Muscle Twitches

Have you ever had one of those super annoying little eye twitches? Or maybe a twitch in your arm or your leg or someplace else?

Muscle twitching, also known as muscle fasciculations, are involuntary contractions or spasms of small muscle fibers. They can be seen in various muscle groups, including the eyelids, arms, legs, and tongue, and can be either mild or severe. Although muscle fasciculations are usually harmless and do not cause any long-term harm, they can be bothersome and interfere with daily activities.

Muscle fasciculations can also be caused by other factors such as stress, anxiety, dehydration, lack of sleep, and nutrient deficiencies, especially in magnesium.

So, let’s review the main causes of muscle twitches, and how you can take care of them naturally.

Main Causes of Muscle Twitches:

1. Caffeine

The first big reason that you're getting these twitches is too much caffeine. Caffeine is of course a nervous system stimulant. It's just going to make your nerves be a little more excitable than normal, resulting in the twitching. 

So if you're drinking tons of caffeine or maybe a sports drink or an energy drink with caffeine or other stimulants, this may be why you're getting those fasciculations.

2. Alcohol

The second big cause is alcohol. Alcohol is a CNS or central nervous system depressant. If you've ever gone out on a bender on a Friday or Saturday night and you wake up the next day and you've got these twitches in your body, that's because the alcohol is still negatively affecting your nervous system, creating these nerve twitches.

3. Dehydration

Another big cause of muscle twitches is dehydration. Of course alcohol is going to dehydrate you and there's a lot of other ways to get dehydrated too. So if you don't drink but you're still getting a lot of muscle twitches, you need to really check your hydration levels.

We recommend drinking about half your body weight in ounces per day - that's kind of a general recommendation to make sure that you're well enough hydrated.

4. Lack of sleep/fatigue

The next reason you can get muscle twitches is from lack of sleep or fatigue. We know that when you're not sleeping of course, that's not good for your nervous system either. That'll set you up for these twitches.

And of course if you have eye strain on top of being tired - most of us are looking at computers all day - our eyes get tired - and that can really set you up for the twitches your eyelids which are especially annoying. 

Here are some of our best sleep remedies. 

5. Stress

If you have a lot of stress, this can also set off muscle twitches. So all you need to do is press that no stress button and it'll all go away right?!

Easier said than done!

But seriously that's a big reason for getting these muscle twitches is from being stressed out.

6. Medications

There are several medications that you need to be aware of.

The first group are the corticosteroids. These are things like prednisone that you take if you have something like a really bad joint pain or maybe you're trying to get rid of bronchitis. Ideally you're on these medications for a very short amount of time. But if you're on them and all of a sudden you get the muscle twitches, well you can blame it on this medication.

The other class of drugs that cause muscle twitches are the oral estrogens. These are for postmenopausal women who are trying to balance out their hormones. Oral estrogen can set you up for muscle twitches. We see more of that in ladies who are taking these medications.

It’s not necessarily the topical estrogen, but it's more when it's taken by mouth.

7. Nutrient deficiencies

There are 5 main nutrient deficiencies that can set you up for muscle twitches; this also means they can be used to resolve muscle twitching as well.

Magnesium

Number one on this list is magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in muscle and nerve function. A deficiency in magnesium is a well established cause of muscle twitching and cramps. 

Vitamin D

The second nutrient is vitamin D. As you know, we need vitamin D in our bodies for a number of different things and it also has an important effect on your muscle function. 

A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to sore muscles and twitching. 

As you’re probably aware you need the sun shining on your skin to make enough vitamin D. Most of us don't have that luxury because we're inside or we don’t live in the tropics. So take a vitamin D pill. I like to have people take about 5,000 units a day. Make sure your blood level is about around 50. Get your blood level checked before you start supplementing with any vitamin D.

Calcium

Third big nutrient is calcium. We don't talk about calcium deficiency a lot because Americans tend to eat so much calcium in the various dairy products that we consume.

However if you don't eat dairy, you can still get a lot of calcium in your diet through leafy greens, cold water fish, nuts and seeds. So if you're dairy-free, you need to make sure that you’re getting enough of those foods in your diet. 

If you're drinking alternative milks like almond milk and coconut milk or soy milk, etc. - many of these are fortified with calcium these days. But still check out how much calcium you're getting overall in your diet. 

We like women to take about 1,000 milligrams a day for their bone health. And of course if you don’t participate in weight-bearing sports (and I'm talking to you cyclists!), you need to take some calcium as well. And of course that vitamin D helps pull that calcium into your body and will also help get rid of those muscle twitches.

B Vitamins (B6 and B12)

The last two nutrients are vitamin B6 and B12 of course. These B-vitamins have more of an effect on your nervous system. When you're deficient in these, you can develop something called neuropathy - which is like pins and needles feeling, muscle pain and of course those twitches. You don't have to have all those going on to be deficient, but if you're getting the twitches, you need to look at your B vitamin levels. 

B vitamins can help support your adrenal glands, neurotransmitter function, stress levells and of course will get rid of the muscle twitches. 

There you have it.  The main causes and remedies for those annoying muscle twitches. By incorporating these remedies into your daily routine, you can help manage your muscle fasciculations and enjoy improved muscle health and relaxation. Do keep in mind though that if your muscle fasciculations are persistent or are causing you significant discomfort, it is important to see a doctor to determine if there is some other underlying cause.

Here's a detailed video on muscle twitches: