You may be really worried when at night, after you go off to sleep, suddenly your feet start to tingle. Another term used for this incident is known as “feet falling asleep.” Now, the question arises: how to stop feet tingling at night? Various remedies can be derived for this phenomenon. But before that, we need to know what is causing the feet to tingle at night. Is it dangerous or harmful to the body? Do you need to consult a doctor? All these questions may arise in your mind, and if it does, then do not worry. We have got you covered in this article. In this blog, we will be discussing the most prominent question: how to stop feet tingling at night? Along with that, we will also be discussing the causes and treatment of feet tingling.
Table of Contents
What is Feet Tingling?
Medically, feet tingling is termed paresthesia and it is quite a common and natural phenomenon. Feet tingling happens when there is a block in the flow of blood in our nervous system. This is a temporary condition, in which the feet first feel numb. Later, the feet start to feel like pins and needles, and a tingling effect is caused. This usually lasts for one to two minutes and it eventually stops. If we break it up and see, first our feet are completely deprived of any sensation. When we try to stand up, or we jingle our toes with our hands, the blockage of blood in our nervous system is removed. The nerves start to reach out to the feet as soon as possible and in full force. This is the reason we get the pins and needles feeling, which is commonly known as feet tingling.
Why Does My Feet Tingle at Night?
Usually, the phenomenon of tinkling of feet occurs for about a minute or two. If the tingling persists even after a long time, you might be having some problems, such as:
– Weakness
– Vision problem
– Dizziness
– Pain, etc.
One of the major causes of feet tingling can be a serious problem, that is nerve damage. Scientifically this type of nerve damage is known as ‘Peripheral neuropathy.’ There are some other causes that can cause feet tingling as well, such as:
– Diabetes
There are two types of diabetes, that is Type 1 and Type 2. People suffering from any one of them have a common sign of feet tingling at night. Some other signs and symptoms of diabetes include:
- Increased thirst and urination
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Increased hunger
- Blurred vision
It is better to get checked by a general physician before coming to a result. Usually, a blood test is performed to diagnose diabetes and its types.
– Pregnancy
This is one of the factors that can cause the feet tingling of a woman at night. This usually happens because pressure is constantly created in the uterus. When this pressure comes through the nerves to our legs, it causes a tingling effect at our feet. Some other symptoms during pregnancy include:
- Numbing of toes and fingers
- Tingling in hands
- Morning sickness
- Cold feet
– Deficiency of Vitamin B
According to medical professionals, vitamin B deficiency can cause feet tingling at night. Specifically, if you are deficient in vitamin B1 or B12, tingling sensations will happen at your feet, mostly at night. Another interesting fact about vitamin B is that an increased amount of vitamin B in our body may cause tingling in our feet. Let us see some of the signs and symptoms of vitamin B deficiency:
- Fatigue
- Anemia
- Reduced sensation of touch (or numbness)
- Shortness of breath
– Due to Medications
This is the most common phenomenon for the tingling of feet at night. This happens because when we take medications, we do not see there are various other side effects of the medicines. One of the major side effects is numbing and tingling of feet at night. Some of the medications that cause tingling of feet at night include:
- Medications used to treat cancer or chemotherapy
- Medications for HIV or AIDS
- Medicines to treat high blood pressure
- Medicines to treat infections
- Medications for alcohol use disorder
These are just some of the few basic causes for feet tingling at night. We will be discussing more causes in the next part of the article, where we will see: How to stop feet tingling at night.
How to Stop Feet Tingling at Night?
How to stop your feet tingling at night? This question may arise in your mind when you find a tingling sensation in your feet at night time. The basic thing to do at that time is to pull the toes and do some leg exercises. The pins and needles feeling will dissolve in a minute or two. We should also keep in mind to check the causes of feet tingling. This helps us to know how to stop feet from tingling at night. Let us see, for example:
- If you are getting a tingling feet problem at night due to diabetes, you should get immediate treatment. Diabetes can be treated with various kinds of medications such as oral medicines, insulin, or changes in diet.
- If you are getting the tingling sensation of feet at night during pregnancy, you need not worry about it. This is a completely natural phenomenon in the times of pregnancy. Now, after you have given birth, feet tingling at night will seize away. But, if the feet tingling at night does not stop, you need to do some mild exercises, specifically foot exercises to stop the tinkling of feet.
