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.

Sepsis that happened by a lick from a pet dog led to a woman losing all four of her limbs. Health and Me had previously reported that a Birmingham based woman, 56-year-old pharmacy worker Manjit Sangha caught sepsis from the lick of her pet dog. She spent her night in coma in the hospital and had to lose all her limbs. This happened because bacteria from dog's lick entered her body through a cut or a scratch. This led to sepsis, where the immune system's reaction to infection damaged the body's own tissues and organs.

This has brought a lot of attention on what sepsis is and what are the symptoms one must be aware of. As per the Sepsis Alliance, one must know about TIME to be aware of sepsis.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis

TIME stands for temperature, infection, mental decline and extremely ill. If you notice these symptoms, rush to the hospital.

• T for Temperature: If you notice your body temperature rising or falling
• I for Infection: If you see signs or symptoms of any infection
• M for Mental Decline: If you feel confused, sleepy and difficult in rising
• E for Extremely Ill: If you feel severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis: What To Know About Temperature

Your body temperature normally stays steady at about 98.6°F (37°C), with small changes based on activity, surroundings, and time of day. A reading of 100°F (37.7°C) or higher is considered a fever. During infection, the body often heats up to help fight germs. However, some people experience an unusual drop in temperature instead. Because of this, both a spike and a fall in temperature can be warning signs of sepsis.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: How To Know If You Have An Infection?

When an infection stays in one area, its symptoms usually match the site involved. A urinary tract infection may cause burning while urinating or frequent urges, pneumonia can bring cough and chest pain, and an infected cut may show redness or pus.

Read: Where You Get Your Rabies Shot Matters: Doctor Explains Why Rabies Vaccines Should Not Be Given In Buttocks

If the infection spreads through the body, broader symptoms like fever, tiredness, and body aches can appear. In some cases, an infection may not cause obvious symptoms at all. This is especially important to remember after surgery, medical procedures, skin injuries, or close contact with someone who is sick.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: What To Look Out For Mental Decline?

Sepsis can also alter how the brain functions. Some people, particularly older adults, may not develop the usual infection symptoms. Instead, they might suddenly become confused or show a sharp worsening of existing dementia. Marked drowsiness or unusual sleepiness is another common sign.

Unique Symptoms of Sepsis: Signs That You Are Extremely Ill

Many sepsis survivors recall feeling sicker than ever before. They describe overwhelming symptoms such as the most severe sore throat or abdominal pain they had experienced, along with a frightening sense that they might not survive.

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis In Children

Unique Symptoms Of Sepsis In Adults

• High blood cell count
• Immature white blood cells in circulation
• Elevated plasma C-reactive protein
• Elevated procalctonin (PCT)
• Low blood pressue
• Low central venous or mixed venous oxygen saturation
• High cardiac index
• Low oxygen level
• Low urine output
• High creatinine in the blood
• Coagulation or clotting abnormalities
• Absent bowel sounds
• Low platelets in blood
• High bilirubin levels
• High lactate in blood
• Decreased capillary filling or mottling

Mounjaro, a popular weight loss drug that helped many lose weight, however, in this one case, a woman, who was on the same drug noticed something different. While she lost weight, she noticed that her breasts continued to grow. The 30-year-old Tianna Moon of East Anglia, a region in eastern England first realized something was not normal with her chest in 2024. This was when she started to use Mounjaro.

She was losing weight, but her breasts continued to grow. This is when Moon's doctor diagnosed her with a rare disease call gigantomastia, which causes breast tissue to grow rapidly and in excess.

Also Read: 15 States Sue Trump Administration Over Revised Vaccine Schedule

Woman Lost Weight On Mounjaro But Her Breasts Didn't Stop Growing: What Happened To Her?

Moon said that the doctors had thought that she had macromastia, a less severe, however, a similar condition. "But when I broke down medical history, the weight loss on Mounjaro and the increased growth and side effects, he was point-blank like, 'This is gigantomastia'," she said.

Moon also told that her breasts currently weight 39 lbs, which is approximately 20 per cent of her overall body weight.

Moon also said that while her large breasts are "normal" at this point in her life, she said the rare condition still comes with challenges.

"The side effects are having numb arms quite a lot and having quite severe indentations on my shoulders. I have some light scarring under my breasts where bras have rubbed and ripped the skin open."

She also said that laying on her back is something she cannot do for a long time, as it restricts the amount of airflow she can get in. She also said that when she goes out she tries to make her breasts look smaller than they are and strap them up. "I [still] get stares and double takes."

