Dancers, ever have hands fall asleep??

[Uulady]

Hi Folks!

Anyone ever have problems with arms/ hands falling asleep?? Here's the dish...have had very high blood pressure in past (runs in family). Treated with medication...now have low blood pressure...stopped medication. Have been having arms and hands falling asleep at least a couple times a day (sometimes legs too). Arms have been every night now for the past couple weeks, waking me up. I have upped potassium as it is crazy hot here and blood pressure medications reduce potassium in addition to sweating...doctor told me to try to increase potassium to replenish. I will have to go back and see him but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this as a dancer? It's a little spooky...could be caused by a pinched nerve but I have no other symptoms. Don't have a desk job so it's not carpel tunnel.

Anyone??

[waldim10]

Is it chill or vibration related ? That would be reynards syncrome. I don't have it badly but I know if it gets worse there's a medication that can improve it.

However as you're on blood pressure medication it might be worth going to your doctor and asking if the treatment can be moderated as it's causing other issues.

Recommending potassium to solve a problem his medication might be creating sounds like a vicious spiral. What will that start messing up ?

[Uulady]

more info:
I was on blood pressure medication for about a year and a half for high blood pressure. The last couple times I was at doctors it was low. (went for prescription refill then tonsilitis). He began to worry so stopped medication. Have been off medication for a few weeks now. Limbs falling asleep happened before that. He asked about me being very tired and I have been exceedingly tired but thought it was jetlag (wondered when it lasted longer than a week!). He said I looked very tired and recommended rest and also replenishing potassium as it was likely low given heat and the year and a half on blood pressure medication. I am getting worried because it happens so often. Does not appear pressure or cold related. Happens mostly at night but also if I lay down watching tv with arms folded over body. happens during day too. Legs sometimes fall asleep as well. Had some foot cramping which also led him to believe I needed to increase potassium.

Thanks Helen but it does not appear to be affected by pressure or cold. I guess that's a good thing?

[aameenah]

I used to have my arms go numb, but that was a symptom of MS. I just read your post and got really nervous! I hope it sorts out for you!

[ssipes]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud's_phenomenon

I am almost positive I have Raynaud's, though it hasn't been diagnosed by a doctor. It happens when I am inactive and get mildly chilled. For example, I don't get it from shovelling snow barehanded in 0C weather, but I will get it sitting in my office if its 5 degrees too cold. When it happens, my hands look just like the pic on the wiki page! Soaking my hands in hot water for 10 minutes seems to make it go away. Also, its only my fingers, never my whole hand, arms, or feet.

You need to tell your doctor about it so they can find out what is causing your symptoms.

Sedonia

[Kirabellydancer]

Did your doc have blood levels drawn to check your potassium levels? There are many reasons that could cause numbness in arms and legs. I will post a link to a site that list alot of info, as well as 29 causes, 17 possible side effects from medications and herbs, and plenty of helpful info about questions you should be asking your Doc.

I seen one cause of numbness in arms is hypothryoidism and you mentioned your doc said you look tired. All of this can be checked with blood work.

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/arm_numbness.htm

As far as stopping the blood pressure medication, I would make sure your doc is following you closely. He may off had your dose to high and your BP may return to being high after the meds wear out of your system. I have had to have my BP meds switched due to adverse effects.

[*Shira*]

From what you said, your blood pressure medication sounds very suspicious. How long has it been since you stopped the medication - long enough that side effects should have worn off by now?

I'd suggest researching the side effects of the specific medicine you've been taking, and see whether numbness is listed.

[sabrinabellydancer]

Originally Posted by *Shira*

From what you said, your blood pressure medication sounds very suspicious. How long has it been since you stopped the medication - long enough that side effects should have worn off by now?

I'd suggest researching the side effects of the specific medicine you've been taking, and see whether numbness is listed.

I totally agree. Medications, even the "helpful" ones can have some very strange and long lasting side effects. Many of which the dr.s are not aware b/c they just rely on the reps.

You should go to your pharmacy and request the insert for all medications you are taking. Make sure to ask for the dr.'s info insert and not just the patient info b/c the patient info is rarely complete. If you read the inserts carefully, you will be surprised at what you can learn.

Also, I find [from speaking to many friends and clients] that chemicals we ingest can stay in the body much longer than the "active" time listed on a label. I also know this from personal experience.

