What makes my body twitching

We describe common symptoms to watch for. New gene therapy helps children born with a rare genetic disorder called AADC deficiency that causes severe physical and developmental disabilities. By clicking "Subscribe" you agree to our Terms of Use. We'll be in touch every so often with health tips, patient stories, important resources and other information you need to keep you and your family healthy.

Why do my muscles twitch? Have you ever been in a stressful situation and then noticed that your eyelid is twitching uncontrollably? Muscle twitching happens when of small groups of muscles contract involuntarily. The most common muscles that twitch are face, forearms, upper arms and legs.

Normally, nerve impulses get from the brain and reach the muscles to tell the muscles when to contract or move, which helps us perform body movements. A certain amount of nerve impulse is needed at a baseline level to keep muscles healthy.

Certain daily life situations, as well as diseases, can create imbalance in signal transmission brain, spine and nerves or signal reception muscles , which then causes muscle twitching. Stress — Anxiety and stress can cause twitching by releasing neurotransmitters from the nerves supplying the muscles. Also, anxiety can make you hyperventilate, or breathe faster, which changes the ions concentration and pH in your body, and predisposes you to muscle twitching.

Lack of sleep — Sleep helps us recharge our bodies. Inadequate amounts of sleep can change hormonal balance and can alter the underlying excitability of muscles, making muscles more likely to twitch. Incomplete sleep cycles can also alter the storage ratio of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can also change the excitability of muscles.

Too much caffeine — Caffeine interacts with a molecule called ADP, which is essentially the currency for all energy transfer in our bodies at the cellular level. By changing the concentrations of ADP and ATP, excess caffeine can change the amount of energy at the muscle and cause muscle twitching. Dehydration — Drinking healthy amounts of water allows the muscles to maintain the correct amount of salt in our body, which maintains normal muscle and nerve function.

Losing excessive amounts of water can cause muscle twitching. Thus, small quantities of these elements can cause major changes. Having a vitamin D deficiency may cause muscle weakness and twitching. Muscle mass is up to 75 percent water. Water also helps to carry nutrients and minerals to muscles to support their function. When a person does not drink enough water, they may develop dehydration.

Having dehydration may cause muscle twitching. Experiencing psychological stress or high anxiety levels may prompt excess muscle tension. This complication can lead to muscles twitching. Certain medications can lead to involuntary muscle twitching. This reaction may be a side effect or due to interactions with other drugs.

People can discuss side effects and drug interactions with the doctor when taking a new medication. Muscle twitching that is not explained by one of the common causes above may indicate an underlying health condition.

A pinched spinal nerve, known as radiculopathy, may cause muscle twitching and spasms. Other symptoms include a tingling or numb feeling in the foot or leg. A herniated disk can cause a pinched nerve, often the result of trauma. When a disk in the spine is damaged, it may squeeze the root of the corresponding nerve.

ALS is a rare neurological condition. Muscle twitching may be a sign of a degenerative neurological condition called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS. This is a rare condition. This causes:. Over time, a person with ALS may lose the ability to control their movements. This can make walking, talking, eating, and breathing difficult. This means that their nerves continuously trigger their muscle fibers. This causes muscle contractions even when someone is resting.

Muscle twitching may be a sign of lupus , though this condition is not common. Lupus may cause certain muscle groups to become inflamed. This inflammation is called myositis. Muscle twitching is a symptom of myositis. Rarely, muscle twitching may be a sign of multiple sclerosis MS. A common symptom of MS is spasticity. Spasticity is when muscles become stiff and contract involuntarily.

Muscle twitching may be a sign of spasticity. A muscle twitch and a muscle spasm are both involuntary contractions of a muscle, although they are not quite the same. A muscle twitch is a short contraction that may happen repeatedly. Some possible causes are…. Learn about hemifacial spasms, including potential treatment options. An eyelid twitch is when your eyelid muscles involuntarily spasm repetitively.

The twitches are painless and harmless, but they may bother you. Magnesium deficiency, also known as hypomagnesemia, is an often overlooked health problem. This article lists 7 symptoms of magnesium deficiency. Is your lip twitching? This odd sensation of your lip shaking or trembling can be annoying. It can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition…. The vagus nerve is the longest of the 12 cranial nerves. Here, learn about its anatomy, functions, and the kinds of health problems that can occur.

Parosmia is term used to describe health conditions that distort your sense of smell. If you have parosmia, you may experience a loss of scent….

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Causes Diagnosis Treatment Prevention What are muscle twitches? Causes of muscle twitching. Diagnosing the cause of muscle twitching. Treatment for muscle twitching. Preventing muscle twitching. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Seunggu Han, M. Hemifacial Spasm. Eyelid Twitch.