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.

Winters can be especially demanding for many women going through menopause or perimenopause. As the colder months arrive, concerns like dry, irritated skin, unexpected hair fall, and increased joint pain become more common. This rise in symptoms is not caused by cold weather alone. It is largely driven by the way seasonal changes interact with the hormonal transitions of menopause. To understand this better, we spoke to Tamanna Singh, Co-founder of Menoveda and a Certified Menopause Coach, who explained why these changes happen.

What Is Menopause?

Menopause is a natural biological phase when a woman’s menstrual cycles stop permanently, signalling the end of her reproductive years. It is officially diagnosed after 12 consecutive months without a period and usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, as the ovaries gradually reduce estrogen production.

The phase leading up to this, called perimenopause, involves fluctuating hormones that can trigger symptoms such as hot flashes, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Postmenopause refers to the stage after menopause, according to the Mayo Clinic.

How Long Does Menopause Last?

Menopause itself is a single milestone rather than a prolonged phase. Once a woman has gone a full year without a menstrual period, she is considered menopausal. After this point, she enters postmenopause, which continues for the rest of her life.

Menopausal Symptoms Worsening During Winters

One of the key changes during menopause is the steady decline in estrogen levels. Estrogen supports skin moisture, collagen formation, healthy hair growth cycles, and joint lubrication. As this hormone decreases, the body becomes more reactive to environmental factors, with winter dryness having a stronger impact.

Menopause In Winters: Why Skin Feels Drier in January

Tamanna Singh explains, “Cold air contains less moisture, and indoor heating further removes the skin’s natural oils. Lower estrogen levels weaken the skin’s protective barrier, increasing water loss. This leads to dryness, flaking, itching, and in some cases, eczema-like conditions. The skin also takes longer to repair itself, which makes winter-related irritation more difficult to manage.”

The Hair Fall Connection

Hair follicles respond closely to hormonal changes. Tamanna notes, “During menopause, shifting estrogen levels and increased androgen activity shorten the hair’s growth phase, leading to more shedding. Winter adds further stress through reduced blood flow to the scalp, dietary imbalances after festive eating, and low Vitamin D levels due to limited sunlight. Combined, these factors make January a common time for noticeable hair thinning and hair fall.”

Why Joint Pain Worsens During Menopause?

Estrogen also plays a role in reducing inflammation and keeping joints well-lubricated. As estrogen levels fall, women may experience stiffness, swelling, and discomfort, which tend to worsen in cold weather. Lower temperatures cause muscles and connective tissues to tighten, reducing flexibility. Staying less active during winter months further adds to joint stiffness and pain.

What Can Help?

Managing these concerns calls for a well-rounded approach. Tamanna recommends:

• Skin: Use rich, oil-based moisturisers regularly and maintain good hydration.
• Hair: Ensure sufficient intake of protein, iron, and biotin, and practice gentle scalp massage to improve blood circulation.
• Joints: Engage in light strength training, yoga, and regular movement to support flexibility. Adequate Vitamin D and calcium intake is especially important during winter.

Winter does not create menopausal symptoms. It simply intensifies what the body is already dealing with. With the right awareness, consistent care, and small seasonal adjustments, women can navigate the colder months with more ease and confidence.

Delhi’s air quality remained in ‘very poor’ category and a thick layer of fog also took over the city. As of 6am, the Air Quality Index or AQI stood at 385. On Monday, the AQI of the city stayed under the ‘severe’ category, and the overall 24-hour average was at 401. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded that the general visibility of Delhi at 6.30am was 350 meters. The IMD also issued a fog alert for December 29 and the morning of December 30. Warning is also extended for neighboring states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab, and parts of Northeast, East, and North India.

The IMD on X wrote: “Dense to very dense fog is expected tonight and into the morning of 30th December across several regions including Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of the Northeast, East, and North India. Visibility may be severely reduced, making travel risky. Please drive slowly, use fog lights, and avoid unnecessary journeys.”

Also Read: Is Delhi's Toxic Air Making You Sad And Grumpy? Here's What The Study Says

Pollution Could Harm Your Brain

While we all know the harm pollution could do to your lungs, doctors have also highlighted that pollution could also lead to cognitive ailments. Mental health impacts such as risk of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and neurodevelopmental disorders in children could rise.

