“Why does nerve pain get worse at night?”

It depends on the source of the pain. If it is a pinched nerve, often nerves are more significantly pinched at night due to fluid shifts in the body. Also, most pain is worse at night when most other distractions of life go quiet for a while.

Harrison Solomon, M.D.

I assume when you are referring to "nerve pain," you are referring to carpal tunnel syndrome. At night, patients with carpal tunnel syndrome note increased numbness and tingling in their fingers. The reason is that most of us sleep with our wrist and fingers in a flexed position for prolonged periods of time. This results in increased pressure on the nerve, thus increasing numbness and tingling at night. This is the reason we recommend patients with carpal tunnel syndrome wear a carpal tunnel splint at night to keep the wrist straight. This can decrease the pressure on the nerve and decrease symptoms.