How long can you let your arm or leg go to sleep before they are damaged?!
Question:
How long can you let your arm or leg go to sleep before they are damaged?
Additional Details
12 hours ago
I was just curious. If I fell asleep on my arm or something odd and it didn't get circulation if it's possible that I could wake up with a withered arm.
Answers:
Circulation shouldn't be cut off to a limb for much longer than a few minutes. After that, the body tissue starts to suffer from lack of oxygen. Limbs will appear pale and cold to the touch. The cells need oxygen, and without it they start to build up acidic wastes. After as little as four hours without oxygen, the effected limb will literally die, turning black and withering. If left attached, this dead limb will likely result in a serious or fatal infection; thus amputation is often the only remedy once things have gone this far.