Most of people have experienced that their hands and feet fall asleep when they lie down or sit still. Falling asleep may be a feeling that you are not able to move your legs, you will feel tingling numbness. Tingling and numbness is characterized by an inability to feel anything when it touches your skin. Around 5% to 15% of adults are suffering from this type of symptoms. Many times you suffer from these symptoms when you lie down or sit still. Numbness and tingling sensations can take place anywhere in your body, but are frequently felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or legs.

Causes of Hands and Feet Falling Asleep:

• Pressure on the spinal nerves, such as from a herniated disk
• Pressure on peripheral nerves from enlarged blood vessels, tumors, scar tissue, or infection
• Injury to a nerve, such as a neck injury may cause you to feel numbness anywhere along your arm or hand, while a low back injury can cause numbness or tingling down the back of your leg
• Remaining in the same seated or standing position for a long time
• Shingles or herpes zoster infection
• Poor blood supply to an area, for example, cholesterol (plaque) build up from atherosclerosis in the legs can cause pain, numbness, and tingling while walking (this is called vascular claudication); frostbite can also reduce blood supply and lead to numbness
• Use of certain medications
• Abnormal levels of calcium, potassium, or sodium in your body
• Radiation therapy
• A lack of vitamin B12 or other vitamin
• Toxic nerve damage due to lead, alcohol, or tobacco
• Other medical conditions, including:
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Seizures
  • Stroke
  • Diabetes
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Migraines
  • Underactive thyroid
  • Raynaud’s phenomenon
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a “mini-stroke”

Home Treatment:

The underlying cause of your numbness or tingling should be identified and treated by your doctor. Treatment for the underlying cause of falling asleep may reverse the symptoms or prevent them from becoming worse.

For instance,

• Your doctor may recommend certain exercise if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or low back pain.
• If you have diabetes, your doctor will discuss ways to control your blood sugars.
• Vitamin supplements may help you to treat low levels of vitamins.
• As numbness can cause a decrease in feeling, you may be more likely to accidentally injure a numb hand or foot. Take care to protect the area from cuts, bumps, bruises, burns, or other injury.
• Medications that cause numbness or tingling may require being switched or adjusted. You should not alter or stop taking any of your medicines or take large doses of any vitamins or supplements until you have talked with you doctor.

Help for Numbness:

Homeopathic remedies may play an essential role in healing nerve damage which may be the cause of numbness. Biochemic tissue salts such as Ferrum phosphoricum, Kalium phosphate and Magnesium phosphate can be of great help in healing nerve damage. These have been shown to help in the nutritional needs of your brain and nerves, while encouraging systemic balance in the entire nervous system.

Other herbs used to heal nerve damage are Matricaria recutita, Rosemary and Ginkgo biloba which act as a tonic for an all round healthy nervous system and address some of the underlying causes of numbness.

Contact a Medical Professional in case of following:

Go to a hospital or call your local emergency number (such as 911) if:

• Numbness or tingling take place just after a head, neck, or back injury
• Weakness or paralysis takes place with numbness or tingling
• You are confused or have lost consciousness, even briefly
• You cannot control the movement of an arm or a leg or you have lost bladder or bowel control
• You have slurred speech, change in vision, difficulty walking, or weakness

Call your doctor if:

• You are urinating more frequently
• Numbness or tingling has no obvious cause (like a hand or foot “falling asleep”)
• Numbness or tingling is in your legs and worsens when you walk
• You have a rash
• You have dizziness, muscle spasm, or other unusual symptoms
• You have pain in your neck, forearm, or fingers

Diagnosis:

Blood tests may include:

• Measurement of vitamin levels
• Heavy metal or toxicology screening
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Thyroid function tests
• Electrolyte level (measurement of body chemicals and minerals)

Imaging tests may include:

• CT scan of the spine
• CT scan of the head
• MRI of the head
• MRI of the spine
• CT angiogram
• X-ray of the affected area
• Ultrasound of neck vessels to determine your risk for TIA or stroke
• Vascular ultrasound
• Angiogram (A test that uses x-rays and a special dye to see inside the blood vessels)

Other tests that may be done include:

• Cold stimulation test may be done to check for Raynaud’s phenomenon
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to rule out central nervous system disorders
• Electromyography and nerve conduction studies to measure how your muscles respond to nerve stimulation

Prevention of hand numbness or tingling:

• Wear warm gloves at low temperatures
• Do not rest your elbows on the desk for long periods of time, while working with a computer
• Avoid sleeping with the hand under the head, or with arms on the pillow
• Avoid using mechanical screwdrivers
• Avoid putting the arm over the chair back to prevent permanent injury of brachial plexus

Numbness, tingling, hands, fingers, carpal tunnel and other causes video from youtube: