When you look in the mirror can you see a muscle jumping just beneath the surface of your skin around an eyelid or detect your lip twitching uncontrollably? Or are you watching a muscle flutter under your skin somewhere else, like in your arm or leg? This minor involuntary contraction is a fasciculation, commonly referred to as a muscle twitch.
Typically, a fasciculation manifest when a muscle is at rest and are not accompanied by pain. It may feel funny and you perceive the insignificant twitch as greater than it actually is. Normally you can cause this little distraction to quit fluttering by moving that particular muscle.
The irregular contraction of an individual muscle fiber resulting in a fasciculation can occur for a myriad of reasons, most often the cause is relatively easy to fix. Yet, your muscle twitching can also be a symptom of a serious health condition. Let’s start with the easy ones.
One basic cause for your muscle to twitch is over straining. This may happen should you overwork them when not in shape. Another is unconsciously tensing your muscles, which is very often the case when under the influence of stress or anxiety. So the remedy for this cause of fasciculation is rest, relaxation and stress management.
Next is related to diet. Twitching muscles can be caused by insufficient magnesium intake or depletion, like due to severe diarrhea and overexerting yourself. Other dietary reasons include too much caffeine, electrolyte imbalance, dehydration and vitamin deficiency. Therefore, a diet consisting of a healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables may put an end to your fasciculation.
Certain drugs can get your muscles jumping, for instance anesthetics, pseudoephedrine, amphetamines and anticholinergics. Those suffering with pathogen caused polio, Lyme disease and rabies may experience this symptom. And herniated disc, cervical spondylosis, spinal tumor, spinal cord compression and whiplash are some spinal problems for which fasciculations may arise.
As might be expected, twitching is not uncommon due to some neurological and muscular related disorders, for example cerebral palsy, motor neuron diseases (e.g. ALS), peripheral nerve damage, brain injury or spinal damage. Finally, a couple other reported causes of fasciculation are uremia, fibromyalgia and hyperthyroidism.
In the absence of a serious health condition, consider your muscle twitching episodes an indicator you need to make a change, be it in your diet or over doing it. Give your muscles a break by relaxing and take the time you need to eat healthier foods.