Neurologist Questions Neurologist

Why does nerve pain get worse at night?

I am a 37 year old female. I want to know why does nerve pain get worse at night?

5 Answers

The real answer most subscribe to is that during the day, the other sensory inputs overwhelm your processing centers so the neuropathy gets lost or overtaken by the rest is your sensory inputs. Then, at night, those other inputs go away so you appreciate the nerve pain more. During the day, the pain is still there but you don’t notice it as much. Much like trying to listen to a single clock in a room full of clocks, with some being much louder than others.
Hope this helps.


Good question. I am not sure I have an answer for you. But your are right many of my patients with nerve conditions report worsening symptoms at bedtime.
Neuropathic pain really does not get that much worse, you are just not doing anything and it feels worse. If the pain is caused by a bulging disc, then using the disc during the day causes inflammation and pain worse at night.
Most patients notice pain at night because other distractions are gone and the only active input received by the brain is in the form of pain from the body's sensory nerves.

There is no medical evidence that gives us the answer to that question. We just don't know. However, I think it is because a person is lying in bed with nothing to distract their mind from their nerve pain.

Hope it helps!!

Dr. Bose