Dr Deepika Dahima, a psychologist at AIIMS Delhi said that pollution could put mental health at risk. Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter like PM10 or PM2.5 could lead to a rise in anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and chronic stress. Children also show disrupted neural development and learning difficulties, while adults experience irritability, emotional fatigue and impaired decision-making.

Another medical practitioner, Dr Jitender Nagpal, deputy medical superintendent and pediatrician at Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science, speaking to the news agency PTI said, “Increasingly, a wide spectrum of behavioural and learning issues such as attention difficulties, irritability, and poor academic performance are being noticed in many children.”

Studies too have linked the exposure of particulate matter or PM2.5 with increased ADHD risk. There are research that show a 1.51 fold increase per 5 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 and others indicating elevated risks when exposure exceeds 16 μg/m³.

Another study published in December 18, in the journal Environmental Research by Oregon Health & Science University, found that everyday exposure to urban air pollution gradually alters brain development in children and young adults. The researchers of the Oregon Health & Science University discovered that exposure to air pollutants at ages 9 to 10 was associated with changes in cortical thickness in the frontal and temporal brain regions that are responsible for executive function, language, mood regulation, and socioemotional processing.

Another study published in Nature Communication notes that after four hours of exposure to particulate matter, it was found that people's ability to perform routine tasks and interpret emotions were highly impacted.

Study's co-author, Dr Thomas Faherty said, "Study provides compelling evidence that even short-term exposure to particulate matter can have immediate negative effects on brain functions essential for daily activities.”

Can Alzheimer's be completely reversed? This is not just about preventing it or ensuring it that the disease slow down, but can it be reversed to achieve full neurological recovery? For the longest, we have known that Alzheimer's is a progressive, degenerative brain disease, which destroys memory, thinking, and eventually the ability to perform simple tasks, but now a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals (UH), and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center has challenged this belief. They may have found out something that could reverse it, at least so says the animal model.

Instead of targeting plaques or tangles alone, the team looked at something more fundamental: the brain’s energy system.

Their findings, published in Cell Reports Medicine, suggest that restoring the brain’s energy balance may not just slow Alzheimer’s but potentially reverse key features of the disease, at least in animal models.

What Did The Study Find?

The study is led by Kalyani Chaubey from the Pieper Laboratory, and at the center of the study is NAD+, a molecule essential for cellular energy and repair.

NAD+ levels naturally decline with age across the body, including in the brain. When levels drop too low, cells struggle to perform basic functions and eventually fail.

The researchers found that this decline is far more severe in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. The same sharp drop was also seen in mouse models of the disease, pointing to a shared biological problem.

How the study was conducted

While Alzheimer’s is uniquely human, scientists use specially engineered mice to study it. In this study, two types of mice were used. One model carried human mutations linked to amyloid buildup, while the other carried a mutation affecting the tau protein.

Both amyloid and tau are central to Alzheimer’s pathology. Over time, these mice developed symptoms similar to human Alzheimer’s, including brain inflammation, damage to nerve fibers, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, reduced formation of new neurons, and severe memory and learning problems.

Restoring energy balance in diseased brains

After confirming that NAD+ levels were dramatically reduced, the researchers tested whether restoring this balance could help. They used a drug called P7C3-A20, developed in the Pieper Laboratory, which supports cells in maintaining healthy NAD+ levels under stress.

Remarkably, the results went beyond prevention. Even when treatment began after significant disease progression, the mice showed reversal of major brain damage. Cognitive function fully recovered in both mouse models, despite their different genetic causes.

Biomarkers and what they signal

The recovery was not just behavioral. Blood levels of phosphorylated tau 217, a biomarker now used clinically in humans to detect Alzheimer’s, returned to normal in treated mice. This provided objective evidence that disease processes had been reversed, not merely masked.

Why this matters for people

The findings suggest a possible paradigm shift. Alzheimer’s damage may not always be permanent. Under certain conditions, the brain appears capable of repairing itself and regaining function.

However, the researchers caution against self-medicating with over-the-counter NAD+ supplements. Some have been shown in animal studies to raise NAD+ to unsafe levels that may increase cancer risk. The drug used in this study works differently, supporting balance rather than excess.