eli5 Why does it hurt so much to move a body part that fell asleep
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[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresthesia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresthesia)
It’s called Paresthesia. It happens sometimes when one of your body parts has its blood flow cut off, and the object pressing on it happens to push hard into a nerve. The nerve gets irritated and you feel a bit of pain.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresthesia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresthesia)
It’s called Paresthesia. It happens sometimes when one of your body parts has its blood flow cut off, and the object pressing on it happens to push hard into a nerve. The nerve gets irritated and you feel a bit of pain.
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If you ever wake up with a completely numb arm it’s important you don’t move until you can feel it again. Trying to use a limb you literally can’t feel or control puts you only one wrong move away from breaking it. No one wants to start the morning by snapping their arm or popping an elbow. Ruins the rest of the day.
Same goes for trying to walk on a dead foot you’ve sat on. I’ve know broken ankles from simply trying to stand on a dead foot.
If you ever wake up with a completely numb arm it’s important you don’t move until you can feel it again. Trying to use a limb you literally can’t feel or control puts you only one wrong move away from breaking it. No one wants to start the morning by snapping their arm or popping an elbow. Ruins the rest of the day.
Same goes for trying to walk on a dead foot you’ve sat on. I’ve know broken ankles from simply trying to stand on a dead foot.
It hurts for a similar reason amputees have phantom pain. The brain is attempting to send a signal through the nerves of the numbed area. If the brain is sending signals but not receiving any back, it’s not going to stop sending signals, it’s going to amplify them and send stronger signals. In turn, that amplifies whatever sensation the numbed area (and direct area around it) can feel.
It hurts for a similar reason amputees have phantom pain. The brain is attempting to send a signal through the nerves of the numbed area. If the brain is sending signals but not receiving any back, it’s not going to stop sending signals, it’s going to amplify them and send stronger signals. In turn, that amplifies whatever sensation the numbed area (and direct area around it) can feel.
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