Why does my foot fall asleep?

Have you ever sat in the same position and felt that your legs have almost gone numb? Well don’t worry, it’s totally normal and you’re not the only one. This is because our foot fell asleep after sitting for a long time. This sentence seems so out of the world but foot falling asleep does not actually mean the sleeping of foot.

• Instead, it means that the nerves carrying signals to the brain has been stopped from that area or those nerves got compressed and got still for some time. Once we move, the pressure is slowly relieved and soon, our legs go back to feeling completely normal. Foot falling asleep is a very normal condition experienced by almost all human beings.
• The medical term for legs falling asleep is “paresthesia”.
• This can happen often depending on your sitting habits.
• Sitting in the same position for a long time can lead to Paresthesia.
• During Paresthesia we can feel numbness, burning sensation, pin needles, tingling sensation, etc. While sitting in the same position for a long time can compress any of the nerve present in that area. This compression leads us to Paresthesia.
• Once the compressed nerve is back to normal, the nerves will restart their work and the sensation of paresthesia will end

Well, if you are thinking about what you can do to avoid Paresthesia, there are few methods that can be applied to be safe from paresthesia.

• Changing of position often. This prevents compression of nerves and reduces the chances of paresthesia.
• Trying not to sit with crossed legs.

Fun Facts:

1. A foot massage can be used for waking up the sleeping foot.
2. Paresthesia can also be caused by some medicines.
3. Paresthesia is not limited to the foot. It can be on legs, arms, hands and feet as well as on some other body parts.

Additional Questions:

1. What is paresthesia?
2. Are the effects of paresthesia permanent?
3. Enlist the different reasons why we experience paresthesia.

True or False:

1. Paresthesia is a very serious condition.
2. Foot falling asleep means Paresthesia.
3. Mitochondria are responsible for carrying a message from different parts of the body to the brain.
4. By sitting in the same position for a long time, paresthesia can be avoided.
5. Pins and needles sensation is due to foot falling asleep.

Objective Quiz:

1. The medical term for foot falling asleep is ______.
   1. Paresthesia.
   2. Hydrocephalus.
   3. Ascites.
   4. All of the above.
2. Foot falling asleep is very _________ condition.
   1. Normal.
   2. Serious.
   3. Dangerous.
   4. None of the above.
3. ________ is not the effect of Paresthesia.
   1. Pins and needles.
   2. Tingling sensation.
   3. Occular sensation.
   4. Burning sensation.
4. Sitting on the same position can get you ________.
   1. Paresthesia.
   2. High blood pressure.
   3. Migraine.
   4. Stomach pain.
5. When we sit in the same place for a long time, nerves carrying signal gets ________.
   1. Compressed.
   2. Released.
   3. Broken.
   4. All of the above.