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This is called “Saturday night paralysis” because it often occurs in people who have had a lot of alcohol and fall into a deep sleep with their head resting on the inside of their arm. It is caused by prolonged compression of the radial nerve.
A young man woke up the next evening with a numb, droopy wrist and pain in his arm. The day before, he had drunk a lot and had fallen asleep on a chair in an uncomfortable position: his head resting on the inside of his arm. The partygoer first thought of temporary numbness and was not unduly worried. But two hours later, her wrist was still drooping, as if her arm was paralyzed. So he decided to go to the emergency room.
Arm muscles are no longer properly innervated
The doctors who treated her diagnosed her with radial nerve palsy, also known as “Saturday night palsy” or “honeymoon palsy” (it can occur in certain sexual positions). It results from prolonged compression of the radial nerve (nerve that runs below the bone of the upper arm), which no longer manages to innervate the muscles of the arm properly. Radial nerve injury causes weakness in the wrist and fingers, leading to wrist drop. This one tends to put itself in a bent position with the curved fingers (drooping hand). In some cases, one can observe a loss of sensitivity at the level of the back of the hand.
Temporary paralysis that can sometimes last several hours
Typically, radial nerve palsy resolves when the compression stops. But it can persist for a few minutes, even a few hours, even if the person has resumed a normal position. In this case, rehabilitation exercises and taking anti-inflammatories can help “wake up” the arm.
As you will have understood, the best way to avoid Saturday night paralysis is not to sleep resting on your arm.