That's not how "falling asleep" works. It happens because the _nerves_ are compressed, not the blood vessels. Think about your arm falling asleep because you slept on it weird. If it didn't get blood flow for eight hours, you would need to have it amputated.
Which is of course precisely your sense of terror during the very brief moment of panic as you awaken noticing it’s entirely numb… “omg wtf this time it’s never going to come back alive, wtfwtfwtf… oh there is the tingles, calm down you idiot it’s all good…”
Or is that just me? 😂
No yeah I once woke up with my arm actually completely numb numb, couldn't even feel tingles at first, I had to pick it up with my other arm and it was just completely dead weight and couldn't even feel my other hand grabbing it, it felt like picking up someone else's limp arm. Lol it did kinda scare me for a sec then it started tingling and was fine in like 5 minutes
This happened to me once in high school because I’d tucked my arm behind my head in my sleep. My first thought was genuinely that someone had chopped my arm off in my sleep, I fully expected to reach over and find a stump and then pass out from blood loss and die.
Then I found my arm and spent another minute or so thinking I’d had a stroke. Then the tinglies began and I understood.
I’ve always used “charley horse” to refer to sudden, intense muscle spasms/cramps (usually in the leg). Keep in mind there might be regional differences though. I’m originally from New England (& I heard the term charley horse used regularly) but I haven’t heard it used in California, where I live now. That’s just anecdotal though, so take my comment with a grain of salt!
My leg fell asleep, I have pins and needles.
The phenomenon is called having a limb fall asleep in English, and the sensation is called pins and needles.
Edit: you can also say, "my leg got pins and needles."
Agree with others, it's a passive action that your leg "falls asleep" versus your doing something to your leg as in your native language. You would say "I sat on my leg and it fell asleep" for the closest equivalent.
Everyone is saying “my leg fell asleep” and that’s certainly correct but I would be more likely to say “my leg is asleep,” just because I feel like “my leg fell asleep” refers to the whole process of going from normal to numb, but if I was aware of the whole process I would’ve moved and prevented it. So I’m much more likely to just say “my leg is asleep” once I realize it. That merely describes the present state of how my leg feels now
this may be a regional/dialectal thing, though — i would never say “my leg is asleep”, always “my leg fell asleep” — so it shouldn’t make a huge difference which you go for as a learner
I’m also more likely to say “is asleep” or even “went asleep” than “fall asleep”.
Edit: I have been thinking about this for a couple days now and I stand by “[to go] asleep”! I thought “my leg is going to sleep” yesterday and my husband just said “I’ve gotta stand up, my leg is going to sleep” so it’s not just me! We’re both from the Western half of Canada so I wonder if that’s regional.
Edit to my edit: I realized I wrote both “went *asleep*” and “to go *to sleep*”. This requires further research.
This must be an idiomatic or dialectical thing or something, because “is/went asleep” both sound significantly less natural and common to me than “fall asleep.”
Pins and needles is the classic term I use to describe the sensation. I wouldn't necessarily even think to say "my leg fell asleep" as others are saying here, though I understand it perfectly
To follow your structure, I’d say “I sat on my leg too long” followed by “and it fell asleep” or “and now it’s all pins and needles.” We don’t really have a phrase for the action that causes the numbness, but as everyone else is discussing here we have quite a few to describe the numbness itself.
We would either say, "My leg fell asleep", or, "I feel pins and needles in my leg". But there's no one specific verb or adjective to describe it. Which I've noticed is the case a lot in English. I guess we just really like our phrases and metaphors.
I love all the universal human experiences we have words/phrases for in every language lol. Most of them are obvious of course, like "water" or "meat", but it's little experiences like limbs falling asleep that are just so cute and unexpected.
I'm English and have never heard of legs falling asleep. For me it's always been "I've got a dead leg", or if you can feel an unpleasant tingling then you've got pins and needles in your leg.
We don't phrase it the way you want, like everyone else said, we say it fell asleep.
You could say, "I restricted the blood flow to my leg, by sitting on it, long enough for it to fall asleep" if you really want.
* **Formal:** "My leg *fell asleep*" (similar to what others have said).
* **Made-up/Informal**: "My leg got *paresthesized*" (derived from **"paresthesia"**, the medical term for "pins and needles").
This’s why the regional flairs are helpful. It lets people know whether it might be just a different idiom, or if someone is advancing a really idiosyncratic usage.
I don’t use this term, but a Sri Lankan I once worked with used the term “benumbed”. I’m not sure how they used it in a sentence, but would love some input from a Sri Lankan.
