Have Tingling Sensation While Sleeping. Any Thing Serious?

Posted on Tue, 26 Feb 2013

Question: I flew on a plane and slept with my arms on that little fold down table and my head on my arms... I was only asleep for maybe an hour or two.... when I woke up I felt tingly in the bottom outer portion of my palm and up the sides... In both hands. Now I am very sensitive right above my elbow (towards my hand) what could this be? And the last two or three days I have felt an ache in my arms. It has lasted 7 days now. I'm worried

Answered by Dr. Gopal Krishna Dash (4 hours later)

Hello sir,

Thanks for writing to us.

I have noted all your complaints .

The tingling sensations that you had could be related to pressure on nerves while sleeping. Some people are more susceptible to nerve compression.
As you have symptoms in both sides you will need a clinical examination by a Neurologist. Your neurologist by means of detailed examination can determine if there are signs of peripheral nerve damage. He/she may subsequently order tests like MRI scan to prove the diagnosis. After this the physician will try to find out the exact cause of nerve compression

Regarding the sensitivity above the elbow, it may be related to the nerve compression.

Therefore, I urge you to visit your doctor's office for detailed examination and tests.

Hope this will help you. Let me know if you need further clarifications.

Wish you good health

Dr Gopal Krishna Dash
MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology), Post-doctoral fellowship (Epilepsy)
Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad
India

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli