We've all been there, you use the toilet, try to stand up, and suddenly your legs go numb. That odd pins-and-needles feeling can be surprising and uncomfortable. Though it might feel like a small inconvenience, it does have a scientific explanation. The numbness, also called transient paresthesia, happens when pressure blocks blood flow or presses on nerves in your lower extremities. It is normally harmless, but frequent occurrences can be signs of underlying health issues or poor toilet habits that must be addressed.

That weird numbness you experience after going to the bathroom is typically just a temporary annoyance, most often due to bad posture, straining, or sitting for an extended period. But if the numbness continues or gets worse, it is important to get medical guidance to make sure there are no underlying health issues. We discovered the top three reasons that could be responsible for this tingling and how can you avoid it? Let's dissect.

3 Reasons Your Legs Go Numb on the Toilet

1. You’re Straining Too Much

Struggling to push during a bowel movement can put excessive pressure on your abdomen and spine. This increased pressure can shift spinal discs, pressing against nerves that extend into your legs and feet. The result? A temporary loss of sensation, tingling, or weakness in your lower limbs.

Straining usually results from constipation, which in turn can be caused by a low-fiber diet, dehydration, or inactivity. If you notice that you're straining frequently, perhaps it's time to change your eating and drinking habits to help move your bowels more easily.

2. Inadequate Sitting Posture

The way you sit on the toilet can also be a cause of that numbness in your legs. Most people are prone to hunching over when they are using their phones, reading, or just focusing too intensely. But this position can compress nerves and blood vessels in your pelvis, causing tingling or numbness.

When you sit slumped forward, you cut off blood supply to the lower half of your body, compressing nerves that travel from your pelvis to your toes. That's why the numbness will often radiate past your thighs and into your toes.

3. Sitting for Too Long

The more time you spend sitting on the toilet, the higher your chance of getting numb legs. Protracted sitting continually puts pressure on the nerves within your lower limbs, slowing blood flow and leaving you with the familiar pins-and-needles feeling.

If you habitually stay on the toilet for a long time, either from digestive problems or distractions such as browsing your phone, you may find that there is more numbness over the course of time. If constipation is leaving you on the toilet longer than normal, diet changes can calm your system.

How to Stop Your Legs from Falling Asleep on the Toilet

Although periodic tingling is not a health issue, recurring numbness is a problem that needs to be addressed. Below are some professional-recommended ways of preventing it:

1. Proper Posture

Being seated with your knees higher than your hips can make all the difference. Sitting this way enables your colon to unwind, facilitating smooth bowel movements while minimizing pressure on the lower parts of your body.

Don't slouch, as this squishes nerves and blood vessels, making numbness more likely. If necessary, lean your back against the toilet tank or wall to keep your posture good.

2. Don't Spend Too Long on the Toilet

Specialists recommend five to ten minutes of toilet time per visit. If you are straining, stand up, walk around, and try later. Forcing the bowel movement can cause more damage than benefit, putting greater pressure on your spine and worsening numbness.

If constipation is a chronic problem, being hydrated and consuming fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can get your digestive system back in working order.

3. Use a Toilet Stool

Raising your feet using a toilet stool may position your body for a more natural and strain-free bowel movement. A squatting position keeps the rectal canal open, minimizing the need to push and reducing the risk of leg numbness.

4. Try a Padded Toilet Seat

Hard toilet seats can restrict circulation in your lower body, increasing the risk of numbness. A cushioned or padded toilet seat can provide better support, improving blood flow to the legs and feet while reducing pressure on the pelvis.

When to Seek Medical Advice

While it's normal to have some numbness in your legs from time to time when sitting on the toilet, ongoing tingling or numbness in your lower extremities may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition. If you find yourself experiencing:

• Bathroom-use-independent frequent numbness
• Muscle weakness
• Pain or discomfort in legs or lower back
• Loss of bladder or bowel control

It's best to see a healthcare expert to exclude conditions such as nerve compression, circulatory disorder, or spinal condition.

