Summer in the Lowcountry:

All day long, life in Bluffton and Hilton Head has a way of keeping people busy. There are errands to run, grandkids to chase, beach plans to make, golf stories to exaggerate, and at least one person insisting they can handle this heat better than everybody else.

During the day, people are distracted. They are working, walking, talking, driving, shopping, answering texts, and doing everything else life throws at them. Then nighttime shows up. The house gets quiet. The feet hit the recliner. The bedcovers go on. And suddenly those same feet that were merely “annoying” all day start acting like they have a personal grudge.

It is a little like having a smoke detector with a low battery. During the day, you may not notice it because life is loud. At night, when everything else is quiet, that little chirp suddenly feels like it is the only sound in the universe.

That is one reason peripheral neuropathy can be so frustrating. Many people notice the burning, tingling, prickling, or zinging sensations more at night. Neuropathic pain is often worse at night, and common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include numbness, tingling, burning pain, and even pain from the lightest touch, such as bedcovers. So why does this happen?

Part of it is simple: when the world quiets down, the nerves in your body get the microphone. During the day, your brain is busy paying attention to everything else. At night, there are fewer distractions, so abnormal nerve signals become harder to ignore. Damaged nerves can misfire and send pain or “warning” messages even when nothing harmful is happening.

Another reason is that neuropathy is not always just pain. Sometimes it is hypersensitivity. That means things that should not bother you- suddenly do. A bedsheet touching the feet can feel irritating, hot, sharp, or downright rude. Mayo Clinic specifically notes that with neuropathy, even the weight of a bed sheet can be painful for some people.

There is also the fact that neuropathy often starts quietly. It may begin as a little tingling, a little numbness, or a burning sensation that mostly shows up at night. Easy to ignore at first. Easy to blame on “circulation,” “age,” “sleeping funny,” or that one cousin who swears everybody’s feet burn after 50. But symptoms that are worse at night are a recognized pattern in peripheral neuropathy, especially diabetic neuropathy.

That is why patients say things like:

“I am mostly okay during the day, but at night my feet burn.”

“The tingling gets worse when I lie down.”

“It feels like my legs get restless the second I get in bed.”

Or my personal favorite: “The whole house is quiet, but my feet are throwing a party.”

A funny image. Not a funny problem. And here is the bigger point: burning and tingling are not random. They are signs that nerves may be irritated or damaged and not sending normal signals anymore. Burning feet are often a sign of peripheral neuropathy, and numbness or altered feeling can go right along with it.

Summer in the Lowcountry is too good to spend awake at 2 a.m. arguing with your toes. If you suffer with numbness, tingling, or burning—or if your feet feel like they are walking on marshmallows—your body may be trying to tell you something. It may be time to get evaluated for peripheral neuropathy. Start early, before a small problem turns into a bigger one.

Dr. Kenneth Horup, DC is a Chiropractic Physician at Discover Specific Chiropractic, Certified in Neuropathy.