Unfold your hands, child, you sleep like a peasant.

April 1, 2013 10:11 AM

I have dyshidrotic eczema on my right middle finger hich seems to be exacerbated by my habit of sleeping with my hands between my knees/lower thighs. Gloves would only add to the heat and moisture. Short of tying my hands to the bed, how can I keep myself from drifting into that position while unconscious?
posted by juniper to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Can you keep your hand under your pillow?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:17 AM on April 1, 2013

Put a pillow between your legs.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:21 AM on April 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Gloves will not necessarily add to the moisture problem. They can wick moisture away from your hand if you get the right fabric. PJ's can paradoxically make you less sweaty than sleeping in the buff because they can keep flesh from resting directly against flesh. You might also be putting your hands between your legs because you hands get cold. Don't rule gloves out until you have tried them.
posted by srboisvert at 10:30 AM on April 1, 2013

How about taping ball bearings to the adjacent area of your sleepwear?
posted by brujita at 12:01 PM on April 1, 2013

Best answer: I would suggest using your prescription ointment/cream (and if you don't have some, see a doctor) by slathering it on under cotton gloves before you go to bed. If this is definitely causing problems (it didn't in my experience), you could slather on the cream and wear the gloves during the day while the cream soaks in. If you think that sleeping this way is causing infections from the vesicles to pass back and forth across different points of skin contact, try a bleach bath (google or ask your dermatologiast/nurse for instructions) to clear up these infections.
posted by cushie at 12:31 PM on April 1, 2013

Fellow sufferer here. Cushie said what I came to say. Here are some cotton gloves .
posted by gudrun at 12:41 PM on April 1, 2013

Best answer: What about wearing a really big, clunky wristwatch, or rings, or some sort of poky things on your hands or wrists that wouldn't feel good all night between your knees?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:55 PM on April 1, 2013

If you do go with wearing stuff on your wrists or hands, be careful what kind of material it is made of. I found out I'm sensitive to nickel, which can exacerbate my eczema. Nickel is actually a component of a lot of metals used in jewelry, watches, etc..
posted by gudrun at 12:37 AM on April 2, 2013