Anxiety causing muscle fatigue?

Mental health
1

I've suffered from anxiety issues forr 8 years and I see a therapist which helps a lot...

Just curious if anyone else notices fatigue, specifically arm and leg muscle fatigue, from being anxious? It kind of comes and goes, all of sudden I feel like my arms and legs are heavy and tired. N then it just goes away. It happens when I'm not actively feeling anxious also.

2

Absolutely! Had it today intact when on a training course, my arms and legs suddenly felt like gravity was pulling them down and I felt a sort of buzzing/warmth in my arms too. It went away in about half an hour but I've had it before where it's been hours or even days. Leaves me feeling so weak and tired x

3

Thanks! I have def felt it when I've had anxiety/panic attacks but I noticed lately how it just comes and goes even on days I don't feel anxious, but I also have been having muscle tension in my neck. So I guess even though I don't FEEL anxious, my body clearly does lol

4

For me it's my legs...also fatigue...but legs feel rubbery.

5

They just feel like weak all of a sudden as if I just worked out rlly hard at the gym lol but I didn't. N then after a half hour or so it goes back to normal

6

Again, same for me but with legs. What I've learned, anxiety causes the muscles to tense/constrict. Its why my neck always hurts...that constant tension will tire you out. Of course, when it happens to me I think the worse and need to immediately do 80 push ups in a row to quell my worry. Very stupid this damn anxiety.

7

100% yes.

I find I have heavy legs as though I have cycled for hours.

Also a lot of shoulder and neck pain which I put down to the constant tension you are under with high anxiety.

The only medication which has ever helped with the muscle pains and tension is amitriptyline for me.

8

Yeah that neck is pretty horrible, sometimes it spreads to my shoulders as well.

9

It's weird isn't it, its like your anxiety has a mind of its own sometimes without you even realising. I guess our bodies are just so used to being tense as a standard rule, so when we don't get the associated nervous feeling but we're still tensing our muscles, and then when the body's muscles naturally have a release from that we get the heaviness and weak feeling. It's like anxiety saying "hello! Still here btw"

10

I strangely found Amitriptyline to make this worse actually. Since I've come off them, I've had this alot less frequently. I've also not had the pins and needles in my face *touch wood* since coming off Amitriptyline but only been a couple of months into Citalopram so we'll see.

11

I've not experienced that, maybe it's from your blood pressure going up and the blood entering the center of your body, and going to your organs. Kinda like in the same way it does with cold weather? It's just a theory xx

12

same hahahaha -_-

13

It's so strange! I can see if I'm feeling actively anxious and I feel my body tensing up, but I'll just be feeling normal and sitting and watching TV and all of sudden my muscles hurt lol

14

Ugh I get the pins and needles in my face also -_-

15

LOL yeah, "Hi did you forget me? I'm still here!"

16

That sounds like the same reaction as to why anxiety gives me the chills/feeling cold thing. 

I'm having that right now as it happens. I think it's also what causes the cold hands/feet thing too.

Also, my doctor explained that the hyperventilation thing can cause muscle weakness too. If you're shallow breathing, it doesn't let you expel enough o2 and/or co2 (I forget which one), that messes with other minerals in your blood (I think they said calcium) and then you end up with the muscle weakness thing. 

Hate anxiety!