Why am I tingly all over?

[Jess Watkins]

Last night as I was just about to go to sleep, I noticed these "pins and needles" feelings all throughout my body; my toes, hands, arms, stomach, sides of torso, and even my head. It also made me "itch" too. It was really scary. It made it hard to go to sleep because I started to wonder why it was happening. I did some stretches two nights ago and pulled some muscles...maybe that is why I'm tingly? I don't know what to do...has anyone had this before? I also noticed this morning my breathing felt "rapid", like my lungs were trying to inhale deeply. It was awful. :(

[Joe.]

If I am really anxious I get pins and needles. Pretty common, and harmless.
Take care

[1Bluerose68]

Tis good to be aware of your body, but perhaps let the Dr do the wondering and detective work with lab tests and other types of body assessments. Then if you get a clearance you may still wonder, but maybe not as anxiously if dr says there is nothing wrong?

[Ritch]

If I think about pins and needles.... I get them, the same applies to everything else you have just described. The symptoms can be quite unsettling if you have never experienced these symptoms before, however they can be symptoms of anxiety and are more common than you think. If they persist and continue to trouble you perhaps a visit to your doctor would be worthwhile for their medical opinion. But my guess would be somatization.

[RealisticTrain]

Last night as I was just about to go to sleep, I noticed these "pins and needles" feelings all throughout my body; my toes, hands, arms, stomach, sides of torso, and even my head. It also made me "itch" too. It was really scary. It made it hard to go to sleep because I started to wonder why it was happening. I did some stretches two nights ago and pulled some muscles...maybe that is why I'm tingly? I don't know what to do...has anyone had this before? I also noticed this morning my breathing felt "rapid", like my lungs were trying to inhale deeply. It was awful. :(

Pins and needles might be indicators or nerve damage. Have you suffered any trauma lately, or are you diabetic?
- Dr. Dan

[Ritch]

They are also very common symptoms of anxiety/somatization. Perhaps suggesting that she see her own doctor would be more helpful than speculating she may have nerve damage as they could investigate which we can't, I am not trying to attack you here Dan but your comments to me at least would only pour more fuel on my bonfire.

[PanicCured]

I can't say why you specifically have the pins and needles, but if one hyperventilates or overbreathe, the release of too much CO2 will cause this. The release of too much CO2 will cause less oxygen to be released to your nerves, organs and brain and the nerves can get overstimulated and you will feel numbness or tingly. If you want to try you can hyperventilate for a minute and you will see you will get tingly and your anxiety will go up. Probably best to not do that though and just trust that hyperventilation causes that. Breathing is a delicate balance and if you overdo it you are releasing too much carbon dioxide. Breathing should match your metabolism so you breathe more naturally in exercise and less when at rest. But that fearful overbreathing is detrimental to anxiety. Research Dr. Buteyko's breathing techniques and research for more information.

[willheal]

Hey Jess, Just popped in to say "same" about the pins and needles. I've been getting this a lot recently, especially in my hands and feet. I get it more when I panic (sometimes it is from hyperventilating, oftentimes I'm not breathing unusually though). I was also recently diagnosed with a pinched nerve, but the pain comes on with other anxiety symptoms as well.

The feeling of not getting enough air is called air hunger. I get that less often, my girlfriend gets it a lot though along with the tingling. We've been through countless tests and hospitalizations in the past. We always end up going home with a clean bill of health but there are the rare times we're called histrionic, fakers, etc by hospital staff and doctors. Obviously it's not faking if you really feel that way. Anyway here's a list of the common anxiety symptoms:

http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?1200-Anxiety-Symptoms-The-List

You'll find the breathing thing and tingling on that list, and probably a few others you can identify with. If they're usually clustered together in episodes, you're probably having an anxiety attack. I bookmarked that link because it proves to be invaluable whenever I'm getting a new symptom I never had before--happens about once a month and it sucks.

Don't get worked up about it, and doubling down on what Ritch said. You can speculate about possible medical causes, but just take it from someone who's suffered from over a decade--anxiety can easily cause those sensations. If you're here, I'm guessing you already know that deep down.

Hope you feel better soon.

[PanicCured]

I am pretty sure the "air hunger" comes form overbreathing. It did for me at least. I assume others as well. For me it was my body trying to limit my breathing because I was releasing too much CO2. It was the body's attempt to bring you to balance.