That Tingling Sensation

by Ffjorren Zolfaghar |

Have you ever experienced the tingling, pins and needles kind of feeling in your extremities? Is it a numb feeling that will not go away? Maybe your arm simply “fell asleep,” or maybe it’s something a little more serious: Carpal tunnel Syndrome.

When it is simply a situation of a limb “falling asleep,” here’s how that happens. You are lying on your sofa, watching TV, and you happen to rest one arm under your head. As soon as you sit up, you notice a numbness in your arm and then the tingling kicks in. When you begin to move and shake your arm, the feeling becomes almost painful. After a while, the pain and numbness subsides and your arm “wakes up.”

There are a couple of things going on inside your body when this occurs. When you apply pressure to one part of your body, in this case your arm, you are literally cutting off communication from your nerve endings in your arm to your brain. That pressure is squeezing the nerve pathway, which does not allow the nerve ending to transmit signals to your brain. Those signals include instructions on how your arm should feel and react to any stimulus. Therefore, when your brain cannot receive the information, it does not know how to respond and you, in turn, do not have full feeling in your arm.

After you release the pressure off of your arm and begin to move around a little, the feeling returns because your nerve impulses are able to flow properly again. The communication between your body and brain is restored.

There are common cases in which numbness occurs on a frequent basis. Generally speaking, these are often related to other issues. For instance, some people complain of their arms becoming numb during their sleep, each and every time they sleep. Research suggests that this may be due to Carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Carpal tunnel is a very small passageway on the palm side of your wrist. It protects a primary nerve to your hand, as well as nine tendons that move and bend your fingers. If pressure is placed on this area for an extended amount of time, a person can develop numbness, pain and weakness in their hand and arm.

A prior injury or repetitive use of your wrist or hand can cause Carpal tunnel syndrome. Some people also fall into this painful predicament because of another health condition they have, like: Rheumatoid Arthritis, diabetes, thyroid disorders, menopause or fluid retention due to pregnancy.

If you are experiencing similar symptoms, make sure to consult a physician. In the meantime, you can try these natural solutions to help ease pain and treat Carpal tunnel syndrome:
1) When you wake in the morning, take a few minutes to stretch your hands and wrists, for example:

• Hold your left hand in front of you and bring all of your fingers together.
• Take your right hand and gently bend all of your left hand fingers back, toward you’re the top of your forearm.
• Switch hands and perform the same activity on your right hand.

2) Take breaks when you are performing an activity that utilizes your hands and wrists.
3) Give yoga a try (stretching and strengthening are just what your joints, ligaments and muscles need).
4) Acupuncture might help with the pain.
5) B Vitamins aid in nerve function. Vitamin B6 helps to improve tissue oxygenation.
6) Try wearing a wrist splint at night, when you are sleeping.

References:

1. Balch, Phyllis. Prescription for nutritional healing. Penguin books, 2006.
2. Numbness and Tingling. www.medlineplus.gov
3. Numbness. www.nativeremedies.com
4. Mayo Clinic Staff. Carpal tunnel syndrome. www.mayoclinic.com
5. What makes your arms, legs and feet fall asleep. www.howstuffworks.com, 2001.