# Limbs Falling Asleep turning Gangrene? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984 "2003-07-21T19:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KumquatsForAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c4cdca/32.png) [@KumquatsForAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KumquatsForAll)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/1 "2003-07-21T19:25:07Z")
Hey, I was wondering… I’ve fallen asleep on my arms or twisted my legs under my body before and woken up in the middle of the night with my limbs feeling like a heavy bratwurst sausage. Luckily, I wake up, so I jst shake my arm crazily until I get feeling back into it. The question I have is… If someone were a really deep sleeper (or really drunk and passed out) could they conceivably fall asleep on their arms and then their arm loses blood and gets gangrenous? That would really suck if it were true, but is it? ``` :smack: ``` ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/2 "2003-07-21T19:56:40Z")
As I recall, limbs fall asleep because a nerve is pinched, not because their blood supply is cut off. Thus, no risk of gangrene. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/3 "2003-07-21T19:59:24Z")
A limb ‘falling asleep’ still has blood flowing through it, the numbness you feel is from a nerve being pinched. Fall asleep drunk that way and you will do damage, though I doubt if gangrene would set in. There was a guitarist a number of years back (for some reason Tom Petty comes to mind) who did just that (fell asleep drunk on his arm), I beleive he had quite a bit of recovering to do. (No cite, sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/4 "2003-07-21T20:00:09Z")
**Alereon** is right. The blood supply to the limb is not cut off (if it were, your arm would not only be numb, but it would be **COLD** and blue. ---
**Author:** ![KumquatsForAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c4cdca/32.png) [@KumquatsForAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KumquatsForAll)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/5 "2003-07-21T20:07:14Z")
Ok, I feel like an idiot… but at least I know now. So it could still do some damage if the nerve stayed pinched long enough… ---
**Author:** ![PiscesPrincess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@PiscesPrincess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PiscesPrincess)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/6 "2003-07-21T20:26:08Z")
Although I don’t have much info, I thought I’d add this: 8 or so years ago, I remember reading in People magazine an article about a man who fell asleep/passed out drunk on his couch. His arm had to be amputated because his weight was on it for such a long period of time. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbs-falling-asleep-turning-gangrene/189984/7 "2003-07-21T21:44:14Z")
No amputation, but I know a woman who fell asleep on her arm to the point where she pinched a nerve and it took 6 months before it felt right again. She didn’t mention drinking so I have no idea if it was that.