7. Twisting the hand and wrist (like using a screwdriver)

Taking short (10-20 second) breaks to rest your hand is important when the hand activity is stressful. Also, try to lessen the hand stress by:

• switching hands periodically
• changing your stance
• alternate your arm angle or position
• protect your hands with cushioned gloves
  

This is a BIG help. Therapists instruct patients to use 4 core stretching exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome. They work to relieve this disorder because the stretches are designed to loosen adhesions on flexor tendons and also lubricate them.

Best of all, these 4 core stretching exercises take only a minute to complete in total! Therefore, perform them at least every hour you work with your hands:

1. Prayer Stretch (for treating the entire length of your flexor tendons)
   
2. Stop Stretch (for treating the wrist joint)
   
3. Finger Interlace Stretch (for treating the finger muscles or lumbricals)
   
4. Thumb Stretch (for treating the thumb)

There's perhaps no more aggressive -- and effective -- technique for eliminating carpal tunnel syndrome than massage. However, the massage must be a particular type.

Myofascial release massage works exceptionally well. It twists the flexor tendons and the surrounding fascia just below the skin. This action destroys adhesions which cause inflammation and swelling - and ultimately carpal tunnel symptoms.

But there's more to myofascial release massage than breaking up adhesions. This massage also:

1. Enhances blood circulation to facilitate the healing process.
2. Drains fluid that builds up inside your wrist joint and causes excess pressure.

One of the main signs of carpal tunnel syndrome is getting numb hands while sleeping. But you don't have to allow this disorder to take over your life. Taking steps now to resolve the problem will prevent misery later on. Use the 4 steps outlined above to stop carpal tunnel in its tracks.