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Tips for enjoying holiday meals. A conversation about reducing the harms of social media. Menopause and memory: Know the facts. How to get your child to put away toys. Is a common pain reliever safe during pregnancy? Can vaping help you quit smoking? Harvard Health Blog Hands or feet asleep? What to do. When the bell rang, she jumped up and her leg felt funny. It was asleep! If this has happened to you, you know that for a short while you might have lost feeling in your foot, it might have felt heavy, or you might have felt "pins and needles.
Many people say this is because you've cut off the blood supply to your foot, but your nerves are more to blame. Nerves are like tiny threads or wires that run through your whole body, and they carry messages back and forth between your brain and body. If you can, take off your shoes altogether. Compression stockings may also help boost blood flow. Do yoga poses that boost blood circulation. These include:. Use a warm compress to:. Choosing a sitting or standing position can be a constant challenge, but there are things you can do to prevent your foot from falling asleep in the first place.
Pay attention to your body and learn to become aware of any sensations that arise. As soon as you notice the pins and needles sensation creeping in, change your position or get up and walk around.
This may be a challenge if you work in an office job , do some type of seated work for a creative job, or sit on the floor while working with young children. For example, alternate between sitting on a cushion at a low table, seated on a ball or chair at a desk, and using a standing desk.
This happens as the result of abnormal nerve function, which is usually the effect of sitting on your foot or holding your foot in a certain position for an extended period. Sitting on your foot can compress or squash nerves in your foot. You may also experience temporary paresthesia when you have your feet in an elevated position, such as legs-up-the-wall pose. But there are a few reasons your sleepy foot may be a cause for concern, in which case you may need to see your doctor :.
If you experience a sleepy foot often, it may indicate an underlying medical condition known as peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral nerve diseases like type 2 diabetes can result in peripheral neuropathy that often first affects nerves in your feet and hands. While temporary paresthesia is the sensation of numbness or tingling, peripheral neuropathy is related to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which are found outside of the brain and spinal cord.
Avoid sitting on your feet or putting them in positions that cause them to fall asleep. Learn to become aware of sensations in your body so you can nip a sleeping foot in the bud.
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