Why does my 10 yr ds wake most nights with numb hands or feet?

[TeaTime]

My ds is 10 and is mildly autistic so doesn't realise that I can't feel what he feels. Recently he has been waking nearly every night complaining of numb hands or numb feet. He thinks I can cure it (why he calls for me) not realising that only he can do the shaking / moving / change of position to get the feeling back. At first I thought is was a one off, that he'd slept on his side or something. However now he complains of numb hands in the day as well and has numb feet at night too. I've search all the threads for numbness in children but all the discussion seems to be for numbness in pregnancy or in adults generally. Dh is making an appointment to see GP but I know there is so much knowledge here on MN that I wondered if anyone had any ideas?

Could be B12 / Folate deficiency. This is very common in kids with ASD.

www.livestrong.com/article/281488-symptoms-of-vitamin-b12-folate-deficiency/

Thanks CandC, I'll look in to that. However ds is hyposensitive and as such will eat anything - he has a very varied diet and is not vegetarian. However I'm aware of the possible link between diet and autism (currently reading about the GAPS diet) so open minded. Maybe should ask the GP to do a thorough blood test to check for any deficiencies?

No trapped nerves? Maybe a trip to a chiropractor or osteopath??

Getting a blood test is a good idea.

There are lots of reasons why he might not be absorbing B12 and Folate despite eating a varied diet.

Does he have any hypermobility? Elbows or something?

Does he have any bowel problems? Constipation? Diarrhoea? Bloating?

I often wake up with dead hands (since I was a kid) I have put it down to a combination of 2 things the first is I have low blood pressure, and the second I find myself waking up with my arms wrapped around myself so tight (sorry not sure how to describe) that I have cut my circulation off.