Restlessness in upper left arm

Heir

Hey guys,

I randomly (especially at night when I'm trying to sleep) get this...restlessness...in my upper left arm lately. No pain, just feel like I need to stretch my arm or move it around or something.

My lifestyle:

I work in a cube as a programmer of sorts. I have a laptop that I normally work off of. I'm pretty bad about having some kind of arm rest, so that might be part of the issue. Sometimes I just let my arms hang off the side of my desk while I'm typing.

I run...a lot. It's a relatively new thing for me (been doing it for a month) but I used to run a bunch in the past. I'm doing this to lose weight (part of a biggest loser competition at work) and because I want to run a marathon. Right now I average between 15-20 miles a week.

Two times a week, I lift weights. Mostly upper body stuff...I follow the Body for Life workout regimen somewhat on those days. Fairly intense stuff.

Any thoughts? I don't have any pain...just this weird sense of restlessness. It's highly annoying at night though...makes it so I can't sleep.

Thanks.

RUNN1NGMAN

It's quite possibly Restless Leg Syndrome, which can affect other limbs besides your legs (it does with me).

There's a number of things you can do to reduce it including avoiding stimulants in the evening, doing some stretching or massage, changing the time you exercise, or even medication (although the medication can have some weird side effects so I'd avoid that option if possible).

For me, RLS gets really bad when I ramp up my running, so for you it might be a side-effect of all the running you're doing. It's kind of a mystery though, so it's hard to say what's causing it. It's been linked to low iron levels, so at least go to the doctor and get a blood test done.

If you want the drugs, you probably need to go for a sleep study. Otherwise there are lots of RLS websites that have good coping strategies and ways to reduce.

Heir

Yeah I just had a Coke Zero and I've noticed it's bothering me more again....could be caffeine related. I pretty much cut out all caffeine (except for one can of Coke Zero with lunch and dinner), so it might be some side effect of that too.

Wassermelone

I get restless legs sometimes. Makes it impossible to sleep. What I used to do was just get up and go running (often at 3-5am). Now if it happens I bicycle kick my legs while in bed until they are little more than limp noodles. Strenuous activity in the affected legs seems to help a lot. Try doing pushups or lifting weights with that arm until its exhausted?

rlpikula

If Coke Zero is triggering it, it might be the aspartame. Aspartame affects you neurologically. It triggers my restless leg syndrome and plays havoc with my ADHD as well.