what is the cause of the tingle when my hand falls asleep? is it purely lack of blood? nerves? both? does anyone know of any articles explaining the condition?
thanks,
panahead
Contrary to what many people think, as well as to expressions like, “the circulation to my hand was cut off - it went all pins and needles”, the usual cause of a limb ‘falling asleep’ is from pressure on the nerve.
Anyone’s hand will fall asleep if you put it in a position that squashes the nerves (such as bent tightly at the wrist, especially with a weight such as your body pressing on it).
If a person finds that this is happening especially frequently, or spontaneously, or is associated with other symptoms such as persistent weakness or numbness, it could be a sign of so-called neuropathy.
A very common neuropathy is ‘carpal tunnel syndrome’ which is a prototypical example of what’s called a compression neuropathy (i.e. where the nerve is getting squished). You may find this site on carpal tunnel syndrome, from a most reputable source, of some interest.
Does this mean that there is no problem with the blood flow at all in those situations?