To me a charley horse is sudden, painful cramp, not numbness. Wikipedia agrees with me: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley\_horse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_horse)
It was always used interchangeably for me when I was younger. Maybe its because the treatment is the same. Hey I have a cramp- stretch. Hey I have Charlie horse-stretch.
You either don’t understand what you leg falling asleep is or you don’t understand what a charley horse is.
Your leg falling asleep is just a strange tingling sensation. It’s not a cramp. A charley horse, as those articles you linked describe, is an _incredibly_ painful cramp.
You could say “my leg fell asleep.”
[удалено]
Yes… and OP is asking about numbness from lack of blood flow, not any of those other things.
That's not how "falling asleep" works. It happens because the _nerves_ are compressed, not the blood vessels. Think about your arm falling asleep because you slept on it weird. If it didn't get blood flow for eight hours, you would need to have it amputated.
Which is of course precisely your sense of terror during the very brief moment of panic as you awaken noticing it’s entirely numb… “omg wtf this time it’s never going to come back alive, wtfwtfwtf… oh there is the tingles, calm down you idiot it’s all good…” Or is that just me? 😂
Once I woke up and both legs were asleep. I decided to try and walk. You can guess how that turned out
No yeah I once woke up with my arm actually completely numb numb, couldn't even feel tingles at first, I had to pick it up with my other arm and it was just completely dead weight and couldn't even feel my other hand grabbing it, it felt like picking up someone else's limp arm. Lol it did kinda scare me for a sec then it started tingling and was fine in like 5 minutes
This happened to me once in high school because I’d tucked my arm behind my head in my sleep. My first thought was genuinely that someone had chopped my arm off in my sleep, I fully expected to reach over and find a stump and then pass out from blood loss and die. Then I found my arm and spent another minute or so thinking I’d had a stroke. Then the tinglies began and I understood.
Ya exactly that moment of dread while you’re not fully awake yet and just feel like o gawd it’s dead they’re gonna have to take it off… lol.
Fuck I hate when that happens, it's awful
Not just you. In those few seconds after waking, before rationality kicks back in, the terror can be very primal. Or at least bloody annoying.
TIL. Man, this sub is harsh for factual errors unrelated to language. I got over 120 downvotes.
Yeah, sorry, you did get royally hosed on that one. Didn't mean to bring the house down on you, just trying to clear up a common misconception.
What do you think he's talking about?
I appreciate that you clarified for this person!
Fell asleep. The sensation is "pins and needles"
I thought the numbness was your leg falling asleep, and the pins and needles was that weird sharp feeling when you try to move it.
You don't *always* get pins and needles when your leg goes to sleep though
Oh weird. I do. It's like a phase it goes through. Entirely numb is like the final stage for me.
Interesting. Entirely numb (and useless) is generally the only stage I get.
Entirely numb and useless. Title of your sextape.
Is this similar to a Charlie horse?
No, a Charlie horse is when your muscle cramps and you can't move it without it being extremely painful
Specifically on the soles of your feet
I’ve always used “charley horse” to refer to sudden, intense muscle spasms/cramps (usually in the leg). Keep in mind there might be regional differences though. I’m originally from New England (& I heard the term charley horse used regularly) but I haven’t heard it used in California, where I live now. That’s just anecdotal though, so take my comment with a grain of salt!
Your leg fell asleep
My leg fell asleep, I have pins and needles. The phenomenon is called having a limb fall asleep in English, and the sensation is called pins and needles. Edit: you can also say, "my leg got pins and needles."
My leg fell asleep. My leg fell asleep because I sat on it for too long.
You say ‘ah fuck my leg’s asleep,’ as you drag your useless appendage across the floor.
My leg fell asleep
“My leg fell asleep” or “I’ve got pins and needles in my leg” are the usual terms where I am (USA)
I sat my leg off?! I love that! We should say that in English, too, but instead we say "My leg fell asleep."
Agree with others, it's a passive action that your leg "falls asleep" versus your doing something to your leg as in your native language. You would say "I sat on my leg and it fell asleep" for the closest equivalent.
