It is very common to feel a sense of numbness in certain parts of the body such as the fingers or toes. The fact that they play a major role in our daily life, being an important part of most of the activities we perform, make it quite an inconvenience to experience a sensation of numbness. The most common cause of numbness in any part of the body is inadequate circulation of blood to that area. Activities that apply significant amount of pressure on a particular region of the body for prolonged periods of time like sleeping or sitting can prevent the blood from flowing easily through the nerves. Another, more serious and permanent, cause for the condition could be nerve damage. All sensation is carried up to the brain by nerve cells and neurons that run from various parts of the body toward the spinal cord in a set of bundles called nerves. Paresthesias is said to occur when there is a disturbance in the function of neurons within the sensory pathway. The disturbance can occur at any point in the entire central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system or the nerve roots attached to the spinal cord. One very common type of parathesias is Ischemia where the blood supply to the nerve has been almost completely shut off. This normally occurs as a result of the artery being compressed as it passes through a tightly flexed joint. Actions such as sleeping with your arms above your head or sitting with your legs crossed tight are likely to cause this. Numbness also starts to get more frequent as a person continues to age.
With regards to your toes being numb, you may even want to try a different type of footwear to allow better blood circulation around your feet. Considering that you have to stand for long periods of time, the pressure caused by this as well as uncomfortably tight footwear could accelerate the problem and a constant lack of blood flow to these tissues could result in the death of the cells in your toes. Any treatment for the condition will start with maximizing your blood flow throughout your body. Make sure you get regular exercise such as running or swimming. Smoking is known to increase the likelihood of numbness, and impairs blood circulation. You should also visit your local physician to identify if the problem is purely a symptom of a more serious underlying condition.