What's Really Happening When Your Hands and Feet Fall Asleep

What's Really Happening When Your Hands and Feet Fall Asleep



You know that feeling when after sitting cross-legged for awhile, your foot feels totally foreign to you? Not only does it feel super tingly and uncomfortable, but poking and prodding doesn’t really seem to make a difference. Same thing happens when you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed for too long and that pins-and-needles sensation suddenly creeps through your hand.

It’s one of those things that makes you wonder: WTF is wrong!? Luckily, it’s likely nothing. The medical term for what’s happening is paresthesia, and it’s what occurs when there’s sustained pressure placed on a nerve, causing a burning or prickling sensation that goes away soon after it’s relieved, says Lisa Ashe, D.O., a board certified internal medicine physician based in Alexandria, Virginia. Here’s what you need to know.