Lip Twitching
The Many Possible Causes of Lip Twitching
If you experience lip twitching, you probably face embarrassment and even concern. However, it is important to know that this is usually nothing serious. In most cases, when the lip twitches, it has a direct link to fatigue, stress, anxiety, or emotion. Lip twitching can also be associated with drinking too much caffeine and sometimes, as a potassium deficiency. Sometimes, people who are trying to stop drinking alcohol or smoking will go through a period of experiencing lip twitching, as well.
If left alone, the twitching will stop in a few minutes and it may not happen again for months. Keep in mind that if you have lip twitching but it continually returns, lasts a long time, or you experience other symptoms as well, then you should be seen by a doctor. The twitch is a type of involuntary contraction of the muscles in the lip. In other words, the twitch might be some type of spasm or tremor, which again may not be serious at all, just annoying.
Lip twitching is sometimes referred to as “lip fasciculations”, which are still contractors of muscle fibers but they are irregular and abnormal. One of the things that make a twitch such as this so bothersome is that it can develop at anytime and anywhere. For instance, you could be out on a blind date having a wonderful dinner or perhaps giving a presentation in a board room of executives and out of nowhere, the lip starts jumping around.
The twitches of the lip are usually very fast and seen in a random rhythm. Although the lip twitching will go away within a few minutes, sometimes applying pressure with the finger, or applying a warm moist washcloth will stop the twitch immediately. Now, if the nerves surrounding the mouth have been damaged in any way or they become irritated, you might see lip twitching. There are even some illnesses whereby twitching is one of the symptoms as in the case of Bell’s palsy.
All of the above would be seen with temporary lip twitching but if this problem continues, the causes could be something completely different. For instance, the twitching might be what is known as a Hemifacial spasm, which results from a compressed facial nerve, usually associated with a tumor. In this case, anxiety, fatigue, and emotions can make the twitching worse. Twitching could also be a Tic, which would also involve muscles around the eyes. In other words, once the lip twitching began, you would likely see twitching of the eye muscles as well.
One of the more serious conditions that involve lip twitching is called Tourette’s syndrome. In addition to the twitching, symptoms of this disease would be the nose wrinkling up, the mouth grimacing or teeth clenching, the tongue moving around the mouth, quick blinking, and a constant clearing of the throat, which are all involuntary.
Another serious concern when constant lip twitching develops is Parkinson’s disease. Again, all of the movements are involuntary and may or may not affect both the upper and lower lip. People with this disease will also develop shaking of the hands, which makes dressing, eating, or lifting things difficult, if not impossible. However, with Parkinson’s disease, lip twitching would also be seen with slow movement, stiffening of the muscles, imbalance, and lack of coordination, and disrupted speech.
The bottom line is that many things can be associated with lip twitching, some nothing more than feeling stressed and others being something as serious as Parkinson’s disease. This is why if you begin to experience this problem and it continues or worsens, it would be better to see a doctor, learning everything is fine than to ignore the lip twitching only to finally have it checked and learn you have a major health issue.