Table of contents:
- What are the causes of twitching lips?
- 1. Lack of potassium
- 2. Excess caffeine
- 3. Certain drugs
- 4. Bell's palsy
- 5. Parkinson's
- 6. Tourette's Syndrome
- 7. Trauma
- 8. Stress
It's not just your eyes that can twitch, your lips can do the same. Twitching can occur on the upper or lower lip only. Lip twitching is basically the result of a miscommunication between the nerves of the lips and the muscles that control them.
What are the causes of twitching lips?
1. Lack of potassium
One of the characteristics of a potassium deficiency in your body is that your muscles often twitch, including your lips. This is because potassium plays a role in passing nerve signals from the brain throughout the body.
2. Excess caffeine
Twitching lips is a sign that you have had too much coffee. The caffeine content in coffee works to stimulate the central nervous system to trigger the release of the hormones serotonin and noradrenaline. These two hormones cause the muscles to overreact to motor nerve signals. So don't be surprised if twitching occurs after you drink more than 2-3 cups of coffee a day.
3. Certain drugs
Several prescription drugs and generic drugs are known to have side effects on muscle twitching. These include steroid drugs, diuretics, and synthetic estrogen hormones.
4. Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy is one-sided paralysis of the face due to inflammation and swelling of the peripheral nerves that control the facial muscles. Some people may experience twitching of their lips, either on the upper, lower only, or only on the right and left.
The cause of Bell's palsy isn't known, but it's usually linked to a viral infection.
5. Parkinson's
Parkinson's is a degenerative neurological disease that makes it hard for sufferers to move over time. This disease with muscle stiffness or small tremors in the hands or feet that gets worse over time. Tremors can also occur in the lower lip area and around the chin
Generally, Parkinson's attacks men who are over 50 years of age.
6. Tourette's Syndrome
Tourette's syndrome is a brain nervous system disorder that causes sudden, repetitive, uncontrollable patterns of movement. These symptoms can appear on any part of the body (face, hands, or feet).
Men are 4 times more likely to develop this syndrome than women and the symptoms usually appear around the age of 2-15 years.
7. Trauma
This condition can also be caused by trauma, such as a head injury hitting the brain stem. This injury can damage the facial nerves, causing the muscles in the lips to twitch.
8. Stress
Extreme stress, anxiety, and fatigue can also be the cause of this condition. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol can make facial muscles stiff or twitch easily.
