Sometimes I wake up with slightly swollen hands. What could be causing this?

Poor circulation and blood pooling in the extremities (something you notice much more in your fingers than in your toes), as a result of your blood pressure getting much lower as you sleep. I often have that myself. Unless your hands swell to the point that rings are cutting into your flesh, or your skin is going a funny color, then it is not dangerous.

Sodium, and not enough water.

Yep, it could be possible that you're waking up dehydrated. Similar thing happens to me after vigorous exercise--the joints in my fingers swell up because I'm dehydrated. Be sure to drink plenty of water but no later than 1-2 hours before bedtime [otherwise you may find having yourself to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom ;)]

I think it has something to do with water retention. I say this because I have always had this problem (hands and face only) and when I was put on blood pressure meds which also contained a diuretic, the problem ceased. Since which time I lost 52 pounds and was taken off the meds as now my bp is normal and my hands and face swell in the morning again. I have yet to address this with my doctor and see if the two are related. I think they are.

Too much sodium in your diet, too hot when you wake up.

diet, or kidney ailure

i too wake up almost every morning with swollen hands mainly just my hands and sometimes my face. i have had high blood pressure since i had my last baby which was about 11 months ago and my blood pressure has been like between 130-160 over 90-100 and i havent taken any blood pressure medicines yet but one night i woke up with my heart feeling like it was fluttering and i checked my bp and it was 184/102 at that time and about 5 minutes later it went back to normal which was 128/90. so i dont know i keep trying not to get scared about myself thinking somethings going to happen.

i wake up almost every morning with swollen fingers . sometimes my face as well... when i increase my water intake i notice swelling decreasing ...if i increase water intake a little more the swelling goes away... but, i have a problem drinking lots of water, as it tends to make me sick at my tummy...so, i drink water off and on all day slowing down my soda intake and coffee.....hope this helps....

I have the issue where my hands swell during my sleep. I wake up and withing 5 minutes it is like my circulation is back and my hands return to normal. I have Chronic Kidney disease so I have had tests done with my Kidney doctor and nothing. He claims it is not my kidney doing this either. I have 1 remaining Kidney functioning at 48%. I used to smoke until a week ago and have noticed my hands are not swelling as much. My theory is that I was getting bad circulation from the smoking and now that I have quit possibly in a few months this swelling will too. Do you smoke?? Please get your Kidneys checked. I come from a family with no Kidney issues. All my life I have had high protein come up in my urines and Doctors dismissed Kidney problems due to the fact it does not run in my family. If you smoke Please try to quit. Thanks Denney

(Lord help my to quit smoking for just another day)

I am a bartender and work 3 nights in a row 7-8 hrs each night. After the first night of working I wake up with no swelling but after the 2nd night of working there is slight swelling in my hands and face but not my feet and after 3 nights in a row of work I wake up to very swollen hands and a noticably swollen face plus my hands feel very painful and stiff. My doctor just said arthtitis or joint pain from overuse of the hands, (i'm 35) but that did not explain the swelling in my face which she just blew off like it was nothing. All my bloodwork and my blood pressure was fine. Anyone else who experiences anything like this?

Too much sodium intake causing fluid retention ...cut out the salt and keep an eye on sodium content in your foods.Also, drink lots of water it will help the body flush out the sodium.

I'm a nurse and I myself wake up frequently with swollen hands sometimes making it difficult & painful to close them. Its possible my feet and ankles are slightly swollen as well but not enough to be painful. I agree that BP lowering as you sleep as well as increased sodium intake are most likely the contributing factors however, you should still consult your primary care physician to rule out any cardiac concerns. I drink quite a few sodas during the day but also naturally have a low BP. Im going to decrease my sodium intake for a week then re-evaluate. I will let you know what the outcome is.

MY hands have been killing me for about a week now....weak, swollen, pain up my arms, can't even pick up my baby....I do not know what is going on...it feels like I am 99 with arthritis...I am only 32

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maybe you are punching the walls in your sleep

i came on this because iam worried about my mother. She too has face,hands and ankle swelling in the night. she had been suffering with 'heavy periods and needing the toilet often and also the welling' for about 2 years and she finally went to the doctor 3 months ago. They tested her for everything! blood test, liver scan,womb scan, she even had a camera put up her vagina. All the results came out fine but they did discover Polips but the doctor said it was fine she now has medicine to take when on her period. The doctor never helped her about the face and hands swelling though. Me and her spoke today and she said how its happening every morning so i decided to go on this to check out if anyone else is suffering the same and turns out they are! she had seriods injected into her foot 3 years ago which made her gain weigh? she also has a low BP and has had all her life? and today she did admit she dosnt drink much water only cofee, she works a 10 hour shift each day and dosnt excersize regularly? COULD THIS BE THE PROBLEM! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!

i came on here because i was worried about my mother. Lately she wasnt feeling well and went to the doctors due to ' needing the toilet alot, heavy menstrual cycle and ankles,face,and hands swelling) the doctors ran so many tests, she had a blue test, a urine test, a liver scan, she had a camera put up her vagina and all the results came out fine, they did find something called Polips but they said its nothing to worry about. But they never tested her about the hands and face swelling this was left a mysterie until me and her had a chat about it today so i decided to search it on google and this has helped alot! she realised that she dosnt drink nowhere near enough water and seems to be having the same symptoms as everyone else, she also has low BP but has had it all her life but has only suffered face and hand and ankle swelling for about a year. she also had steriods injected into her foot because she couldnt walk well the steroids made her gain weigh but she hopes thats what causing this?:/ has someone got any help?
worried daughter!

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Wat should I do

I also have the same issue, both my hands are swollen in the morning and also painful, I was told i have arthritis, however i am going for blood work this morning , to rule out other issues that could be causing it, I suggest you go speak to your doctor about this, to make sure nothing else is going on.

If the swelling is there in your hands for a long time you should check if there is also swelling on your face and feet.

Is there any swelling at these places also , see a physician immedicately . Even if not, get BP checked.

Check your ankles. are they also swollen? could be a heart condition or it could mean you ate a lot of salt before going to bed. if salt was the problem, cut back. if you suspicion a heart condition, see your medical doctor asap. a prescribed water pill will help eliminate the extra fluids on your body and thus reduce the swelling in your hands. hope salt is the only culprit.

I sure hope you're not performing any kind autoerotic activities before you go to bed. Make sure you wash your hands before breakfast.

I share this issue and it is not likely one thing, for instance im 26 male and do manual labor on cars with my hands and am very hard on my body......my sister is a cardio surgeon and told me this is due most likely to dehydration but can also be low BP, or in my case I thought it might be both but my family history suggests otherwise being we have no history of bp issues or heart problems, mine has beeen diagnosed as early stages of arthritis. The only way to know is how fast the swelling goes away and if its painful swelling. If it is dehydration the extremities will return to normal in minutes of waking up, if an hour or so goes by than more likely arthritis , try soaking the hands in hot water for a couple of minutes and if that aleviates the swelling then its arthritis.....but if there only swollen for a couple minutes when you wake up then stop stressing about it your fine you beet on your hands all day its only natural they swell....