# Medical term for a limb falling asleep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736 "2005-04-04T22:45:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/1 "2005-04-04T22:45:30Z")
Anyone know what’s that called? Lately my arms fall asleep alot, particularly at night and, being the neurotic that I am, I wanted to Google it and see what kind of horrible diseases I could obsess about having. :rolleyes: (I’m almost 90% sure I _don’t_ have a horrible disease…) ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/2 "2005-04-04T23:29:14Z")
It’s pretty obscure (i.e., doesn’t show up in most dictionaries) but “[obdormition](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=obdormition)” might be the word your looking for. > [@](#): > > **ob·dor·mi·tion** > n. > > Numbness of an extremity due to pressure on the sensory nerve. > > Source: The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/3 "2005-04-04T23:37:50Z")
I’m on my PDA so I’m not gonna try to do all the coding for links- Google for “Paresthesias”. It’s probably nothing more than a pinched nerve. My left leg goes to sleep whenever my cat sits on my lap because I tend to shift my weight to one side so she doesn’t slide off. This causes a nerve to get pinched in the buttcheek region. If you really need a disease to worry about, I think diabetics get the same sensation in their limbs, but I don’t know what it means to them. IANAD. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/4 "2005-04-05T15:09:52Z")
Cool, I think “Paresthesias” is the term I’m looking for. Hey, look! I could have neurotoxic shellfish poisoning! (BTW, in case anyone is worried about self-diagnosing, I actually have an appointment with a hand and arm specialist for another chronic condition and I’m going to ask him about this…) ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/5 "2005-04-05T15:46:05Z")
[The Master Speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_086a.html) ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/6 "2005-04-05T16:00:46Z")
> [@Flander](#): > > [The Master Speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_086a.html) Hmmmm, I googled “neuropraxia” and look what I [found](http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/1696). Somebody’s been plagarizing… ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/7 "2005-04-05T20:50:25Z")
Release the hounds! ---
**Author:** ![Daddy\_Hubbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Daddy\_Hubbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daddy_Hubbs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/8 "2012-10-09T08:09:01Z")
Try this link. Should answer your question. > **[Obdormition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdormition)** > > This medical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Obdormition (/ˌɒbdɔːrˈmɪʃən/; from Latin obdormire "to fall asleep") is a medical term describing numbness in a limb, often caused by constant pressure on nerves or lack of movement. This is colloquially referred to as the limb "going to sleep" and is usually followed by paresthesia, colloquially called "pins and needles". > This medical symptom article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-term-for-a-limb-falling-asleep/297736/9 "2012-10-09T10:02:37Z")
> [@Daddy\_Hubbs](#): > > Try this link. Should answer your question. > > [Obdormition - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obdormition) Answer the question? The linked page is almost content free except that it gives the definition of the term (which had already been provided by **chukhung** ’ Stedman’s link). By the way, not that I am the final arbiter, or even representative of most docs, but I can’t recall hearing anyone use the term “obdormition” in over 30 years. On the other hand, [paresthesia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresthesia) and [dysesthesia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysesthesia) are basically everyday terms (and are what would be used to describe what the OP refers to as “falling asleep”).