A two-year-old boy from Bristol, UK has died from a rare heart disease, known to mostly affect children with only flu-like symptoms, on January 8.

Hudson Martin had been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was seven months old and was placed on lifelong medication including aspirin and blood thinners to reduce the risk of clots. Since then, he had been living a normal and happy life, according to father Damien Martin.

He told Bristol Live: "You’d never know anything was wrong from pictures or videos. He bounced off everything. He loved climbing, dancing, music, he was a proper daredevil."

But days before his third birthday, he suddenly collapsed while playing at home. Despite being given CPR by paramedics for an hour, his heart did not restart and he passed away.

“They did absolutely everything they could,” Damien said. "His heart just wouldn't come back."

What Is Kawasaki Disease?

Also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, Kawasaki disease causes inflammation in the walls of small to medium-sized blood vessels that carry blood throughout the body which can damage to the heart and blood vessels, mostly in children younger than five years old.

When this happens, the heart doesn't work as well to pump blood to the body and could burst (coronary artery dilation and aneurysms). It also causes swelling in the lymph nodes and mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose, eyes and throat.

Apart from a 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) fever that can last for five days, children with Kawasaki may also experience some or all of the following symptoms:

• Rash on the main part of the body or in the genital area
• Swelling and redness of their hands and feet
• Irritation and redness of the whites of their eyes
• Swollen lymph glands in the neck
• Irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat

It remains unknown what causes Kawasaki disease in children and if it affects adults.

Diagnosis involves ruling out other diseases that cause the same symptoms which include:

• Scarlet fever
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a disorder of the mucous membranes)
• Toxic shock syndrome
• Measles
• Some illnesses caused by ticks, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Is It Curable?

While this non-contagious disease can be treated with a mixture of antibodies given through the veins (intravenous immunoglobulin) and aspirin, it remains uncurable. Doctors may also advice steroids if intravenous immunoglobulin is not effective.

After receiving treatment for Kawasaki disease, most children recover fully and long-term follow-up care remains unnecessary. However, children who have suffered through aneurysms or other complications related to the disease will need lifelong monitoring with a cardiologist.

England is recording higher-than-normal scabies infections this winter. Health authorities have cautioned that the condition, caused by microscopic mites known as Sarcoptes scabiei that tunnel into the skin, spreads quickly through close physical contact and often leads to severe itching and irritation. Data from the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Research and Surveillance Centre shows scabies is circulating more widely than usual in England, with cases increasing through the autumn and winter months.

Also Read: Doctor Explains Why Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic Are Truly A Medical Breakthrough

Scabies UK: What Is Scabies?

Scabies is caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite. These tiny parasites burrow beneath the skin where they survive, feed and lay eggs. The presence of the mites triggers an allergic reaction in the skin, resulting in an itchy rash. Scabies passes easily from one person to another, particularly among people living in close quarters.

If one member of a household is infected, doctors usually advise checking and treating other family members and close contacts at the same time, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Scabies UK: What Are The Early Symptoms Of Scabies?

Early signs of scabies include intense itching, which is often worse at night, along with a pimple-like rash, small blisters, and thin, irregular lines on the skin known as burrows. These symptoms commonly appear between the fingers, on the wrists, elbows, armpits, waist and genitals. According to the National Health Service, these reactions occur due to the body’s response to the mites and their eggs beneath the skin.

Symptoms do not usually appear straight away and may take three to six weeks after the initial infection to develop. However, people who have had scabies before may notice symptoms within a few days. Typical signs include severe night-time itching and small bumps, blisters or burrow-like tracks on areas such as the hands, wrists, elbows, nipples, genitals and waist.

In more severe cases, the skin may become thickened, rough and scaly. Among children and older adults, scabies can also affect the scalp, face or the soles of the feet.

Scabies UK: Are There Different Types Of Scabies?

