Why does my eyelid twitch?

It’s happened to all of us. You’re going about your day, everything totally normal and then it starts: the annoyingly troubling eyelid twitch. It can be a serious disruption to your focus and we’ve all wondered, “Why is this happening right now?”

Luckily, it’s most likely nothing to be worried about. Just a small disruption to your day, but we’d still like to share where it comes from and why. 

Three types of twitches

What are eye twitches anyways? Glad you asked! There are three main ways to define eye twitches. The most common is just that, eye twitches or ticks. They are usually short-term and resolve themselves. They go as quickly as they came on and are often associated with many different causes. 

The other two types are essential blepharospasms and hemifacial spasms. Both are much less common than eye ticks and are often accompanied by other symptoms like facial paralysis or discharge. These two types of eye twitches require medical attention as they don’t usually resolve themselves. 

What is causing the twitch?

For most people, what they experience regularly could be described as an eyelid twitch or tick. These random spasms have a variety of causes. It could be as simple as not getting your regular eight hours of sleep or just having one too many cups of coffee. 

There might also be another cause for eye twitches, one which many of us can relate to. There’s some evidence to suggest that being in front of screens too frequently can lead to eye strain, causing a spasm. The same effect can be seen if your prescription isn’t right, needs an update, or if you have dry eyes. 

Remedies and when should I be concerned?

Now that you know what causes that annoying spasm, what can you do? For most people, alleviating eye twitches will have to be done through lifestyle change. Identify if you’re getting enough sleep, drinking too much caffeine, spending too much time looking at screens, or constantly squinting. 

The easy fixes are getting more sleep, ingesting less caffeine, and reducing screen time when possible. If you find yourself squinting frequently, you may want to consult your eye doctor to see if your prescription needs an update. You might also try eating more bananas. There are some indications that eye twitches are worsened by a magnesium deficiency, which bananas are rich in. That being said, you’d see faster results by sleeping more and drinking less caffeine than eating a banana. 

Lastly, if your eye twitching persists for more than 72 hours, is accompanied by discharge, or is affecting other parts of your face, then you’ll want to see your doctor.