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Why do my feet fall asleep? |
by Kate Simmons >> more about the author
The prickly feeling we get when a body part falls asleep is very helpful to our bodies. It lets us know that it’s time to change positions, which restores blood flow to the area and gets the body part moving again!
You've been sitting on your feet with your legs crossed. After a bit of time, you start to notice that you can’t feel your feet—it’s as if they’ve fallen asleep! When you try and wiggle them, you notice a strong sensation, a prickly feeling like little pins are tickling and poking your feet.
Paresthesia is another word for that numb, tingly feeling we experience when a body part "falls asleep." When we sit or rest in a way that puts pressure on a part of our body, we not only put pressure on the arm, leg or hand. We also put pressure on the blood vessels and nerves inside!
This pressure can temporarily close off the blood vessels, which keeps blood from circulating to the area and giving your tissue and cells important nutrients like oxygen—nutrients that help your body parts function. The pressure also interrupts the normal flow of messages sent from our brain to the nerves in our body parts, which makes feeling and moving these body parts difficult!
The prickly feeling we get when a body part falls asleep is very helpful to our bodies. It lets us know that it’s time to change positions, which restores blood flow to the area and gets the body part moving again!
