Why do I wake up with swollen fingers?

Hello Catherine M

Thank you for writing!

You can wake up with swollen lots of things! I often wake up with swollen eyelids and they return to normal once I am up and about. Swelling at night or while napping is often due to a simple reason - lying down and lack of movement. Circulation is slower and fluid retention can occur. Circulation remains in a state of inertia if there is no movement.

Blood flow changes in the lying down or sitting position especially for long periods of time like sleeping. This is why we're encouraged to get up and move about if working on a computer a lot or when on flights longer than a couple of hours.

If you sleep on your hands, swelling can happen, or with any kind of restriction.

Another reason may be a high salt diet. Make sure you have a healthy salt intake and drink plenty of fresh water during the day.

One more serious possible cause is an autoimmune condition like RA (rheumatoid arthritis). While we cannot diagnose anything for you - only provide a guide - RA can cause swelling, especially in the morning. Is this swelling painful? Are your fingers also stiff? While those with RA can become more flexible during the day, it's worth checking this out with your doctor. Better to be safe than sorry!

In the meantime, massage your fingers every morning when you wake up and do flexing exercises. A good stretch of the entire body is also great to get circulation going again.

Let us know if you have further questions or concerns.

Best,
Susan