• Question: Why do you have pins and needles?

    Asked by Fiya to Ajay, Kate, Kuntal, Pip, Reka on 16 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 16 Nov 2016:

      This is because when a part of your body goes numb it does so because you are applying pressure to the nerves and blood vessels in the affected area.

      When you do this, your nerves are unable to transmit their messages, and your blood can’t flow properly – like when you pinch a garden hose with water flowing through it. This confuses your brain as it doesn’t receive any signals from your nerves, and the nerves themselves get starved because of the lack of blood.

      When the pressure is removed, blood can circulate again and your nerves ‘wake up’, transmitting a lot of messages.

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