This video helps you to avoid trapping your arm after a nice little cuddle in bed. Take a look at our very own Cuddling Kama Sutra and learn how to avoid trapped arm whilst cuddling in bed.

How to avoid trapped arm whilst cuddling in bed

Hello, and welcome to VideoJug. The best things in life are free, and one of them is cuddling your partner in bed. But getting a good night sleep while lying close to each other can be difficult to achieve.

One source of cuddle-related irritation is getting your arm trapped under her body. At best it is restrictive, and at worst it stops the blood flow to your arm to such an extent that you temporarily loose all sensation in that limb. When feeling does return, you wish it hadn’t, as you get a rush of pain we know as "pins and needles".

As ever, VideoJug is here with a variety of solutions for the gentleman in repose, whatever his body type and pain threshold, so snuggle down and enjoy our cuddling Kama Sutra.

Step 1:
The Classic Spoon

Falling asleep in the 'spoons' position is likely to result in a trapped arm for 'Mr. Spoon'. It is his arm that will go dead, while his partner drifts off into a beautifully secure and comfortable reverie. The only merit of this position is that 'Ms. Spoon' is likely to fall asleep quickly, giving you the chance to take evasive action.
To remove your arm without waking her, hold her close and gently roll her away from you, moving with her rather than pushing her away. Once she is re-positioned comfortably, roll yourself back to your original position and you should find you have the freedom to remove your arm easily.

Step 2:
The Shoulder Roll

If the Classic Spoon isn't working, turn your body towards your partner. Rest your upper arm round your partner's waist and your lower arm behind you. Your arm position means you are leaning on your partner for support.
One potential issue is that if you are much larger than her, you might crush her, but at least you'll sleep well.

Step 3:
The Superman

If the Shoulder Roll isn't comfortable, try a technique that takes a little forethought and planning. You need to position the pillows lower down the bed than usual. Now assume The Classic Spoon position, but move the problematic lower arm above you, under the pillow and out the other side so it is stretched over your head. You are now in the Superman flying position. This has advantages- if you can't sleep you can pretend to be Superman. Or if this doesn't appeal, you can use the outstretched arm for texting, playing computer games or reading French poetry... all while she is sleeping.

Step 4:
The star gazer

Legend tells of a really comfortable fleshy bit to the side of a man's chest. How fleshy and how comfortable depends on the size of the man.
So take advantage of this by forgetting the spoons positions above, and lie on your back. Now encourage her to find your fleshy bit with her head, and use it as a pillow.
Please note that to increase the size of your fleshy bit, you may need to eat a lot of junk food and cut down on exercise. All for her sake, what a perfect boyfriend you are.

Step 5:
The pragmatic approach

If all else fails, initiate a massive argument before you go to sleep, so your partner won't want to be anywhere near you. Have some flowers and croissants ready to make up in the morning, and prepare for 8 hours of dreamless, pain-free shut-eye... on the sofa.

TO CUDDLE= to hug, to hold, to embrace, to put your arms around someone’s body. As a noun, "a cuddle" is an embrace, a hug, what you do when you cuddle someone. "Cuddling" is the act of embracing someone

TRAPPED= caught, blocked, held in place by something so that it can’t move or get free.

AVOID= prevent, stop, not let it happen

WHILST= (a formal word) while

PARTNER= your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife

WHILE LYING= after prepositions and conjunctions we use –ING. Lying is the –ing form of the verb TO LIE= to be in a flat position, as when you’re lying in bed.
Another meaning is to tell something which is not true, but then it is a regular verb (to lie-lied-lied), and when it is body position it’s irregular (lie-lay-lain)

CLOSE TO= near

DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE= difficult to do (achieve= manage, be able to do, succeed)

SOURCE= origin

CUDDLE-RELATED IRRITATION= an irritation (something that makes you nervous) caused by cuddling

AT BEST / AT WORST= when we are talking about a bad situation, we say "at best" to introduce the consequences of that bad situation in the best of circumstances, and we say "at worst" to talk about the consequences of that situation in the worst circumstances.

