Why do My Arms go to Sleep When I Reach Over My Head?

by Adam Brown  BScPT, MClScPT
updated Nov 13, 2024

So you decided to paint the ceiling or change a lightbulb and had to stop because your arms were tingling. This can be a worrying symptom for people but rest assured, it’s quite common and it doesn’t mean that something terrible is happening. It may however be a clue that your posture and mobility could use a little work.

When you reach over your head the nerves that emerge from your neck and travel into your arms (your brachial plexus) are required to glide through the tissues of your shoulders and arms. Like all of the muscles, fascia and ligaments in our body, if your daily activity does not require them to be flexible they will begin to stiffen up. This stiffness can result in increased traction forces on the nerves when you reach overhead. It is this tension that creates tingling. You will notice that the tingling recovers shortly after returning your arms to a normal resting posture.

How can I stop my arms from tingling when I reach overhead?

You have heard the old adage “use it or lose it”. This problem typically develops in individuals who spend long periods of time doing desk work and do not make an effort to ensure they engage in a wide variety of activities utilizing the full range of motion of their joints.

The simplest answer is to fix that problem. If you add activities that require more overhead movement (think shoulder press, or downward dog) your body will slowly adapt to the new demand and the tingling will often go away.

For those with more significant stiffness, they may need to begin some more focused exercises to improve thoracic spine mobility, shoulder and shoulder blade mobility. A quick visit to your favorite Physiotherapist will provide a targeted plan to ensure success with a program that takes 5 min/day or less.

If however you are getting tingling in your arms that is not only related to reaching overhead, does not recover quickly, or progresses to include pain it can be an indicator of a neck injury. See your Physiotherapist as soon as possible for a complete evaluation to discover the cause.

About the author

Adam Brown

Co-founder, Physiotherapist Learn More about Adam Brown