Is it bad when your arm falls asleep?

Not to worry. It’s called a parathesia and it’s from nerve impingement. If it happens spontaneously in the middle of the day, call a doctor.

Depends on what you’re doing I suppose eg: Driving = BAD, Watching TV = Not so!
Seriously though I’d go get it checked out it could be bad circulation or something detrimental to your health!

How are you sleeping? Don’t sleep with your arms above your head. There is a web of nerves that runs under your collarbone that feeds all of the muscles to your arm and hand called the brachial plexus. When you crush the compartment it runs through it results in a loss of sensation to that arm and hand.. This is slightly similar to a carpal tunnel injury. Anyways, if you continue to sleep with your arms above your head you can really damage the nerves or the compartment. thank you anatomy

My husband used to sleep on his arms, & they would be numb when he woke up. I guess he must have trained himself not to sleep that way anymore as it hasn’t happened for a long time. He didn’t have any lasting problem from it, but it certainly was a nuisance.

@sevenfourteen I often sleep with my arms sticking out at a 90 degree angle and then bent at the elbow so my forearms go upward. Does that count as above my head? Also how often does it have to occur to cause damage?

I don’t think its a problem but it does always scare me when I have absolutely no feeling from my shoulder to fingers…its such an odd sensation!

I hate to be the one to mention it, but there can be benefits.

Probably nothing to worry about. If you want to check how you’re sleeping in the middle of the night, set an alarm for an odd hour and check when it wakes you up.

4½ years ago, after taking a nap on my right side, I woke up with my right arm and right leg numb. It stayed numb and when I woke up the next morning it was paralyzed. It still is. If the numbness hasn’t worn off in 20 minutes, you might be having a stroke.

it is not that bad as long as that does not happen to you while operating a chainsaw… maybe you just need a new mattress… :D

I have only had numbness in my entire arm maybe 3 or 4 times this year so it’s not a really common occurrence but…

@jaketheripper yes, anything where your upper arm (humerus) is above your collar bone would do it. You can experiment to see if that is infact the problem some night while you’re lying in bed. It should only take about 20 minutes or so for your entire arm to go numb, and for the blood flow to be interrupted.

3–12-10 I just found the answer to your and my problem on line at www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm Now I have to go to the doctor to see how we are going to fix it. The web site tells about the symtoms, causes, diagnoses, treatments, and prevention.