dead arms

[dionh]

Yo there

does anyone get dead arms while sleeping and if so is this related to diabetes?

[alicat61]

:) Hi Dionh,

I often wake up with dead arms during the night. I really don't know if it is to do with my Diabetes. I have heard diabetes can cause frozen shoulders.
I have a bad back so I just put it down to that.Or my weight:D
It will be interesting to see what others say

[fgummett]

Once you get a diagnosis of D it is tempting to see it everywhere. While poorly controlled D can cause reduced circulation and/or neuropathy it is far more likely that you are just sleeping on your arms or with your neck in an unusual position... I get this fairly often myself :) Maybe you need a new pillow..?

[davef]

I have a habit of sleeping on my arms and from time to time I get a "dead" arm. I had this well before diabetes.

[WalkingDiabetic]

I have also wondered abobut this. I did come to the conclusion that it was probably me just sleeping on a limb.

Also I find that if I stretch a bit before going to bed, this will help blood flow.

[Russell A.]

Count me in on the dead arm thing. I am not 100% sure but I have noticed when it happens my bs is low when I wake up in the morning. Co-inkydink??

Russell

[fgummett]

...not 100% sure but I have noticed when it happens my bs is low when I wake up in the morning...could be that you sleep deeper with a lower BG and as a result do not move around so much..? I'm not discounting long-term complications of D, I guess I am just resting the urge to jump to them first :)

[Subby]

Hi dionh, you're type 1 right from memory? It really does help to know these things, some things correlate more in one type than the other...

Myself I found on the first few years after diagnosis that all sorts of strange effects might occur for my body. Including dead arms, pinched nerves, pins and needles, you name it.

I found most of it transitory (usually hanging around on and off for a year or so then going) and most of it improved with better control.

Now I am about 17 years in. I feel really healthy and good these days as far as all that, but what I find is that I am very susceptible to dead arms and nerves, on all sorts of mattresses and pillows it will happen every time. I do not know for sure that it is entirely my diabetes, but considering all the other effects most likely caused by my diabetes on my circulation and nerves over the years, I am lets say pretty convinced my D is involved some way.

What I suggest is that you experiment with pillows and especially mattresses, or even a foam overlay may help. It's a matter of a couple of millimetres of softness that can be the difference between waking in agony or no problems, for me.

[Subby]

could be that you sleep deeper with a lower BG and as a result do not move around so much..? I'm not discounting long-term complications of D, I guess I am just resting the urge to jump to them first :)

Frank, I appreciate your concern... I'm not sure how it correlates with T2, but T1 it is quite possible to have all sorts of effects going on but it doesn't mean they have to be considered "long term complications"... I see this possibly as being different ways bodies react to BG fluctuations, which of course may well be/ and start off much worse in T1 than T2.

In my time I've exhibited classic symptoms of neuropathy, all sorts of things, occurring in a kind of transient state, and also my body simply has "tendencies" now such as pinched nerves, but no need to fear of these as long term complications, as far as I can see. Many go away on better control. A few have just "hung around" as characteristics of my body, like the pinch nerve thing. Ah well :)

[fgummett]

Good point Subby... I guess it is different with Type 1 and 2: you may have much higher BGs that lead to -- as you describe -- transient effects... whereas I am coming from a background of a condition that has crept up slowly with the potential for long-term damage even before Dx. And that is not to suggest that Type 1 does not also have the real risk of long-term complications.