I got to the gym a bit late today, but I did get up and go! After I had worked out my back, I moved on to biceps and had an excellent day. Soon afterwards, while sitting in the sauna, I felt something in my arm. I looked down to my bicep and saw that it was twitching without me doing anything! At first, these involuntary contractions kind of freaked me out because I did not know what was going on. I have never had my bicep twitch before so as soon as I got home, I started doing research and this is what I found.
There are multiple reasons the muscles in your biceps may be twitching. However, if this problem lasts for a while and does not go away quickly, then you should get to a doctor because there could be a really serious underlying condition. With that being said, here are some reasons it may be happening.
Exercising Hard and Muscle Fatigue
Twitching biceps are actually a common occurrence after working extremely hard. They become overstretched and if your gym session was a long one, they sometimes can be depleted of all the nutrients that they had. When this happens, even the smallest stimulation can cause them to contract, which is called hyperexcitable. When it happened to me, I was sitting in the sauna. It turns out that high temperatures can cause your tired muscles to spasm! Other reasons may be slight dehydration and the loss of electrolytes which contribute to muscle twitching, especially in your biceps.
Neurological Condition
This is why I mentioned above that if you are having muscle spasms for more than a few hours, to get yourself to a doctor. Neurological problems can often trigger your biceps to start twitching. Often times it is the nerves that connect to your biceps that can be damaged. If this is not the cause there are plenty of other diseases that could be causing it such as muscular dystrophy, spinal muscle atrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. If it is any of these diseases causing the problem, it will affect your biceps and will make you lose control of them, thus the bicep muscles twitching.
Medication and Stimulants
Bicep twitches may not be caused by anything listed above. Instead, it could be a side effect of taking certain medications. If you are taking a lot of caffeine or amphetamines, your muscles may twitch. Be careful with this. It could be that you took way too much preworkout which is why I always suggest you take half a serving when you start taking a new supplement. Another cause of your muscles twitching out of control may be how stressed you are, and if you are earing a poor diet. Always make sure you get the proper nutrients and electrolytes when getting fit.
Caution (When To See A Doctor)
Biceps twitching for more than a few hours, or even a few days should be a priority to go to the doctor to find out what the underlying cause is. More than likely if you were working out and this happened, it will go away within a few minutes because your muscles are just stressed. If not, a doctor will be able to give you a physical and find out why the twitching is happening. They will ask you about your symptoms, when they started, what kind of medications you are taking and if you are taking any stimulants. They may even prescribe a blood test to find the muscle twitching cause. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Leave a Reply