{"id":746,"date":"2017-06-15T04:46:41","date_gmt":"2017-06-15T04:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=746"},"modified":"2021-05-12T19:29:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:29:39","slug":"20-causes-eye-twitching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/20-causes-eye-twitching\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Causes of Eye Twitching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you were animating a character in a cartoon and you wanted to make them look stressed, there are a few different ways you might go about achieving that. One way would be to give them a big throbbing vein on their forehead. Another way might be to make their eye twitch incessantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, eye twitching is often associated with stress and in some cases that is indeed the cause. But actually there are a number of different things that could be causing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re sitting in a meeting or on a date and your eye starts twitching, it can be a rather awkward moment. What\u2019s more, is that eye twitching can get uncomfortable and can be somewhat distracting. It\u2019s not exactly a good thing if you\u2019re driving\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all these reasons, you might be keen to get to the bottom of exactly what is causing your eye twitching so that you can solve the problem. In this post, we\u2019ll look at twenty different possible causes and one of these might be responsible\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Stress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main cause of eye twitching <\/a>is stress. This is very common in people who are undergoing chronic stress meaning that it ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress can be either acute or chronic. Acute stress is caused when you are afraid for your life, when you\u2019re faced with a fire or when you\u2019re in the middle of a vicious argument. Chronic stress on the other hand is caused by debt, by relationship problems or by illness \u2013 the kind of stress that just doesn\u2019t go away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At either rate, stress causes the muscles to contract slightly by releasing specific hormones and neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine. These can eventually lead to fatigue which can then be seen as your eyes twitching and shaking. The same can be seen in other parts of the body sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution? Either address the source of the stress by changing jobs, coming up with a budget, leaving home etc. or learn ways to better manage that stress. One of the best solutions of all is to practice meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.  Fatigue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any kind of fatigue <\/a>can also cause muscle spasms, which may include eye twitching. If you have been overdoing it at the gym, if you have been doing a lot of walking, or if you have been working late then your eyes might be tired and this muscle weakness can be seen in the form of twitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course the solution here is to listen to your body and to relax. Take a warm bath or try to relax your muscles through your diet: eating foods high in magnesium will often help as magnesium helps to relax the muscles and calm the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.  Caffeine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Caffeine <\/a>has a lot of good going for it and it will help you to wake up in the morning and get more done. It can help you to stay awake and stay productive later into the night and in general, it is a useful stimulant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what is a stimulant? Essentially, it is a drink, food or medication that causes your body to respond as though it were responding to stress. That means increased heartrate and muscle contractions just the same, which in turn can mean twitching!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, caffeine is essentially like stress in a cup. If you\u2019re prone to stress and you\u2019re already twitching, stay away from it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.  Medication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A number of medications<\/a> can cause twitching and muscle cramps and spasms as a side effect. This might be because they cause muscle contraction, it might be because they cause dehydration, or it might be because they raise stress levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the case, it is important to ensure that you check this potential side effect when taking medications or speak with your doctor. It might be that there is an alternative option for your meds that can provide the same benefits without this unwanted side effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.  Dehydration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dehydration<\/a> causes muscle spasm because it leads to an electrolyte imbalance, altering the way that muscles are signaled to contract and resulting in twitching. This is why you will often feel cramp in the night when you are dehydrated and the same issue can also lead to twitching for the eyes and for other muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dehydration can be solved simply by drinking water more frequently and especially before bed. This is important considering that a large percentage of the population is actually dehydrated. Likewise, consider using an isotonic drink and especially following exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.  Exercise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of reasons that a workout can leave you with your eyes twitching. One is that you are of course contracting your muscles a lot during a workout and the fact that you are exercising will trigger the release of more stress hormones like dopamine<\/a> and norepinephrine. You might find that you are actually clenching your eyes during exercise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only this, but exercises causes the loss of fluids and important electrolytes through sweat. The end result is that you may find yourself dried out and fatigued \u2013 two of the biggest causes of eye twitching that we have discussed so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.  Crying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you cried recently today? If so, then it\u2019s possible that this might have triggered the start of the eye twitching you are now experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, crying does involve your eye muscles as you scrunch them up, squint, rub them with your fists and generally cause them to become red, swollen and sore<\/a>. At the same time, you\u2019ll also become more dehydrated again by crying out all of the water and salt from your eyes! It should really come as no surprise that this is another cause of twitching then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.  Alcohol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another reason that caffeine causes eye twitching is that it is a diuretic, meaning in short that it can cause you to become dehydrated. The same is also true for alcohol, which is even more destructigve when it comes to drying you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What alcohol<\/a> also does is to relax the muscles. This can then cause your eye to twitch in the precise opposite way that stress can! Alcohol is a depressant and anything that brings you down like this can also lead to eye twitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9.  Tourette\u2019s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When assessing the cause of your eye twitching it is important to look at the nature of the twitching, which will help you to better identify the cause. I particular, you should notice that there is a difference between twitching caused by eye strain or dehydration and twitching that is caused by Tourette\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourette\u2019s <\/a>is a condition that causes uncontrollable twitching, utterances and more. Often people suffering with Tourette\u2019s will find themselves swearing, jerkily moving their arms and legs or even twitching and blinking their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourette\u2019s is not curable but there are many ways it can be managed and improved. Speak with your GP and they might refer you on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10.  