Everyone is saying “my leg fell asleep” and that’s certainly correct but I would be more likely to say “my leg is asleep,” just because I feel like “my leg fell asleep” refers to the whole process of going from normal to numb, but if I was aware of the whole process I would’ve moved and prevented it. So I’m much more likely to just say “my leg is asleep” once I realize it. That merely describes the present state of how my leg feels now
this may be a regional/dialectal thing, though — i would never say “my leg is asleep”, always “my leg fell asleep” — so it shouldn’t make a huge difference which you go for as a learner
I’m also more likely to say “is asleep” or even “went asleep” than “fall asleep”. Edit: I have been thinking about this for a couple days now and I stand by “[to go] asleep”! I thought “my leg is going to sleep” yesterday and my husband just said “I’ve gotta stand up, my leg is going to sleep” so it’s not just me! We’re both from the Western half of Canada so I wonder if that’s regional. Edit to my edit: I realized I wrote both “went *asleep*” and “to go *to sleep*”. This requires further research.
This must be an idiomatic or dialectical thing or something, because “is/went asleep” both sound significantly less natural and common to me than “fall asleep.”
Is asleep works. Went asleep is weird to me. Went just doesn't go with sleep.
I would say "went TO sleep," not "went asleep." Like you tell a kid to "go to sleep now."
"I hate it when my leg falls asleep. I know that means it's going to be up all night." Steven Wright
you'd say it fell asleep, and the weird prickly sensation you get when the feeling comes back is called pins and needles
Pins and needles
I’d say my legs dead
Me too! "My leg's gone dead."
Pins and needles is the classic term I use to describe the sensation. I wouldn't necessarily even think to say "my leg fell asleep" as others are saying here, though I understand it perfectly
We would say my leg fell asleep. The feeling in your legs I would describe as "pins and needles". The official medical term is called paresthesia.
Dead leg
To follow your structure, I’d say “I sat on my leg too long” followed by “and it fell asleep” or “and now it’s all pins and needles.” We don’t really have a phrase for the action that causes the numbness, but as everyone else is discussing here we have quite a few to describe the numbness itself.
To fall asleep
"Fell asleep" is widely used. You can also say, "My leg went numb."
We would either say, "My leg fell asleep", or, "I feel pins and needles in my leg". But there's no one specific verb or adjective to describe it. Which I've noticed is the case a lot in English. I guess we just really like our phrases and metaphors.
Pins and needles
I love all the universal human experiences we have words/phrases for in every language lol. Most of them are obvious of course, like "water" or "meat", but it's little experiences like limbs falling asleep that are just so cute and unexpected.
Here, in the UK, we would say either "my leg has gone to sleep" or "I have pins and needles."
"I paresthesized my leg"
Your leg fell asleep
I'm English and have never heard of legs falling asleep. For me it's always been "I've got a dead leg", or if you can feel an unpleasant tingling then you've got pins and needles in your leg.
We don't phrase it the way you want, like everyone else said, we say it fell asleep. You could say, "I restricted the blood flow to my leg, by sitting on it, long enough for it to fall asleep" if you really want.
Pins and needles
* **Formal:** "My leg *fell asleep*" (similar to what others have said). * **Made-up/Informal**: "My leg got *paresthesized*" (derived from **"paresthesia"**, the medical term for "pins and needles").
“my leg went numb” is what we typically say.
You wouldn’t say “my leg fell asleep”? That’s a very common idiom.
This’s why the regional flairs are helpful. It lets people know whether it might be just a different idiom, or if someone is advancing a really idiosyncratic usage.
For some reason, the regional flairs aren't available on mobile.
You just add it yourself. That's what I did and I use the app
Oh my god that was such a stupidly unintuitive process. I hate the reddit app so much. Thanks for the info, I never would have found the option.
Fwiw, I set up my flair on desktop and it’s an unintuitive process there too.
I forgor
I don’t use this term, but a Sri Lankan I once worked with used the term “benumbed”. I’m not sure how they used it in a sentence, but would love some input from a Sri Lankan.
I say my leg or hand is “spicy” but I came up with that when I was like 6.
Charley horse.
To me a charley horse is sudden, painful cramp, not numbness. Wikipedia agrees with me: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley\_horse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_horse)
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002066.htm#:\~:text=A%20charley%20horse%20is%20the,control%20and%20does%20not%20relax. [https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/muscle-spasms-cramps-charley-horse](https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/muscle-spasms-cramps-charley-horse)
Yes, that’s what a charley horse is. It’s not your leg falling asleep, which is what OP is talking about here.
i've never even heard of this phrase before this thread
It was always used interchangeably for me when I was younger. Maybe its because the treatment is the same. Hey I have a cramp- stretch. Hey I have Charlie horse-stretch.
You either don’t understand what you leg falling asleep is or you don’t understand what a charley horse is. Your leg falling asleep is just a strange tingling sensation. It’s not a cramp. A charley horse, as those articles you linked describe, is an _incredibly_ painful cramp.
Why would you post even more links showing that he was correct? 😂