Your lips begin to twitch uncontrollably at any time and are usually not a cause for concern. If you are experiencing a frequent lip twitching, or if it does not stop after a few minutes, you may want to further investigate the cause. This common event can be an indicator of an underlying health condition that requires medical attention.
Lip Twitching Meaning
Lip fasciculation, or twitching of the lips, is the involuntary sudden movement of the muscle fibers in your upper, lower, or both lips. During a twitch, it may feel obvious that people around you can see it, but that is not the case. In addition to the muscle contractions in your lip, you may also have numbness, repeated spasms, or even the sensation of a palpitation in the lip.
Symptoms Associated With Lip Twitching
Lip Twitching is a symptom and not a medical condition. Thus it is important to study the associated symptoms so that one can come up with a cause for the twitch of the lip and formulate a treatment plan to get rid of the problem of this condition. Some of the associated symptoms that occur along with Lip Twitching are:
- Abrupt contraction or shrinkage of muscles of the lower lip
- Repeated involuntary spasms around the facial region
- Lack of sensation in the lip along with a feeling of numbness
- Abnormal motion of the lower lip.
Lip Twitching Causes
Lip twitch can be a rather disturbing symptom for some people although in most cases the cause behind it may not be serious. Most cases of a twitching lip may be due to stress, fatigue, emotion, excessive caffeine intake, or some deficiency in the diet such as potassium. Lip twitch in most cases is self-limiting, disappearing in minutes or maybe in a few days without any residual problems. However persistent lip twitch with other signs and symptoms should be investigated for other underlying disorders.
Causes of twitch of the lip
There is always a reason for our lips to twitch, whether from emotional distress to a neurological health condition. We will take a look at upper lip twitch causes, as well as lower lip twitching causes.
Emotions
In cases where we become overly excited, distraught, or completely overwhelmed, our lips may begin to tremble. The nerve endings in our upper and lower lips are stimulated by the autonomic nervous system, and its sympathetic nervous system. We also may experience pupil dilation, facial flushing, speech impediment, and watery eyes. The twitching usually lasts until we focus on the event causing the emotional reaction.
Essential Tremors
Lip twitch may be a symptom of essential tremors which can affect the head and extremities. Not to be confused with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors occur as the body’s response to muscle contractions from a neurological condition. No cause has been determined; however, those with a family history of essential tremors have a 50% chance of also experiencing these tremors. It appears usually after the age of 40, and symptoms become progressively worse over time. Essential tremors are not part of the natural ageing process.
Substance Withdrawal
After a time period without neurostimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, or street drugs, a person can experience lip twitch. This can also happen during excessive use of such substances. Lip twitching is evident during the withdrawal period, as well as for a significant length of time after recovery. Along with the twitching, you may have tremors of the head, tongue, and vocal cords.
Bell’s Palsy
The twitching of upper lip can be present in those with Bell’s palsy. This condition can be present after the facial nerve is damaged or injured. In addition to upper lip twitching, it can affect one side of the face with signs of drooping and swelling. Speech will also be affected by this condition.
Parkinson’s Disease
Gradual deterioration of dopamine cells within the central nervous system can cause a twitch in the upper or lower lip, or even both lips. Known as Parkinson’s disease, this condition can also offer symptoms of extremity shaking, hand tremors, muscle stiffness, mobility difficulty, and speech impediment. The lips may twitch when the person is not speaking or eating in the early stages of the disease.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Known as ALS, this neurodegenerative condition often presents twitching of the upper lip and face muscles as indicators. It is caused by genetic markers, biochemical imbalances, or as a result of an autoimmune disorder. The twitching relates to the beginning of the muscles gradually weakening, and will eventually result in paralyzation.
Hemi- facial Spasm
Cases of hemi -facial spasms identify with upper lip twitch, as well as facial muscle contractions, and paralysis of muscle-controlling facial expressions. The twitching of the lip may be reoccurring. This condition is linked to compression of the facial nerve, but no direct cause has been found. Some cases have lip twitching heightened with anxiety or fatigue.
Hypoparathyroidism
Lip twitch is a major symptom of hypoparathyroidism. This condition relates to the decrease in production of the parathyroid hormone. In addition to lower or upper lip twitch, it can affect other muscles, such as those in the hands and feet. Dry skin, brittle nails, leg cramps, and depression are other symptoms.
Tourette’s Syndrome
Upper lip twitches and the movements of facial muscles are key indicators of Tourette’s syndrome. Referred to as tics, the involuntary movement of the muscles can be seen with blinking, scrunching of the nose, and clearing of the throat. Behavioral issues, involuntary vocalization sounds, and sudden obscenity yelling are also associated with this neurological disorder.
