Numbness in the ring finger when waking up

Dear Ask The Doctor: For the past two weeks, every morning when I wake up, the ring finger and middle finger on my left hand have been really numb. After about an hour, the sensation disappears, except the top joint on the ring finger. I went rock climbing three months ago, and everything was fine. I'm also careful not to overexert at the office or the gym. Is this worth getting checked out, or is it something common that will go away? The only stuff I've seen online is either for the elderly or for pregnant women, and the finger isn't swollen. I've never had fractures, arthritis, CTS or dislocations. Please advise.

Dear Tobias: Possibly during the sleep you are pressing the elbow and this is causing a compression on the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve is an extension of the medial cord of the brachial plexus. This is a mixed nerve that supplies innervation to muscles in the forearm and hand and provides sensation over the medial half of the middle, fourth and the entire fifth digit of the hand, the ulnar part of the palm, and the ulnar portion of the posterior aspect of the hand. Occupational therapy and work hardening programs are beneficial. Therapists may use and design splints to restrict the range of joint motion and cushions to ameliorate the effects of pressure. Use of a night splint is a common occupational or physical therapy technique that aims to limit the flexion and extension of the elbow at night. Therapists also use nerve gliding, sliding, or tensioning exercises which seek to promote smoother movements of the nerve within the ulnar tunnel and to reduce causes of physical nerve compression. Typically, nerves regenerate at a rate of 1 mm/day.