Twitching eyelids

One of the most irritating things to suffer from is a twitching eyelid. They can persist for months for some people, and becomes annoying and can even make a person self conscious. For some people it is intermittent, or it may affect them only once.

What is an aye twitch and why does it happen?

An eyelid twitch is an involuntary spasm of one of the small muslces. There can be many causes of this, becuse of tiredness, too much caffeine, or stress. Some nutritional deficiency such as calcium and magnesium can also be a factor. There has also been some evidence to it being a genetic trait, so you may be more susceptible if your parents or grandparents regularly suffered from it.

Is it serious

In most cases the twitch is not serious and can be simply alleviated by small changes to the diet, reducing stress, more rest, relaxation, sleep, or reducing caffeine.

If there is a more pronounced degree of twitch, such as the eyelid becoming forced to close entirely or the symptoms last for more than a few days, the cause may relate to an irritation to the cornea or conjunctiva. If this is the case a visit to your optician or doctor may be advisable to determine if this is the case and further treatment or investigation may be needed.

If you believe stress is the cause for the twitching, it is vital that you assess your stress level and try and find ways of either reducing the stress you are exposed to or finding better ways of managing the stress you do receive as eyelid twitching is only a minor side-effect of stress and the other possible reactions going on in your body may be a lot more serious including high blood pressure, altered mental state and an increased risk of damage to your heart.

In most cases, the twitching can be relieved by simply allowing yourself more time to rest and unwind. Try getting a few more hours sleep or changing your routine so that your can get a little more sleep each night.

In many cases sleep is enough but if the twitching continues it could be that you are drinking too much tea or coffee as caffeine has also been identified as a risk. Switch to decaffeinated products or even better, exchange the tea or coffee for herbal teas or drinks that induce sleep and benefit in both ways.