DiGeorge Syndrome
Under-development of the body caused by the absence of chromosome 22 is known as the inherited DiGeorge syndrome. Twitching of the lips and other facial features are part of this condition, and may be seen at birth or later in life. Other symptoms include leg and hand muscle spasms, breathing difficulty, fatigue, or a blue hue of the skin.
Tics
A facial tic may involve the eyes or muscles of the face and lips. There is repeated spasm of the involved muscles. Tics occur frequently in childhood and often resolve on their own but may sometimes continue throughout life. Stress is known to aggravate this condition.
Parkinson’s Disease
In Parkinson’s disease, twitching or tremor of the lips may occur as rhythmical involuntary, movements affecting one or both lips, along with other signs and symptoms of the disease. This tremor of the lips occurs at rest and may stop while performing activities such as eating or speaking – typical of resting tremors in Parkinson’s disease. Twitching of the lips is not observed when the patient is sleeping. In later stages of the disease, lip twitching may continue even when the patient is talking or eating.
Other signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may include :
- Tremor, usually starting in the hands.
- Slowness of movement.
- Muscle stiffness.
- Problems with balance and co-ordination.
- Slow monotonous speech.
- Walking with short shuffling steps.
- Fixed facial expression with a staring gaze and little or no blinking.
Essential Tremor
This is one of the most common types of tremor and usually involves the arms, hands and head. The tremor occurs most frequently on stretching the arms or trying to perform some activity and is often associated with neurological disorders. There may be a family history of essential tremor although often, no known cause can be identified. It is minimal at rest and may disappear during sleep. There may be periods of uncontrollable tremors and even shaking of parts of the body that subsides after a short period of time.
Drug Induced Tremor
These tremors may arise from long term or continuous abuse of alcohol or narcotic use, including crystal meth addition. Drug induced tremors may also be present as a result of opiate withdrawal and can be severe during the detoxification phase. It may also persist after rehabilitation as is seen in recovering addicts, along with other symptoms like head tremor, voice, tongue and lip tremor, causing difficulty with speech.
Hysterical Tremor
A hysterical tremor usually occurs in a heightened emotional state. This sort of tremor or twitching of the lips disappears or reduces when the patient is distracted. It is not usually a serious issue on its own.
Lip Twitching Superstition
In some cultures, it is seen as an omen or a nature’s way of warning human of an impending occurrence when you experience lip twitch. Scientifically, all planets in the solar system radiates is own specific kind of energy. Due difference in the planetary conjunctions we are all born in, the emitted energies will have different effects on different individuals.
Superstitions attempt to interpret the meaning of the twitching based on the part of the body that twitches. For example the twitching of the right eye or eyelid is interpreted to mean good fortune is coming. On the other hand, if the twitching was on the left eye or eyelid, then it could mean a bad omen.
Another common believe is that if the right thumb of hand or foot twitches, it is said you are going to be successful in your endeavors. It is believed that all your wishes are likely to be fulfilled even within the same day. The contrary is that, it indicates bad luck and problem hindrances s to your ventures.
Lip Twitch Superstition
For lip twitch, it was believed for old wives that this could be a possible indication of goodness relating to matters of love. Now this kind of believed and interpretation will differ from one geographical location to the other. If you hold a different view or superstation about the twitching of the lip we would love to know about it. Please share it in the comment box below.
You may have heard of certain superstitions when it comes to the twitching of the lips. These statements may pertain to upper lip twitch superstition or a lower lip twitching superstition. As with the idea that someone is thinking of you when your nose itches, there are a few sayings that have developed from bouts of lip twitching, such as:
- Upper lip twitch means you can expect someone to kiss you in the near future; it also can be switched to meaning you may kiss someone instead.
- Expect something bad to happen when your left side of lip begins to twitch.
- Expect something good to happen when your right side of lip begins to twitch.
Lip twitch can happen suddenly, and may prove to be embarrassing while in public. This involuntary movement of the muscle fibers within our lips can be a result of emotions or stress. It can also be a sign of a serious health condition or disorder.
Twitching of the lips usually does not last very long in most cases, and sometimes can be stopped by applying pressure to the trembling lip with a finger or teeth. For reoccurring episodes, treatment is based on the cause. Some lip twitches can be controlled or avoided with a few lifestyle changes.
Lip Twitching Stroke
It is important to recognize the early warning signs of a stroke. The earlier someone receives treatment for stroke symptoms, the better the chances of a complete recovery. For the best results, the patient should be treated within one hour of the onset of symptoms. Taking a wait-and-see approach can make recovery more difficult or even impossible.
Don’t ignore any twitch on your face
Often, someone will experience stroke symptoms for a few seconds or minutes, and then the symptoms will go away. This can be a sign of a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Roughly 30 percent of people who suffer from a stroke experience lip twitching can as well occur in the days or weeks leading up to the stroke.