RESTRICTIVE= that doesn’t let you move or act freely

TO SUCH AN EXTEND= in such degree, in such a way

LIMB= your four limbs are your arms and your legs

WHEN FEELING DOES RETURN= When you find the auxiliary verb DO in an affirmative sentence, it is emphasizing the meaning of the verb

YOU WISH IT HADN’T= the verb WISH is followed by a past tense even if it refers to the present:
- I wish you were here= I desire you to be here now
- I wish it stopped raining= I want the rain to stop now

PINS AND NEEDLES= as the video explains, we use this phrase to talk about the feeling you get when blood comes back to your numb limb. It’s painful and it feels as if lots of pins and needles were pricking you.

AS EVER= as always

PAIN THRESHOLD= the amount of pain a person can bear without losing conscience. If your pain threshold is very high, you don’t feel a lot of pain under a stimulus that would be really painful for another person with a low pain threshold.

SNUGGLE DOWN= to lie down in a very warm, comfortable position, especially by lying near another person.

STEP 1

LOWER= inferior. The lower arm is the part of the arm from your elbow to your hand.

TO GO DEAD= to go numb. If a part of your body goes dead or numb, the blood stops flowing normally and you don’t feel it or can move it for a while.

DRIFTS OFF= goes away

REVERIE= dream. Although in this context it implies that the person falls asleep, the word "reverie" (quite formal) is more like daydreaming, when you are awake and think of pleasant things so that you lose contact with reality (e.g: she was getting bored and fell into a reverie, a silly smile on her face).

THE MERIT OF THIS POSITION= the good thing, the advantage of this posture

Ms.= Mrs. or Miss, pronounced /mɪz/

SHE IS LIKELY TO FALL ASLEEP= he will probably fall asleep ("likely"="probable")

CHANCE= opportunity

EVASIVE= escaping

REMOVE= take away

WITHOUT WAKING= remember that after prepositions and conjunctions we use –ing

RATHER THAN= instead of. THAN is a preposition, so it’s followed by –ing ("rather than pushing")

STEP 2

UPPER= superior. Your upper arm is the part of your arm from your elbow to your shoulder.

LEAN ON= if you lean on something, you put part of your body weight on that thing for support. Remember that body positions use –ing (you’re leaning, you’re standing, I’m sitting...)

ISSUE= an important subject

CRUSH= squash, destroy by pressing on it

STEP 3

TECHNIQUE= careful with the pronunciation: /tekni:k/

FORETHOUGHT= the action of thinking before doing it; planning

TO ASSUME A POSITION= to put your body in that position, to adopt a position

IF THIS DOESN'T APPEAL= If you don't like the idea

TO TEXT= to write text messages with your mobile phone

STEP 4

GAZE= to look at something steadily for a long time because you find it attractive, interesting, shocking or because you want to learn about it. A star gazer is someone who watches stars to learn about them (an astronomer).

FLESHY= with a lot of flesh (the part of your body which is not fat or bones, the muscles). But usually, "fleshy" is opposed to "bony", so it’s the soft part of your body (it may be made of muscles or fat).

JUNK FOOD= unhealthy food, fast food, like the one you get in burgers (it makes you fat)

CUT DOWN ON SOMETHING= reduce the amount of it (e.g. "you have to cut down on smoking, try to smoke 5 cigarettes or less a day")

FOR HER SAKE= because of her. If you do something for the sake of somebody, you do it because you think it’s good for that person or because they will be happy if you do it.

STEP 5

APPROACH= an approach to a problem is a way of thinking about it

INITIATE= start

MASSIVE= huge, very big

ARGUMENT= quarrel, verbal fight

MAKE UP= after a fight, if you make up with someone, you forgive each other and are happy together again (e.g. "come on kids, stop fighting. Now, kiss and make up")

DREAMLESS= without dream (=sleepless)

PAIN-FREE= without pain

SHUT-EYE= sleep (an informal word)

ON THE SOFA= careful with the preposition, with the sofa we use ON