Which symptom set is associated with nocturnal paresthesias that may wake the patient?

• A. Arm cyanosis
• B. Occipital headaches
• C. Nocturnal paresthesias that wake patient
• D. Cold intolerance

Answer: (C)

Nocturnal paresthesias that wake the patient point to a nerve irritative or compressive process that becomes noticeable during sleep. When you’re recumbent, posture and reduced movement can aggravate nerve compression or traction, leading to numbness, tingling, or a sense of pins and needles that rouses you from sleep. This pattern is a hallmark of neuropathic involvement—such as nerve entrapment or cervical nerve root irritation—rather than vascular symptoms like arm cyanosis, or non-neurologic patterns such as occipital headaches or cold intolerance. Therefore, the statement that specifically describes nocturnal paresthesias waking the patient best fits the concept of a neurogenic symptom pattern that emerges at night.