If you or someone you know experiences any stroke symptoms, it is important to visit the emergency room immediately, even if the symptoms subside. Even if the symptoms go away, the condition that led to the TIA is still there, and there is every reason to suspect that a stroke is imminent.
Look for Unusual Symptoms
Not all people experience the textbook warning signs of a stroke. Women, in particular, often experience less common early symptoms. A female who develops sudden nausea, overwhelming weakness, chest pains, lip twitch, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath or even a sudden case of hiccups may be in the early stages of a stroke.
Other unusual early warning signs of a stroke in either sex are difficulty swallowing or sudden hoarseness. Uncontrollable muscle twitching or eye movements are also early warning signals that some people experience.
Lower Lip Twitching Left Side
A flickering lip on one side of the lip can be a great reason for concern. Different communities have tried to interpret what the twitching could mean, but at the end the interpretation tends to vary from one geographical location to the other.
Your lower lip twitch on the left side can be minor, which eventually clears on its own or severe when caused by a serious underlying medical condition. Depending on the symptoms exhibited, your health care provider can run some diagnosis and establish what the underlying cause of the spasm is. Treatment for the underlying cause can then be prescribed.
If the twitch is a mild, it can be managed at home using simple remedy such as a warm compress, having adequate sleep or physical activities such as yoga to relax and relieve stress.
Lower Lip Twitching Right Side
Lower lip twitch on the right side is a clear signal of nerve problem on the right side of the lip. From the beginning, we have seen that neurological disorder is a possible cause of the twitching and muscle spasm on lip. All the other causes discussed above could also lead to the flickering of the lower lip on the right side.
Mild episodes of twitching can be managed with a simple hot compress. Pat your lips with a face towel dip in hot water within interval of 20 minutes to stop the twitching. If the twitching persists seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The twitching as it has been said is involuntary, that is why it is important to seek medical attention as soon as you notice other symptoms start to appear. This could include feeling of numbness on lips, the swelling of nodes or difficulties in moving your jaws or lip.
Eye and Lip Twitching
The eye is very near the sinuses and can get affected because of the sinus inflammation. Some nerves of your eye are passing through your sinuses and ending at your brain. When your sinuses are inflamed some nerves can get irritated, causing muscle spasms that will run from the eye area down to the lip area.
It is something that can happen to anyone, and can affect your top, bottom, or both lips and is a very common. It can happen due to many things including stress or fatigue, deficiency of potassium, lack of electrolytes, withdrawal or excess intake of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes. Sometimes Lip twitching can also result from a neck pain. Lip twitch in most cases is self-limiting. Another common cause is Sinusitis. Sinuses located around your eyes and nose, that twitching might cause pressure on facial nerve.
How to Stop Lip Twitching
Majority of Lip Twitch caused due to medical conditions can be taken care of by treating the underlying cause. Lip Twitch caused due to diseases like Parkinson Disease and DiGeorge Syndrome may not go away permanently as a definite cure for these conditions has not been found yet but Lip Twitch caused due to conditions like anxiety, fear, alcohol or drug abuse can be prevented if the following measures are taken.
- To get rid of anxiety and alcohol related problems, certain lifestyle changes along with consultation with a skilled psychiatrist with use of medications can help a great deal in getting rid of not only the underlying anxiety and alcohol problem but also its related symptoms of lip twitch.
- Avoid caffeine as much as possible as this is yet another cause of lip twitching.
- As soon as lip twitch starts you can apply a warm cloth to the lips or apply pressure as this will stop lip twitching instantly.
- Manage stress appropriately and if possible try yoga or other forms of exercise to keep the stress under control which will get rid of lip twitch caused due to extreme stress.
- In case if lip twitching is caused due to potassium deficiency then eating food rich in potassium like water melon and banana are quite effective in getting rid of twitching of the lips.
This In summary, Lip Twitch is not something to be too concerned about unless it points to an underlying medical condition. If the condition is persistent then it is always better to get it evaluated by a physician so that a definitive diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan can be formulated to permanently get rid of Lip Twitch.
How to Stop a Twitching Lip Naturally?
- To overcome fear or any possible condition brought by the twitching, consult a doctor to be sure.
- Maintain a more relaxed state of mind and body, away from stress that could cause agitation.
- Surround oneself with family or peers who can help with an existing problem or difficulty.
- Reduce intake of caffeine or alcoholic drinks.
- Patient can put a warm compress on the twitching to relax the muscles.
- Eat a sufficient supply of foods with a high Potassium content. Magnesium-rich foods may also help in stopping lip twitching.
More references
- Lip twitch meaning: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/lip-twitching-causes-treatment
- Lip twitching: http://www.healthhype.com/lip-twitching.html
- Early signs of impending stroke: http://www.livestrong.com/article/15808-early-signs-impending-stroke/