# "sleepy" hand, How? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059 "2003-05-18T15:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/1 "2003-05-18T15:31:01Z")
What causes that tingly “sleepy” affect on a body part that you have slept on? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/2 "2003-05-18T15:39:59Z")
Loss of blood circulation. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/3 "2003-05-18T15:53:09Z")
No, actually, it’s the compression of nerves that do it. I tried to do a Google search put apparently can’t put the right word combination in, because I keep coming up with Carpal Tunnel sites. Which is related, but not exactly proof that my answer is the correct one. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/4 "2003-05-18T16:24:29Z")
Well, there is something on [this](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_086a.html) obscure website. > [@](#): > > The numbness you’re talking about is called _neurapraxia_, and it usually occurs when some major nerve gets compressed between a bone and some other hard object, such as a table or another bone. Nerves that are particularly vulnerable to this include the ulnar nerve, which runs through the funny-bone channel in your elbow, and the peroneal nerve, which runs through a similar channel at the top of the fibula near the knee. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/5 "2003-05-18T16:34:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number \* > \*\* obscure website. \*\* 😃 Thanks, **Number!** ---
**Author:** ![friggae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/45deac/32.png) [@friggae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friggae)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/6 "2003-05-18T16:36:04Z")
[From HowStuffWorks.](http://science.howstuffworks.com/question552.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/7 "2003-05-18T17:20:47Z")
Well, I was aout to post, “Live and learn.” But then I read **friggae** ’s link and saw that circulation is indeed part of the cause. Still, the nerve compression is the major part, apparently. Live and learn. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/8 "2003-05-18T17:48:20Z")
I’ve waken up a couple of times where my complete arm is dead. Where I actually have to move my body to get it to move, you’d think I was doing a Jim Carey Impression with rubbers arms. Am I like going to lose my arm someday? Because this has happened a couple of times with no ill effects, it just comes back to life and it works just fine. I’ve got new sleeping positions, but I don’t know what I’m doing when in ‘REM’, ya know? For my complete arm to go dead, it must be hours on end that the nerves aren’t fuctioning. That worries me. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleepy-hand-how/176059/9 "2003-05-19T00:25:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ParentalAdvisory \* > \*\*I’ve waken up a couple of times where my complete arm is dead. Where I actually have to move my body to get it to move, you’d think I was doing a Jim Carey Impression with rubbers arms. Am I like going to lose my arm someday? Because this has happened a couple of times with no ill effects, it just comes back to life and it works just fine. I’ve got new sleeping positions, but I don’t know what I’m doing when in ‘REM’, ya know? For my complete arm to go dead, it must be hours on end that the nerves aren’t fuctioning. That worries me. \*\* Had the same thing happen to me and nearly scared myself to death. After shutting my arm off by sleeping on it, I rolled over onto my back and my arm fell across my face. THAT woke me up, as my only thought was that someone was in bed with me…there wasn’t when I went to sleep…I ran my ‘live’ hand over the surface of the arm I couldn’t feel, determined that it wasn’t mine, and I grabbed it’s hand and threw it away from me…jumped up, switched on the light and searched for the sombitch who molested me in my sleep. Sheesh, gotta stop the frahetas at night.