Perhaps some type of holistic, gentle body cleansing would help you. Maybe talk to a reputable alternative medicine practitioner in your area. Sometimes we can be exposed to chemicals we are not aware of and can have reactions to them which are not alway detected by traditional western medicine.

Maybe try acupuncture to help the nerves in the effected areas?

good luck. hope you feel better soon.

[rassicahl]

I started with this when I was pregnant 15 years ago. It never went away and I just deal with it at this point. It does make playing zils nearly impossible and has also turned me into an insomniac. I have gotten no help through the medical community and have turned to a chiropractor and a massage therapist who communicate with each other. What they do does help temporarily. Please let me know if you discover any other help. And thank you for posting this because this has been a lonely struggle for me over the years.

<hug>

[zumarrad]

Not really, but I do recall a strange experience once when I was about 16 when my hand fell asleep for no good reason. It was waxy and corpselike. Most disturbing. As it happens, I was on medication that combined with my already fairly low blood pressure to give me postural hypotension, so based on what others have said here, I also wonder if it's related to your blood pressure meds.

See the doctor!

[tahiradancer]

Originally Posted by *Shira*

From what you said, your blood pressure medication sounds very suspicious. How long has it been since you stopped the medication - long enough that side effects should have worn off by now?

I'd suggest researching the side effects of the specific medicine you've been taking, and see whether numbness is listed.

I would also check the half life of the meds. What isn't explained to many people is that a lot of drugs stay in your system for a long time. There is one anti-depresent which, once you are on full measure, will stay in your system for up to 2 months. So if you miss a dose or your pharmacist can't fill it, you will still be fine. BUt, ifyou are having an adverse reaction, that may still be the root of the problem.

{{{HUGS}}}

[Kirabellydancer]

Uulady, I did do a search on the internet out of curiousity after I posted the link. When typing in arms falling asleep, one of the extentions on yahoo search was "at night", I found quiet a few people posting comments like yours about arms falling asleep at night and being up half the night shaking their arms to get them to wake up. I did not find any postings as to why, but these people say it was driving them crazy and they were losing sleep over it. I wonder if it is some type of restless leg syndrome, but instead with the arms.

I went through something like that a while, were it felt like my feet were twisting inwards when I laid down (even though they actually weren't) and it drove me crazy. I was hopping out of bed all the time doing ballet stances with my feet turned out, just to hop back in bed and have the same sensation. I was considering buying foot splints so I could sleep when it finally stopped.

[Marianna]

I had it happened to me a long period of time but it's been gone for quite a few years. I have never found out what caused it, it's been a mystery.
After I had my baby, (10 years ago almost) my right hand ring finger's tip (just around my nail) remained numb for a long time. Later on that hand would fall asleep very quickly, if I just had it held up for a few minutes.

It became so bad a few years later, that either hands would fall asleep if I was -for example- holding the phone to my ear. After 30 seconds I had to switch hands and hold that hand down, to get the blood flowing back in. To make it more confusing the same thing happened if a hand was hanging down for a while, and too much blood flown in there (? I think that was the reason)
By the way this didn't just affect my hand, but my lower arm as well.

It became so bad that I would wake up at night in cruciating pain to my arm and hand and I would'nt know what to do with it. I would hold it straight up (while I was still laying down) to see if it works, and when no difference, I would let it hang to the floor. One of those would help. But it would hurt so much, because I was sleeping and I wouldn't feel the slight numbness, I would just wake up to the horrible pain.

This went on as long as 4-6 months, I think. Of course, as always, I never went to the doctor. My mom said she had the same thing a few times, and it was related to a slightly pinched nerve. Maybe the nerve wasn't pinched, but had pressure on it by her neck.

This all happened before my bellydancing days, and now that I think of it, I don't know if there is a connection, but it hasn't happened in the past 5-6 years.

I have 110/70 blood pressure, which is considered normal, but I actually consider it low for me, because I feel a drop all the time and then I feel like dropping with it :). My hands are usually cold, too.

[Uulady]

Thanks for your responses everyone. It has prompted me to go back to the doctor and ask further questions. I will keep you posted. It makes me feel better to know that others have experienced this and it has gone away. It has also lit a fire under my butt as some poeple have had greater problems so I shouldn't just sit on it.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I hope others who have similar problems find relief too and will post any help I get.