{"id":26753,"date":"2021-09-13T01:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T01:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=26753"},"modified":"2021-09-14T12:39:12","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T12:39:12","slug":"what-happens-when-your-foot-falls-asleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-happens-when-your-foot-falls-asleep\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens when your foot falls asleep?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zachary Gillen<\/a>, Mississippi State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Curious Kids<\/a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you\u2019d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What happens when your foot falls asleep? \u2013 Helen E., age 8, Somerville, Massachusetts<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Imagine you\u2019ve just sat down to watch your favorite TV show. You decide to snuggle in with your legs crisscrossed because you find it more comfortable that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the episode ends, you try to stand up and suddenly your right foot isn\u2019t working. At first you just can\u2019t move it, then it feels like it has pins and needles all over it. For a minute or two it feels uncomfortable and weird, but soon enough you are able to stand up and walk around normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What just happened?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m an exercise physiologist<\/a> \u2013 a scientist who studies what happens to our bodies when we move and exercise. The goal of much of my research has been to understand how the brain talks to and controls the different parts of our bodies. When your foot falls asleep, there is something wrong with the communication between your brain and the muscles in that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time you decide to move your body, whether it\u2019s standing up, walking around or playing sports, your brain sends signals to your muscles to make sure they move correctly. When the brain is unable to talk with a muscle or groups of muscles, some weird things can happen \u2013 including that part of your body getting that weird falling-asleep sensation. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L6w0_j6mWbo?wmode=transparent&start=0 An animation explains how the nervous system works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It usually starts with a sense of numbness or tingling in that area. This sensation, which people often also call \u201cpins and needles,\u201d is technically known as paresthesia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people mistakenly think a lack of blood flow causes this feeling. They imagine the \u201casleep\u201d feeling happens when your blood, which carries nutrients all over your body, is unable to get to your foot. But that\u2019s not right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your foot falls asleep, it\u2019s actually because the nerves that connect the brain to the foot<\/a> are getting squished thanks to the position you\u2019re sitting in. Remember, it\u2019s these nerves that carry messages back and forth to let your brain and your foot communicate with each other. If the nerves have been compressed for a little while, you won\u2019t have much feeling in your foot because it can\u2019t get its normal messages through to your brain about how it feels or if it\u2019s moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you start to move around again, the pressure on the nerves is released. They \u201cwake up\u201d and you\u2019ll start to notice a \u201cpins and needles\u201d feeling. Don\u2019t worry, that feeling will only last for a few minutes and then everything will feel normal again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now comes the important question: Is this dangerous? Most of the time, when your foot, or any other body part, falls asleep, it is temporary and nothing to worry about. In fact, since it lasts for only a minute or two, you may not even remember it happened by the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it\u2019s not causing any permanent damage, you might still want to avoid the uncomfortable feeling that comes when your foot falls asleep. Here are a couple of tips that may help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n