What does it mean when your eyes are twitching?
Eyelid twitching, sometimes known as myokymia, is very common and usually occurs as a result of an involuntary muscle contraction. These contractions can vary in strength – sometimes only the lower eyelid is affected but other times the spasm can be strong enough to impact the upper eyelid too!
Typically, twitching doesn’t last very long – usually every few seconds for a couple of minutes – however, sometimes eyelid twitching can occur on and off for a couple of months. The most frustrating element of the problem can be the unpredictability – eye twitching can sometimes appear out of nowhere at any time.
But what are the main causes of eye twitching? Well, an eye twitch can be caused by a variety of factors, from stress to dry eyes to a condition known as blepharospasm. In most cases, once you have identified the underlying cause, treating the issue is fairly straightforward.
How do I stop a twitching eye?
As I’ve mentioned, how you go about treating a twitching eye can depend largely on the underlying cause. That’s why I’m going to list some of the more common causes of a twitching eye and what you can do to address them to relieve the problem!
Stress
Stress is one of the more overlooked triggers that you would usually associate with an eye twitch, especially since its effects are so well-known elsewhere. However, when you experience stress, your levels of certain hormones such as adrenaline increase, which can inspire a reaction from your muscular system as it is anticipating a flight or fight scenario. Unfortunately, this muscular reflex can also include the muscles surrounding your eyes, triggering a twitch!
What you can do: If your eye twitch tends to affect you when you’re under pressure, it’s likely that stress could be the primary cause. If this is the case, it may be best to tackle any sources of anxiety or stress in your life first. Our stress advisor Marianna has a whole plethora of tips and advice over at A.Vogel Talks Stress that can help you to overcome this tricky emotion.
Nutritional imbalances
It’s thought that certain nutritional imbalances, such as low levels of magnesium, may also play a role in instigating an eye twitch. This is because magnesium is an essential mineral for your muscles and joints, helping support healthy nerve function. Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency, despite its numerous food sources, is extremely common in our society, especially amongst menstruating and menopausal women. When a deficiency occurs it can sometimes cause symptoms such as fatigue as well as muscle spasms and cramps – hello twitching eyelid!
What you can do: If you are suffering from low levels of magnesium the solution is simple – increase your intake! Magnesium can be found in plenty of different foods, from bananas to spinach to dark chocolate. If you maintain a healthy, balanced diet, you should be getting plenty of this mineral. However, if you’re going through menopause or suffering from PMS, your demand for magnesium can increase which is when it may become useful to consider a supplement. Our friends over at Jan de Vries offer Floradix’s Liquid Magnesium, which is frequently recommended by our Menopause Expert Eileen. This formula is readily absorbed by your digestive system, meaning that you can reap the benefits of this dose!
Eye strain
Do you spend a lot of time in front of a computer or glued to your smartphone? If so, you could be at risk of developing eye strain. When your eyes become tired and you can to strain to see what is in front of you, it can fatigue the muscles in your eyelids, triggering a twitch. Often this is a clear indication that you should give your eyes a rest for a few moments, but sometimes it may also be worth consulting your eye doctor too, just in case you may need glasses!
What you can do: Eye strain isn’t just associated with spending hours in front of a computer – it can occur as a result of reading or being exposed to unsuitable light. It’s important to look after your eyes and to be aware of the risks – if you do spend hours sitting in front of a screen, try to give your eyes a break using the 20-20-20 rule. If your environment is exposing you to bright lights then invest in sunglasses – remember these aren’t just for summer as the UV rays in winter can still harm your eyes!
Sleep
Sleep is important for practically every area of your body, including your eyes! Your eyes need sleep to rest and repair and, if you’re not getting enough, it will impair how your eyes work the following day, sometimes causing involuntary spasms! It also doesn’t help that sleep deprivation is a major catalyst for stress, which certainly won’t help your situation.
What you can do: Getting back into a regular sleep routine is the first step towards easing this particular trigger. If you feel as though an underlying stress or worry is preventing you from sleeping it may be worth tackling this head on. You also have to consider the importance of diet, lifestyle and even sleep hygiene! Eating sugary, carb-heavy snacks before bedtime will definitely impact your sleep and, if like most of us, you enjoy scrolling on social media late at night, your production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, may be inhibited! For advice about everything concerning sleep, be sure to check out our Sleep Advisor, Marianna’s blogs over at A.Vogel Talks Sleep.
Allergies
It’s getting up to that time of year again when allergies become a big concern. During late spring and summer, many different types of trees and grass will be pollinating and these pollen particles can easily irritate sensitive eyes, especially if you suffer from hayfever! Not only will your immune system trigger an inflammatory reaction, releasing large amounts of histamine, it’s also thought that the simple act of rubbing your eyes can release histamine into your eye tissues, causing muscle spasms!1
What you can do: When allergies strike it’s important to be aware of your triggers and take steps to minimalise your exposure. Our Hayfever and Allergic Rhinitis Advisor, Rachel Berlandi, offers plenty of information about how to support yourself during the sneezing season over at A.Vogel Talks Hayfever and A.Vogel Talks Allergic Rhinitis. In the meantime, you could try a natural remedy, such as our Pollinosan Hayfever Tablets, which contain extracts from 7 tropical herbs. Non-drowsy and suitable for use alongside other hayfever medicines, this product can also be used to ease the symptoms of allergic rhinitis too!
Lifestyle habits
Believe it or not, certain lifestyle habits can also contribute towards causing eye twitches. Consuming vast amounts of caffeine is one of the better known of these habits when it comes to causing muscle spasms. This is because caffeine acts a stimulant, prompting the release of chemicals such as noradrenaline, which can affect the muscles surrounding your eyes, causing a spasm to occur. It’s believed that alcohol can instigate a similar reaction too!
What you can do: Completely jettisoning coffee and tea from your diet probably isn’t a realistic goal, which is why I’d advocate for moderation rather than attempting to cut it out completely. A cup of coffee in the morning probably isn’t going to have a lasting effect, nor will the odd glass of wine on a Saturday night. It’s only when we consume these products in excessive amounts that problems can start to arise. You should also be aware that caffeine can linger in unexpected places, such as certain medications and fizzy drinks so always try to be label savvy!
Dry eyes
Dry eyes can be caused by a number of different factors and they can also contribute to eye twitching. When your eyes lack moisture it can cause irritation and redness, but it can also stimulate muscle spasms too!
What can you do: Dry eyes can be eased in a number of different ways. Firstly, if your dry eyes are b
eing exacerbated by hours in front of a computer, try to remember to take regular breaks and to blink! If you wear contact lenses, clean them regularly and take them out often before your eyes become dry. You could also try restoring moisture by using artificial tears or eye drops.
Our Extra Moisturising Eye Drops are particularly beneficial in cases of extremely dry or irritated eyes. This formula contains double the amount of hyaluronic acid compared to our traditional eye drops so it’s extra soothing and has improved longevity!
What about infections?
Sometimes eye twitching can be linked to eye infections such as blepharitis, a chronic inflammatory condition where your eyelids remain consistently inflamed and irritated. In this instance, although herbal remedies such as our Eye Drops can help to ease symptoms, we would always recommend that you speak to your eye doctor.
It’s also important to be able to distinguish eye twitching from blepharospasm, a neurological condition. Blepharospasm is very similar to eye twitching but in this case the muscle spasms are a lot stronger, forcibly closing the entire eye. This muscle spasm is often painful and can cause excessive blinking, with symptoms commonly occurring between the ages of 50 and 70.2
1https://www.visiondirect.co.uk/eye-care-centre/eye-twitching
