Cold Hands and Cold Feet During Sleep

Cold hands and feet are a frequent complaint in patients. The typical way patients attempt to treat it is an extra blanket, electric blankets, heated mattress covers or of a pair of socks. There is an easy cure for most patients that is inexpensive and extremely effective. The use of a heating pad placed on the stomach will overheat the bodies core and the bodies attempt to regulate temperature will cause vasodilation in the limbs. In simple English the body uses the arms, legs and head as radiators to disperse heat from the core. I have had patients who have spent years dealing with cold feet tell me they now kick off blankets becuase their feet ore too hot.

I have had diabetics who had ulcers and sores on their feet that would not heal tell me they finally healed after this little trick.

I have had patients with chronic leg pain and restless legs tell me that thos gradually eliminated the pain. I have heard similar stories from patients with carpal tunnel syndrome whose syptoms just disappear.

Why can such a simple treatment have such remarkable effects? When hands and feet are cold due to reduced blood flow every cell is partially deprived of oxygen and nutrition that the reduced blood flow no longer delivers. In addition there a decrease in the removal of toxic metabolic wastes in the tissues. The answer is that the body is designed to heal.

The above healing effect is similar into how headaches and muscle pain are relieved with Neuromuscular Dentistry (http://www.sleepandhealth.com/neuromuscular-dentistry) due in part to increased vascular flow to the muscles.

Sleep and Headache Related

An article, Sleep and headache: a bidirectional relationship" in Expert Rev Neurother. 2010 Jan;10(1):105-17 discusses the connections between sleep and headache. The perception of both is similar and controllled by the Thalamus, Hypothalamus and Brainstem. The evidence, according to the article is "there is clinical evidence indicating that sleep disorders can precede the appearance of certain headaches and that head pain" this is well known among patients with slep apnea who frequently have morning headaches. A common cause of headache pain is TMJ disorders or non-physiologic neuromuscular function of the jaw, jaw joints (TMJ), jaw muscles and trigeminal nervous system. The study also stated that "that head pain, especially when frequent, can, in turn, affect sleep quality".

It turns out that the two primary causes of morning headaches are TMJ disorders and Sleep Apnea. The NHLBI actually considers sleep apnea to be a TMJ disorder. The report "Cardiovascular and Sleep Related Cosequences of Temporomandibular Disorders" explains the connections in detail at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/tmj_wksp.pdf.

The authors hope to " In the present work the anatomy, physiology and pathology of sleep and head-pain perception will be reviewed with the aim of highlighting the points of contact and possible unifying treatment strategies." This is exactly what is done both by the NHLBI and on this website. Sleep and Headache are connected by the neuromuscular function of the masticatory system and the trigeminal nervous system.