Every once in a while my eyelid twitches and this can go on for days. A friend said this is a sign that you are stressed but I don’t think I feel stressed when it happens. Is there a way to stop it because its really annoying and embarrassing.

Dear Asker,

The causes of most eyelid twitching, also called myokymia, are unclear, but stress, fatigue and a lot of caffeine and alcohol consumption are leading suspects.  The bottom lid is the one that usually jumps around, and it can do so on and off for days or weeks before returning to normal on its own.  As you may know, this fluttering is rarely a sign of a serious health condition, especially if it’s not connected to other facial contractions.

Gently tugging on the eyelid with clean fingers or a tissue is usually the quickest twitch fix.  Reducing stress, increasing rest, and binging less on products with caffeine and alcohol would be a longer-term remedy if those factors were facilitating the flutter.  Annoying, yes, but embarrassment may not be needed because these spontaneous little spasms are more often noticed by their owners than anyone else because they are happening right up against your eyeball.

You may not feel stressed around twitching time, but know that being stressed on Tuesday, for example, may lead to stress symptoms on Thursday, or even the following Friday.  The stress response produces hormones that hang out in our bodies and may affect concentration, energy levels, sleep quality, mood, and much more, days and even weeks after stressful spans and events.  If your eyelid twitching is stress-induced, you could look at it as a helpful “dashboard indicator light,” your body’s signal to you to search for and address its possible causes.

Here’s looking at you (and not noticing anything out of the ordinary),

Les
2/07