I repair wood pallets for 12 hours, its hard work. But when I sleep at night my arms fall asleep?
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I used to work in a sawmill that made wood pallets. I had a similar complaint with my arms. I found I was allergic to the chemicals in the wood treatment. I had some improvement by soaking my arms in warm soapy water for ten minutes each night and then drying them thoroughly. I hope you don't have a similar problem to mine.
Sounds like your nerves are being pinched. I'd use ice/heat packs to maybe reduce some inflammation in your shoulders.
Are you overweight? Do you wear a pajama shirt (or other shirt) that is too small, or that binds at points and stops the flow of blood?
Try using just a soft tee shirt or undershirt (whatever it is, if it has sleeves, pull any bunched material smooth before trying to sleep). Try no shirt.
Try sleeping on your side with your arm for a pillow, whether you use a pillow in addition or not. Try different positions and clothing arrangements. Try sleeping on your back with your hands up by your ears (the tops of your forearms resting on the mattress), unless you think snoring is going to keep you awake or get you divorced.
It absolutely sounds like a pinched nerve to me. You probably will have to see a doc to get some muscle relaxers if you work that much, because you won't have time to be still and let it relax on its own. You can try to alternate heat and ice, 20 min each every couple of hours and try to lay down "straight" and get all of the weight away from your neck. Put an pillow under it. Hope this helps.
Pain and prolonged numbness are warning signs of nerve compression possibly in the cervical spine area. Not treating the cause of the compression can result in permanent damage with pain, numbness and even weakness in the affected extremities. Please go to the doctor and get this checked out to be sure you're not causing some irreversible damage to yourself.
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