What causes poor circulation or blood flow in the arms?

[Perry2]

I am a 47 year old male, 5'8" 195lbs and have lifted weights most of my life. I have a fairly thick and muscular upper body. From time to time over the last couple of years I have noticed numbness in my arms, kind of the same feeling you get sitting with crossed legs to long. I get this after waking up from sleeping on my back as I am normally a side sleeper.
Today, for the first time, I noticed a weird feeling in my inner tricep area. I can only describe it as a flow restriction such as one might feel with a turniquette, except it was between the shoulder and the elbow with pressure towards the elbow, like the blood couldn't get down through the arm. This wasn't noticed immediately when I got up, and went away after a few minutes.
The only thing unusual was that as of last night I began to supplement with Carnitine and L Argenine as part of a heart health program. My cholesterol and BP are a bit high but nothing to worry about, and I am on Ativan for stress. Spontaneous blockage is something new and spooky. Any ideas?

[Perry2]

In answer to my own question I saw my MD today. He said the blood flow feeling I experienced was definitely some kind of nerve or muscle spasm. Such a problem with blood flow would have resulted in extreme long lasting pain with severe bruising. This was such a temporary thing it was likely related to an old injury in the area. Scratch one imaginary health problem

[Seraph]

Yes, if your arms are thick and muscular, the brachial nerve can get squeezed and that will cause the feelings that you are having. Glad to hear it is nothing to worry about. Cheers, Sera

[feelbad]

what you have described here in symptoms really does sound more like a nerve related issue and not so much an actual vascular one.it isn't actual 'bloodflow' that is trying to 'come back' but the nerve flow itself.considering the fact that you do lift and have a much more than normal heavier muscular structure,it does make it easier to entrap a nerve somewhere.but my guess would be that this issue is actually stemming from the actual spinal column itself,up within the c spine area.it wouldn't hurt to just have an MRI done on the c spine area of your neck?this would be the most 'likely' spot for a possible impingment or other spinal issues to cause what you are currently feeling.it should just be evaluated for any possible herniations beginning or other possible spinal structure issues that can arise up there.this are just needs to be looked at and possibly ruled out before moving onto other possibilities.my best guess,just becasue i too have been thru this before,would be stenosis or bone spurs up in the c spine that are irritating or intermittantly impinging or somehow compromising a spinal nerve.herniations would also cause these symptoms.do you have any actual pain yet or just the numbess?just see your primary for an eval and referral for the MRI.this one test would show alot of the areas that could be responsible for your particular symptoms.good luck with this and i hope it isn't anything major.please keep us posted,K? FB