- If you have tingling feet at night several times, it is better to consult a medical professional at this point. This may be caused by to deficiency of vitamin B (it can be either B12 or B1 or both). Consult with your doctor and he will prescribe you some of the best vitamin B capsules and supplements that will stop the feet tingling at night immediately. Not only that you can take a diet that is rich in vitamin B for getting non-tinkling feet at night. Let us see from which food source we can get the vitamins:
| VITAMIN | FOOD SOURCE |
| B1 (thiamine) | Whole grains, meat, fish, bread, cereals, and infant formulas |
| B12 (cobalamine) | Animal liver and kidneys, clams, sardines, beef, tuna, fish, and red meat |
- If feet tingling at night is caused by side effects of various medications, you can consult your doctor or medical professional and ask him to change the medicines. There will be several alternative medications that will cause no side effects or fewer side effects. Although these medications are kind of more expensive than the ones with side effects.
- Arthritis can also cause tingling of feet at night. This is because you may get a pinched nerve while working if you have arthritis. Or you may get a pinched nerve when you are working out in the gym. Out of stress even, you can get a pinched nerve. All of these circumstances can lead to arthritis.
If this happens, you should consult with a physical examiner as soon as possible for the prevention of feet tingling at night. The physical examiner or the muscle doctor can suggest various remedies that can deal with the prevention of feet tingling at night. Such as:
- Physical therapy
- Loss in weight
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Narcotic medicines
- Muscle relaxants
- There is a medical condition which is known as “Spinal Stenosis” which causes the tingling of feet at night. Spinal stenosis is caused when the spinal canal gets narrowed. This, in turn, puts pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves of the spine. This finally causes numbing, and later a tingling sensation on the feet at night. What are the possible treatments for spinal stenosis? Let us see below:
- Therapy (Physical)
- Steroid shots
- Medications (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs)
- Needle procedure for thickened ligaments
- Surgery (the best type of surgery in this case is laminectomy)
- Feet tingling at night can also be caused due to hypothyroidism. This is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. It is a very common syndrome and it is caused by more than ten million people per year. How to diagnose hypothyroidism? Well, first get two types of blood tests done. TSH test and T4 test. Also, there are a few other symptoms of hypothyroidism which include:
- Tingling of feet at night
- Unexplained body weight gain
- Fatigue and lethargy
- cold sensitivity
- constipation
- dry skin
How to get cured of hypothyroidism? Well, get checked up by a medical practitioner and take the thyroid hormone medicine Levothyroxine (Levo-T, Synthroid, etc.) every day.
- Tingling or numbing of feet can also be caused due to multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system damages the protective covering of the nerves. This results in disruption of communication between the brain and the body, therefore causing tingling of feet at night. How to diagnose? Well, you have to make a series of blood tests, vision tests, hearing and facial sensations, etc. Once you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, you can go through several treatments such as:
- Physiotherapy and acupuncture
- Chemotherapy
- Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs and steroid
- Counselling
- Physical exercises as recommended by the doctor
- A person suffering from Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome may be getting sensations and feet tingling at night. The spectrum of this syndrome is quite broad and uncommon. It causes the ankles and feet to swell up and nerves to compress. The diagnosis is quite simple. The examiner examines the ankle and performs X-rays on MRIs on it. Let us see what are treatments that can be performed on a person suffering from Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome:
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Steroid shots
- Orthotic devices such as braces, splints, etc.
- Surgical operation (Tarsal Tunnel Release)
- Sciatica or sciatic neuritis is a syndrome that causes pain to radiate along the sciatic nerve, which runs down one or both legs from the lower back. Some of the symptoms of sciatica are numbing of feet and hands, tingling of feet at night, and pain in the back, buttocks, or hips. Let us see the treatment of sciatica:
- Ice packs
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Physical exercises
- Chiropractic treatment
- Acupuncture
- Epidural steroid injection
Is Feet Tingling a Serious Issue?
Do not worry if suddenly at night your feet start to tingle. It is a very natural phenomenon and it is caused when our feet are in the same position for a long time. When this happens, try to massage your feet and toes. After a minute or so, the tingling (pins and needles sensation) ceases and leaves. But, if your feet are tingling for a longer time, this can be a sign of underlying diseases such as diabetes or hypothyroidism. Overall, you should not make a big issue out of it if your feet are tingling at night because it is kept in a certain position for a long period.
Conclusive Insights
We would like to conclude by saying that by now you know the answer to the most asked question: how to stop feet tingling at night. Keep in mind that when feet tingling happens at night, do not stress. All you need to do is, massage your toes and feet for a little bit and the pins and needles sensation will cease away quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1.(a) Q What does feet tingle at night mean?
Ans) When we keep our feet at a certain position for a long time, they become numb at first and later cause a pins and needles sensation, which is termed as tinkling.
2. (b) Q How do I get my feet to stop tingling?
Ans) When feet tingling takes place try to massage your feet and toes. After a minute or so, the tingling (pins and needles sensation) ceases and leaves.
3. (c) Q Can tingling feet be cured?
Ans) Yes.
