# Help me, I think my arms might fall off! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422 "2002-05-16T18:44:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mancunian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mancunian/32/12244_2.png) [@mancunian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mancunian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/1 "2002-05-16T18:44:18Z")
Last night I woke up twice with a completely numb arm. Not because I’ve got bad circulation, but because I was sleeping in a funny position. Anyway, what I wanna know is, if I hadn’t woke up when I did, what would’ve happened to my arms with the circulation cut off for so long? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/2 "2002-05-16T19:13:28Z")
It would have rotted off before you woke up. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/3 "2002-05-16T19:19:53Z")
This happens to me routinely. Both arms are still intact. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/4 "2002-05-16T20:41:24Z")
Isn’t limb numbness caused by a pinched nerve, not by cutting off your circulation? Your arm wasn’t cold and white, was it? In any case, doing it routinely or for extended periods can’t be good for you, can it? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/5 "2002-05-16T20:46:57Z")
You could be pinching a nerve in your neck with a poor pillow. Your arms aren’t going to fall off, but you ARE asking for more pain than you are really required to suffer in life. Try a different pillow. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/6 "2002-05-17T00:24:31Z")
Happens to me invariably if I end up lying face down with my arms down my sides. Both arms completely dead. I either: A) Get Lady Chance to turn me over B) Flop around like a fish until an arm falls off the edge of the bed then hangs there until I get control back. Either way it’s painful to experience. But it’s been happening for 20 years. Still got both arms. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/7 "2002-05-17T00:50:09Z")
It’s probably not relevant to sleeping at home, but you might want to read about [economy-class syndrome](http://www.stanfordhospital.com/newsEvents/stanfordPublications/healthTips/2001/economyClass.html). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/8 "2002-05-17T00:52:33Z")
You would have woken up armless in a bathtub filled with ice with “CALL 911 OR YOU WILL DIE… OH WAIT, YOU HAVE NO ARMS, NEVER MIND” written on the bathroom mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Racer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Racer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Racer1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/9 "2002-05-17T09:45:55Z")
This reminds me of a bedtime incident I suffered about two weeks ago. Basically, I must have been sleeping on my arm, and when I changed position in my sleep my other hand fell and rested on my “dead” hand. Rudely shocked from my slumber as I felt “someone else’s hand” on my leg, I leapt dozily from the bed and proceeded to smack my head hard against the door. As I woke up to my senses there on the floor, I was left with a numb arm, a big red mark on my forehead, and a severely bruised pride. I would suggest, therefore, that numb limbs can certainly cause you harm. ---
**Author:** ![Balor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Balor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/10 "2002-05-17T09:56:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kamandi \* > \*\*Isn’t limb numbness caused by a pinched nerve, not by cutting off your circulation? Your arm wasn’t cold and white, was it? \*\* My sister, who is a consultant physician in a hospital, indicates that this is probably the correct diagnosis. In most situations of this kind your arm is not dying from lack of blood. However, if someone has applied a tourniquet while you slept, or you are seriously into bondage, I suggest you loosen the ties until the feeling comes back. (In the case of bondage, beg your master/mistress to loosen the ties. A dead slave is not much use.) Seriously, if the numbness does not go away, seek medical help soonest, as this can be a symptom of something serious like a stoke. ---
**Author:** ![Balor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Balor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/11 "2002-05-17T09:57:44Z")
Stroke, not stoke. ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Burnt\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Toast)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/12 "2002-05-17T11:15:29Z")
Yeah, there probably isn’t anything to worry about. It seems 'armless. _ducks and runs_ 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/13 "2002-05-17T11:19:31Z")
You better stop sleeping funny. See how long it takes me to type this with the pencil in my mouth? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/14 "2002-05-17T14:53:45Z")
Slight hijack, but it always seemed to me like it would be fairly easy to really injure yourself when you’re in this kind of situation. For instance, your arm is numb, you roll off the bed, and your arm just crumples under you. Which seems like it would be quite bad. Anyone hear of this happening? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-i-think-my-arms-might-fall-off/109422/15 "2002-05-17T15:18:40Z")
No, but I know someone who has twisted his ankle when his foot/leg fell asleep and he tried to stand up and start walking.