Lip twitching can be caused by irritants, stress, nerve injuries, emotions, essential tremors, and medical conditions such as Bell’s palsy or a lack of potassium. It can be a symptom of a bigger problem and may require medical treatment.
Lip twitching is caused by sudden, involuntary muscle contractions in or around the lips. These contractions can be caused by irritants affecting the nerves in the lips or they can be induced by stress. Nerve injuries can also cause twitching, and sometimes the nerves in the face don’t work as they should and cause the muscles in the lips to twitch.
When a lip contracts, the muscles in or around the area contract, making the lip feel quivering. If the contraction is fast, the lip may not appear to be contracting to observers, but it may still be felt. Some conditions make the contractions more noticeable to others and may be accompanied by other symptoms.
Withdrawal from substances such as alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes can cause a person to tighten their lips. Substances containing stimulant products, such as sodas, coffee, chocolate, and caffeine pills, can produce muscle contractions if taken in excess.
Emotions can often trigger muscle twitching of the lips. People sometimes experience this when they have strong feelings of anger, fear, joy, or amusement. It can also occur with extreme fatigue, stress and anxiety.
Essential tremors can also cause spasms, as can hysterical tremors. In general, these types of tremors affect not only the lips, but other areas of the body as well. An essential tremor is often caused by stress, while hysterical tremors occur when a person uses too many drugs or consumes too much alcohol.
Sometimes, a medical condition can contribute to the development of lip twitching. Bell’s palsy is a condition that affects the nerves in the face and often leads to twitching. With this condition, other symptoms such as facial swelling, difficulty speaking, and a sagging face may also be present. Another problem that can produce muscle twitching is a lack of potassium in a person’s diet.
A twitching lip may be just an annoying side effect that some people have to contend with, but sometimes it can be a symptom of a much bigger problem. When these contractions occur regularly and are a constant problem, it may be an indication of a medical problem that needs to be treated by a professional. A persistent twitch can be caused by hypoparathyroidism, Tourette syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome, or even Parkinson’s disease. In these cases, the twitching may be just one of several symptoms.
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