Dr. Wilhelm has just been featured as an expert in Shape Magazine online! If you’ve ever suffered from or wondered how to cure eyelid twitching here’s everything you could want to know.
Eyelid twitching, or myokymia, is frequently the result of chronic stress.
We’re so accustomed to our busy modern lifestyles, we’re sometimes slow to recognize the pieces of the puzzle: lack of sleep, too much caffeine, fatigue, anxiety, overwork, overexposure to television and computer screens, blowing off steam with a glass of wine – or two or three.
All of these sources of stress deplete our body’s minerals just as quickly as they zap our energy. And to make matters worse, when we get stressed, we’re more likely to go for that extra cup of coffee and fast food rather than taking the time to eat really well and drink enough water.
While eyelid twitches are not life threatening, they are annoying. The good news is they are easy to fix.
Here are five easy tips to beat them in a day:
1. Most importantly, restore your mineral reserves! My favorites to focus on are magnesium and potassium like what’s found in CalmWithin Mineral Balance.
2. Hydrate with pure water. Your ideal daily intake in ounces is your weight in pounds divided by two. If that’s way more than you currently get, take baby steps in the right direction everyday. It’s about building a successful trend. If you don’t like the taste of plain water feel free to add a squeeze of lemon or lime, or cucumber slices, but be careful not to add products containing high amounts of sugar or fake sugars.
3. Let yourself catch up on needed sleep. Dim the lights to rest your eyes.
4. Write everything that’s on your mind down on paper. When you start to ruminate over it (especially if that’s keeping you from needed sleep), remind yourself you’ve already taken note of it and you can think about it later.
5. Deep breathing coupled with gentle self-massage. Whether you hold your tension in your jaw, feel it in your temples, or are a fan of ear reflexology, don’t be afraid to give yourself a mini-massage treatment and a 5-minute vacation.
In my practice, I have had great clinical success encouraging foods that are high in magnesium and potassium; these are readily found in almonds, spinach, and salmon, which combine to make a great salad. Snacks can include avocados or bananas for added support. Coupling these foods with with targeted nutritional supplements will get even faster results. My favorite product is CalmWithin Mineral Balance, an effervescent raspberry lemonade flavored electrolyte blend providing magnesium, potassium, and vitamin c. The magic in this formula is its absorption. When the powder hits water, the magnesium and potassium react with the vitamin c to form all the naturally occurring Krebs cycle chelates. That translates into providing the most absorbable form of the minerals possible. You want to avoid products that contain solely the carbonate form of minerals as these are poorly absorbed and frequently lead to constipation or diarrhea.
I occasionally have eyelid twitching myself, and the first thing I do is walk into the kitchen and mix up some CalmWithin Mineral Balance; they’re gone almost instantly.
Preventing them is easy as a snap if you keep your water intake up and limit diuretics like coffee, tea and alcohol; add in some great mineral support, and follow-through with a nutrient dense diet and restful sleep.
If you ever experience the same fine rippling effect on the face, it may be a sign of something more serious, and you should consult your physician right away.
