Associated symptoms

In the case of a twitching eyelid, the muscles around the eye contract without the affected person being able to control it. This is often caused by a temporary malfunction of the associated nerve. If stress and psychological strain are the triggers, patients often complain about the typical accompanying symptoms such as tiredness, exhaustion or headaches.

Muscle twitches can also occur in epilepsy. In a focal seizure, only a small area of the brain is affected by the disorder. There is usually no disturbance of consciousness.

Muscle twitching can also play a role in other neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or multiple sclerosis (MS). Further symptoms are then a disturbance of the fine motor skills up to paralysis, sensory disturbances or insecure gait. Headaches are the most common accompanying symptom of eyelid twitching.

The reason for this is that in most cases stress, exhaustion and fatigue are the cause of eyelid twitching. These triggers are very often accompanied by headaches, so both are symptoms of the same cause. Typically, headaches lead to an increased tension of the muscles in the head and neck area, so that they can further increase the tendency to eyelid twitching.

Facial twitching is most likely caused by stress or psychological strain. However, there can always be a tic disorder behind it. This disorder refers to the repeated occurrence of uncontrollable contractions of individual muscles or muscle groups (tics) or repeated involuntary vocal utterances.

In motor tics, a distinction is made between simple tics (e.g. twitching of the facial muscles) and complex tics (e.g. touching objects). This disorder occurs mainly in children.

Between 5 and 15 percent of all children are affected. The disease can be treated with medication or psychotherapy. In the majority of those affected, the tics also disappear again spontaneously.

If the upper eyelid twitches, it is usually due to the fact that the associated nerves activate the corresponding eye muscles due to a malfunction without being controlled by the affected person. In most cases an increased stress level, too little sleep or too much caffeine is responsible for the twitching upper eyelid. Even if it is usually very stressful for the patient, it can be said that it is not noticed so much by outsiders.

Furthermore, the twitching only lasts for a short period of time. It often disappears again without treatment. A twitching lower lid is usually harmless and has no disease value.

The corresponding nerves are disturbed for a short period of time due to various factors and thus activate their corresponding muscle without being controllable by the person affected. The most common triggers are stress, lack of sleep, anxiety, inner restlessness or too much caffeine. Often the twitching of the lower eyelid is so minimal that it is not even noticed by other people.

It also usually disappears again spontaneously. However, if it occurs again and again or persists over a longer period of time, it is advisable to consult a doctor. If you squeeze your eyes very tightly, the eyelid may twitch afterwards.

This usually indicates overexertion of the eye muscles. The associated nerves are temporarily disturbed. These then activate a muscle or group of muscles without being subject to arbitrary control. If the eye area is relaxed again, the twitching usually disappears by itself. Symptoms such as stress or psychological strain can intensify the eye twitching.