Have you ever woken up and noticed that one or both of your hands feel strangely numb?

Maybe your fingers are tingling. Perhaps your hand feels "asleep," as though thousands of tiny pins are pressing into your skin. Sometimes the sensation disappears after you shake your hand or change position. Other times, it keeps coming back throughout the day.

Occasional hand numbness is often related to something relatively simple, such as sleeping on your arm or keeping your wrist in an awkward position for too long.

But recurrent or persistent numbness can have many possible causes, including nerve compression, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, circulation problems, medication effects, or conditions involving the neck and nervous system.

The pattern of numbness matters.

Which fingers are affected? Is it one hand or both? Does it happen mainly at night? Is there weakness? Does the sensation travel up the arm?

These details can provide important clues.

And in some situations, sudden numbness—particularly when it occurs together with facial drooping, difficulty speaking, severe weakness, or other neurological symptoms can be an emergency.

Here's what you should know.

What Does It Mean When Your Hands Go Numb?

Hand numbness is usually related to changes in how nerves send sensory signals.

Nerves carry information between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body. When a nerve is compressed, irritated, damaged, or affected by another medical condition, you may experience:

• Numbness

• Tingling

• Burning

• Pins-and-needles sensations

• Reduced sensitivity

• Electric or shooting sensations

• Weakness

Sometimes the problem originates directly in the hand or wrist.

In other cases, it begins farther up the arm or even in the neck.

This is why the location and pattern of numbness are so important.

1. You May Simply Be Sleeping on Your Arm

One of the most common explanations for temporary hand numbness is pressure on a nerve while you're sleeping.

You may unknowingly sleep with your wrist bent, your elbow compressed, or your arm trapped underneath your body.

After remaining in that position for a while, you may wake up with a hand that feels:

• Numb

• Heavy

• Tingling

• Weak

• "Asleep"

Usually, the sensation improves after you change position and restore normal pressure to the nerve.

This type of numbness is generally temporary.

However, if you wake up with numb hands frequently, don't automatically assume you're simply sleeping awkwardly.

Repeated nighttime numbness can sometimes be associated with conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome or other nerve compression problems.

2. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is a Common Cause

One of the best-known causes of hand and finger numbness is carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist through which the median nerve travels.