Yes, scabies exists in several forms beyond the classic type. These include:

• Crusted (Norwegian): This form is more likely to affect people with weakened immune systems. It causes thick crusts over large areas of skin and can involve millions of mites, compared with the 10 to 15 mites typically found in classic scabies.
• Nodular: More commonly seen in children, this type affects areas such as the genitals, groin or armpits. Firm, raised lumps may persist even after the mites have been eliminated.

Scabies UK: How Is Scabies Treated?

Scabies is usually treated successfully with prescribed medicated creams and lotions called scabicides, along with careful hygiene measures. To avoid reinfection, clothes, bedding and towels should be washed at high temperatures and tumble-dried or ironed. Items that cannot be washed should be sealed in a bag for at least three days, as the mites cannot survive without contact with human skin.

Professor Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and former chair of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies, said the rise in cases may be linked to delays in accessing medical care and gaps in identifying and treating close contacts, which can allow the infection to continue spreading.

Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and many more such popular weight loss drugs are now making headlines. They are also dominating social media, dinner table conversation and many more. But, is Ozempic truly a medical breakthrough, a miracle drug? Dr Shubham Vatsya, a gastroenterologist, and hepatologist at Fortis Vasant Kunj explains how did this drug change the weight loss struggle that many people face.

Why Is GLP-1 Drug A Medical Breakthrough?

Dr Vatsya explains that it took 20 years of research for scientists to come up with these medicines. This drug underwent proper lengthy trials, and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "which is not obtained by giving any bribe".

Also Read: Fact Check: Is Weight Lifting Safe for Teens? An Expert Explains the Risks and Safer Alternatives

He also noted that when a person is not able to lose weight, Ozempic and drugs alike give a "head start" to them, along with a hope.

Talking about side effects, he says that every drug has its side effects, this is where a doctor's role comes in.

"Now, the person who is not able to lose weight, if you tell him 'you hit 100 kg bench press', he will break his shoulder. He needs a kickstart somewhere. This is what weight loss drugs allow," he says.

He also points out that the scientists who made GLP-1 agonists got a Nobel Prize, which "cannot be a scam". This is what makes weight loss drugs truly different.

What Are GLP-1 Drugs?

GLP-1 Drugs stand for Glucagon-like peptide 1, a naturally occurring hormones that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite after eating. It was first identified almost 50 years ago and scientists have since uncovered its role in type 2 diabetes.

Almost two decades of research went behind it that led to the development of GLP-1 agonists. It was in 2005, when the first GLP-1 medication, exenatide was approved.

Read: Could You Become Addicted To Your Weight Loss Drugs?

These medications have three main functions:

• Stimulating the pancreas to release insulin
• Slow the transit of food in the stomach to help people feel fuller for longer after a meal
• Act on areas of the brain that regulates hunger and fullness, leading to smaller portion sizes and reducing cravings

Popular drugs like Ozempic and Wgovy, which have semaglutide, which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, or tirzepatide found in Zepbound and Mounjaro are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes and weight loss.

These drugs work by binding GLP-1 receptors in the body, which in return increase insulin production in response to food intake and suppress glucagon, a hormones that raises blood sugar.

Also Read: How Weight Loss Drugs Change Ones Relationship With Food?

Are The Popular Weight Loss Drugs Addictive?

There is currently no data suggesting that GLP-1 medications cause physiological addiction. Interestingly, some research suggests they may even reduce cravings related to alcohol or opioid use. That directly contradicts the idea that these drugs hijack the brain’s reward system in a traditional addictive way.

Still, wanting or feeling unable to stop a medication because of fear of weight regain or loss of control is very real. That experience should not be dismissed, even if it is not addiction in the clinical sense.

These medications are meant to support long-term habit change, not replace it. Nutrition, movement, sleep, and a healthier relationship with food are meant to develop alongside the medication. When people reach their goal weight, doctors may suggest tapering the dose slowly or moving to a lower maintenance schedule rather than stopping abruptly.

Stopping suddenly can make hunger feel overwhelming. A gradual transition allows the body and mind time to adjust. Some people do successfully maintain weight loss without the medication, but it usually requires strong lifestyle foundations first.