My shoulder muscles in particular, ache like mad when I am asleep to
the point where it wakes me up.This is not caused by exertion as it
has gone on now for a few weeks of doing absolutley nothing.Even
getting up after sitting for half an hour causes leg muscles to
ache.What causes this.P.S.I am in my sixties and have alsways been fit

I can't offer you a medical diagnosis, of course, but I have noticed
that the muscles in my shoulders and calves tend to ache a lot when
I'm dehydrated. The depletion of electrolytes (particularly potassium)
may be involved. If you are taking a diuretic, or if you urinate a
lot, it's easy to get your electrolytes out of whack; and when your
electrolytes are wonky, your muscle cells notice this and may holler
by sending pain signals.

da1: 

I'm not a senior but I have had similar issues for years. Basically,
my problem is a common sleep disorder called Restless Leg Syndrome
(RLS) and Periodic Leg Movement Disorder (PLMD). (See
http://www.rls.org for some good info or punch in "RLS" at
http://www.WebMD.com for a list of articles.)

If that turns out to be your problem, then you have my sympathy
because you're going to have to live with it forever. For me, it's not
exactly pain, but an annoying feeling of energy building, often
followed by involuntary leg spasms. I also get it in my shoulders and
upper arms.

Typically, the feeling starts just after you've fallen asleep, and it
won't go away until you wake up and move around the house. It can
happen when you're awake, too, at night usually when one is winding
down. Long airplane rides and car trips can be torture if it's flaring
up. Often it begins to occur in middle-age, but I've had it since I
was 21 and others say since they were kids.

If you have do RLS, you may need to cut back on some of my favorite
things in life -- caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, and anti-depressants.
A lot of people experiment with medications as treatment for RLS, but
there's no real cure and people report that the medications stop
working after a while. So, avoiding the things that make it act up
worse and going to sleep at 4am in a very cool room works best for me.

Best of luck to you on figuring out what ails you. Please let us know
if you suspect is RLS or something else. A doctor should be able to
refer you to a sleep disorders clinic for an accurate diagnosis, but
some doctors have never heard of RLS and PLMD eventhough it is common.

what medicines do you take?