Eye Strain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eye strain<\/a> comes from concentrating your eye muscles hard for too long. An obvious example would be sitting too close to the television or too far away. Likewise, you might get eye strain if you have been reading for a long time, especially if you are reading in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note however that there is no real reason for computers to cause eye strain, or the TV itself. As long as the room is well lit and you are at the right distance, reading from a computer is no different from reading from a book and likewise with watching TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea that screens cause eye problems was first started when researchers noted that people who sat closer to the TV would need glasses. What was actually the case was that they were sitting closer to the TV because they already needed glasses!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11.  Glare<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the TV and computer might not be as bad as previously thought for your eye strain, what is a problem is glare. Glare is caused when your computer or TV is positioned badly and this results in light reflecting off of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That in turn means that your eyes have to constantly readjust in order to deal with the light <\/a>coming in and that in turn causes eye strain more quickly. If you find that you get eye strain often when you come home from work, try changing the position of your screen, or getting a glare protector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12.  Dry Eyes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dry eyes<\/a> can also cause you to twitch. Once again, this can have a number of different causes: it might be the result of general dehydration or crying, it might be the result of walking outside in the cold or the wind, or it might be the result of an inability to produce the right number of tears.
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Speak with your optician or GP and they might be able to recommend an eye drop. Using this should ease the dryness and prevent twitching as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13.  Jaw Clenching<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just your eye muscles that can cause eye twitching. The muscles <\/a>in your face are all very tightly packed in and interestingly, tensing one muscle will very often cause the others around it to contract as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, if you find yourself clenching your jaw or other muscles in your face (even moving your ears!) then this could actually lead to twitching in your eyes. We often clench our jaws when stressed, which is another reason this might be responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14.  Bruxism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bruxism <\/a>is the technical term for clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth during the night. Once again, this can cause the muscles around the eyes to become equally as excited, resulting in your eyes twitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure whether bruxism might be responsible for your own twitching, consider asking a partner to watch you as you sleep to see if you are grinding or clenching. Alternatively, you could consider setting a phone to record yourself. You might also notice other tell-tale signs, such as jaw pain in the mornings and your dentist may be able to corroborate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is the issue, then consider getting yourself a jaw guard to solve the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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15.  Contacts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you wear contacts, then these can irritate your eyes in a number of ways to cause the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might find that your contacts are drying out your eyes, or they might be too large for your eyes or seated wrongly. Whatever the case, this can then cause your muscles to twitch around the area as you try to get comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak with your optician <\/a>and consider changing your contacts. Use eye drops and make sure you are changing your<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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16.  Infection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your eye twitching may well be a warning sign that more is wrong with your eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you might have something in it (in which case you\u2019ll likely also notice that your eyes water profusely) or you might have an infection <\/a>on the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these cases, you\u2019re likely to notice the eye is red and itchy as well and it might also be producing pus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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17.  Lack of Sleep<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you aren\u2019t getting enough sleep then this can cause a whole range of issues, which affect your eyes both directly and indirectly. Tiredness <\/a>can cause muscle twitching in the same way as fatigue, while it can also make the skin around the eyes appear thinner, thereby making twitching more noticeable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of sleep can also cause stress and even dehydration. Plus, the longer you aren\u2019t asleep, the longer your eyes need to work at staying open. Get some shut eye!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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18.  Allergy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Allergies <\/a>can cause a whole range of different problems from sneezing and coughing, to fever and lethargy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering, itching and twitching eyes are among the most common symptoms though, so this might just be a sign that it\u2019s that time of year. Look into using antihistamine medications, or consider trying home remedies such as local honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If nothing else, shut the windows at night and try to avoid those morning runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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19.  Mineral Deficiency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A mineral deficiency <\/a>can cause your eyes to twitch for a number of reasons. We\u2019ve already seen the close link between dehydration and cramp and this is linked closely to the way that water and electrolytes impact on muscle contractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re low on magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium\u2026 all these things can cause twitching. Eating a healthy and balanced diet is of course the solution but another quick solution is also to try an electrolyte drink such as coconut water or an isotonic sports drinks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are designed specifically to replace the electrolytes in the body at the correct ratios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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20.  No Reason\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, there might be no discernable reason for your eye twitching! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitching eyes is more common than you might think and is actually harmless in the vast majority of cases. When there is no known cause for eye twitching it is known as \u2018essential blepharospasm\u2019. The good news is that now you can tell people this and impress them with your worldly knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that in very rare cases, eye twitching can be a sign of other issues such as hypoglycemia <\/a>or Parkinson\u2019s disease. If it persists, check with your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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