Also Read: Wegovy And Ozempic Will Cost Less In 2027, Novo Nordisk Slashes Weight Loss Drugs Prices By Half

Woman Lost Weight On Mounjaro But Her Breasts Didn't Stop Growing: What Is Gigantomastia?

As per Cleveland Clinic, it is a rare condition where your breasts become excessively large. It can also cause pain, infection, discomfort and issues with body image. It is also known as breast hypertrophy where one experiences rapid and disproportionate breast growth. The speed with which the breasts grow could vary depending on the person. It could take a few weeks to over several years. The tissue is almost never benign.

Gigantomastia is characterized by:

• Breasts that have an excess of at least 5 pounds of breast tissue.
• Extra breast tissue that equals more than 3% of your total body weight.

There are different types of gigastomastia:

• Juvenile gigantomastia: This type happens during puberty.
• Gestational gigantomastia: This is when gigantomastia occurs during pregnancy.
• Drug-induced gigantomastia (or medication-induced): This happens after taking certain drugs.
• Idiopathic gigantomastia: This is when the cause of gigantomastia is unknown or can't be determined. Idiopathic gigantomastia is the most common type.

Moon is now considering a breast reduction surgery. She has for now set up an account on OnlyFans. “I might as well try and reap the benefits of my medical condition rather than the negatives," she said.

The recent launch of the indigenous Td vaccine in India by Union Health Minister JP Nadda will boost immunity and reduce the risk of tetanus and diphtheria in children and adults, said health experts.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda formally launched the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine in Himachal Pradesh last week.

With the launch, the Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine has been replaced with the Tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine in India’s immunization program for all age groups, including pregnant women.

The move comes amid increasing numbers of cases of diphtheria amongst older age groups. Tetanus and diphtheria can lead to hospitalizations or even cause death. The Td vaccine will help to decrease diphtheria outbreaks.

“In keeping with global practice, India has shifted from TT, which covers for tetanus, to Td, which covers for both tetanus and diphtheria. This vaccine is indigenously manufactured and is expected to significantly reduce the risk of both these diseases in older children as well as adults,” Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Ex-President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, told HealthandMe.

What Is The Td Vaccine?

The Td vaccine, indigenously manufactured at the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, is a combination of tetanus and diphtheria with a lower concentration of diphtheria antigen (d), and is recommended for older children and adults.

The use of Td, instead of TT, is recommended during pregnancy to protect against maternal and neonatal tetanus and diphtheria during prenatal care.

Vaccination during pregnancy also serves to boost immunity and increase the duration of protection in pregnant women who have not received the full set of recommended booster doses.

The Td is a safe vaccine, and 133 countries are currently using it.

The Health Ministry, in a statement, said that the Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April 2026, with production expected to scale up progressively in subsequent years to further strengthen the Universal Immunization Program in India.

“India’s indigenous Td vaccine rollout marks a significant milestone in strengthening the nation’s immunization program by enhancing self-reliance, affordability, and supply stability,” Dr. Neha Rastogi, Senior Consultant - Infectious Diseases, Fortis Gurugram, told HealthandMe.

“Locally produced vaccines reduce dependency on imports, ensuring uninterrupted protection for adolescents and adults against tetanus and diphtheria. This initiative supports wider coverage, faster distribution to remote regions, and improved public health preparedness,” she added.

Tetanus And Diphtheria: Disease burden In India

As per the National Health Profile 2022, India has reported 1,586 cases and 22 deaths due to diphtheria in 2020, and 3,677 cases and 47 deaths in 2021.

Around 10 Indian states report the majority (84 per cent) of the cases.

As of 21 June 2024, Orissa has also reported six deaths and 21 suspected diphtheria cases. There has been more than 90 percent coverage of diphtheria vaccination in birth cohorts since 2014, but gaps in booster dose coverage are widely prevalent.

Plugging of gaps in the routine immunization, coupled with inclusion of booster doses in the national data on diphtheria vaccination, is the need of the hour.

“Diphtheria is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases known to man; it spreads easily through the respiratory route. It can cause death due to the bacterial toxin affecting the heart (Myocarditis). It is vaccine-preventable, but the immunity fades over time,” Dr. Jayadevan said.

Therefore, the Td booster shots at ages 10 and 16 are essential to maintain protection. Similarly, pregnant women should receive two doses to protect both mother and child.

Given the recent outbreaks of diphtheria in India and elsewhere, this transition is a public health priority, the expert said.