First, you have fewer distractions — no meetings, phone calls, events or errands to fill your brain. Second, the temperatures are cooler, causing less blood flow in your body and hindered circulation to the areas where your nerves are most sensitive, such as hands and feet.
As temperatures drop at night, your peripheral nerves can begin to tingle more, and you'll feel more burning or sharp pains. Your heart rate also slows when you're colder, slowing your blood and increasing painful sensations.
Try Sleeping in Different Positions
If your chronic pain is caused by pinched or compressed nerves, adjusting your sleep position may relieve some of the pressure. For example, people with sciatica who prefer to sleep on their side often find it helpful to sleep with their affected leg on top.
Consider sleeping on your back with your arms at your sides or on pillows to keep your elbows and wrists in an ideal position. Do not fold them across your chest.
Pinched Nerve Pain is Usually Short-Lived
In most cases, symptoms improve and nerve function resumes to normal within 6 to 12 weeks of conservative treatment. Conservative treatment options include physical therapy, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.
Nutritional or vitamin imbalances, alcoholism, and exposure to toxins can damage nerves and cause neuropathy. Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess vitamin B6 are the best-known vitamin-related causes.
Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can feel as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. You may be very sensitive to touch or cold. You may also experience pain as a result of touch that would not normally be painful, such as something lightly brushing your skin.
Neuropathy can affect sleep in several ways. For some people, neuropathy symptoms, such as abnormal sensations or hypersensitivity to touch, particularly in the feet and legs, may make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.
High levels of stress and anxiety can amplify your pain. Physical stress and exertion can increase your nerve pain as well. Strenuous exercise and the accompanying soreness can contribute to nerve pain during the night. Living in a chronic state of stress will wreak havoc on your physical and mental health.
Vicks VapoRub also has other popular off-label uses—and these have more support than use of the product on the feet to improve a cough. Vicks is sometimes used on the feet to relieve neuropathy pain, treat toenail fungus, and soften callouses.
Injuries such as those sustained in sports, falls or car accidents can result in nerve compression (“pinched” nerves) or nerve damage that triggers pain. Degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis may also irritate nerves and result in neuropathy.
One of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy in the U.S. is diabetes. The most common type of peripheral neuropathy is diabetic neuropathy, caused by a high sugar level and resulting in nerve fiber damage in your legs and feet.
The main medicines recommended for neuropathic pain include: amitriptyline – also used for treatment of headaches and depression. duloxetine – also used for treatment of bladder problems and depression. pregabalin and gabapentin – also used to treat epilepsy, headaches or anxiety.
PN was strongly associated with earlier mortality. Mean survival time for those with PN was 10.8 years, compared with 13.9 years for subjects without PN. PN was also indirectly associated through impaired balance.
In cases of nerve damage, massage therapy can be useful to relieve symptoms and improve the overall health of a patient. If you are experiencing a tingling sensation, numbness, or pain in some areas of your body, massage therapy may be able to alleviate these symptoms.
And what better way to get blood flow moving than with a good old fashioned walk. It's the perfect low-impact aerobic exercise for everyone. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. The more you exercise on a consistent basis, the better your chances are at reducing your nerve pain.