There can be several reasons, but this happens to me sometimes too.
in my case, it ended up being cubital tunnel syndrome. You can read about it here: www.assh.org
basically, when you sleep, or talk on the phone...anytime you have your elbows bent more than halfway, you're putting pressure on the nerve in your elbow. This causes numbness/tingling and or pain in the forearm and hand--usually starting with the pinky and ring fingers.
I ended up seeing a hand therapist and she made me some splints to wear at night so that I wouldn't bend at the elbow in my sleep. Basically if you can keep your arms straight most of the time you can allow the nerve to calm down and the swelling to go down. I had to wear one of the splints all the time for about 4-6 weeks and the other just at night. I don't wear them anymore because I've trained myself to sleep differently now so I don't sleep on my bent arms.
sorry...super long response. But, the place to start is by seeing your regular doc and asking if cubital tunnel syndrome is a possibility in your case. Some severe cases require surgery, but most can be managed other ways.
good luck. Hope this helps
in my case, it ended up being cubital tunnel syndrome. You can read about it here: www.assh.org
basically, when you sleep, or talk on the phone...anytime you have your elbows bent more than halfway, you're putting pressure on the nerve in your elbow. This causes numbness/tingling and or pain in the forearm and hand--usually starting with the pinky and ring fingers.
I ended up seeing a hand therapist and she made me some splints to wear at night so that I wouldn't bend at the elbow in my sleep. Basically if you can keep your arms straight most of the time you can allow the nerve to calm down and the swelling to go down. I had to wear one of the splints all the time for about 4-6 weeks and the other just at night. I don't wear them anymore because I've trained myself to sleep differently now so I don't sleep on my bent arms.
sorry...super long response. But, the place to start is by seeing your regular doc and asking if cubital tunnel syndrome is a possibility in your case. Some severe cases require surgery, but most can be managed other ways.
good luck. Hope this helps
