Please Stop My Eye From Jumping!!!!

United States
January 2, 2011 4:15pm CST
I've been thinking of a discussion to start after my long hiatus, but my right eye kept distracting me by twitching. So I finally figured, why not start a discussion about that? This is getting on my nerves people. Its always annoying when your eye twitches for no apparent reason. But mine has been doing this for almost THREE WEEKS now! I'm not particularly stressed about any one particular thing, so that's not the reason why its doing this. I've tried warm compresses, which only work for a little while. I've tried massaging the eyelid, like I saw on google, still jumping. I've even tried deep breathing exercises and relaxing meditation. Nothing seems to work for longer than 5 minutes except sleep; and I'm not too sure on that. It may be that I just don't notice the jumping while I am sleep. MyLot, this is driving me NUTZ!!!! Do you have any remedies for getting your eye to stop twitching that will stick? How long is the longest time you've had an eye twitch?
1 person likes this
8 responses
@GardenGerty (157463)
• United States
3 Jan 11
Well, I have heard that it is fatigue, sometimes, that causes this. I have never had it go on for three weeks. I also knew someone who found this happened when she had excessive caffeine. Her doctor suggested a low dose of xanax, it did not work so she doubled it, but she was goofy anyway and was stressed about stuff. So I guess I would say that you may need to cut back on caffeine and get more sleep. I wonder if allergies can contribute by irritating a muscle?
1 person likes this
• United States
3 Jan 11
I thought about the caffeine too, but this started at a time when I had had no caffeine in about a week. It wasn't the lack of caffeine either, because I have been back on my regular regimen since and no change. I've been sleeping like normal as well. I wish these would have helped, because it wouldn't have gone on this long. I think that allergies can cause it, because when looking for home remedies for this condition I saw that for prolonged cases a doctor may give you antihistamine, either orally or through eyedrops. I'm really not trying to go to a doctor for something so minor, but its getting to be like Chinese water torture. This goes on much longer I'll be able to give a first-hand account on the effects of the meds!
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
2 Jan 11
It's the same with me when i'm worried for something... that with the eye and something else - different parts of my skin start to itch without reason. During the summer i thought it is because of the biting mosquitos around, but finally i understood it's because of stress. Even if we are calm right now, we have no guaranty that last few months was not restless and stressful for us. What i do in that kind of moments is take more hot showers, use cosmetics, look myself in the mirror and spend more time with the way i look. I just clear my mind and say to myself - look girl, nothing is going to work that way, you need to rest a bit. More vegetables and fruits, relaxing time, massages if that's possible, calming tea or herbal pills for making my nerves more relaxed. Sometimes our nerves are not stressed because of what happens now, but because of what happened lately.
• United States
2 Jan 11
I wish I could attribute this to stress, but nothing especially big has happened in the past few months that would be the cause of something this long. The most stressful thing I went through recently was my cable and internet being shut off for a while, an issue that was resolved just a while ago. When it first got shut off after me paying it, I was upset, but my eye didn't start jumping then. I've even taken to monitoring exactly what I was thinking of when my twitch starts, and even that isn't particularly stressful. The only thing I am stressed about is my eye jumping all the time!!!
• United States
3 Jan 11
Actually, I haven't been spending as much time in front of the computer as I want to. I have been having sciatic nerve issues since about July, and they prevent me from sitting up at my desktop computer for more than a few minutes at a time. My laptop (I miss it so *sniff*) is in the shop for repairs, and I probably won't have that back until next Tuesday. So I don't think its staring at the computer for hours on end, because I haven't been. On a good note, my eye hasn't been jumping as much today, maybe its finally subsiding!
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
3 Jan 11
Hmmm, is it possible your eyes to feel tired of staying in front of the computer? That's possible too.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18174)
• Orangeville, Ontario
2 Jan 11
I can't tell you the longest time I've had an eye twitch for. I don't keep track. LOL! But I do get them a lot. I mentioned it to someone once and I was told it was because I was tired. When I thought about it I realized he was probably right. Not enough sleep and my eye twitches a lot. I've never tried any remedies to make it stop; I just tell myself I'm going to try and get more sleep.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Jan 11
Hey Pat I missed you! Its not that I am keeping track of how long its been going on, But last week around Christmas, when my eye started jumping, I noticed then it had been doing it for two weeks!!!! I've been getting pretty good sleep lately, especially with not having to get the kids up over the Christmas break, so that isn't the issue either. Even as I type, between warm compresses, its still jumping!!!! Its driving me crazy!
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
19 Jan 11
Take potassium. I get eye twitches too and my mom told me to take potassium and it really does help. Also, try not sitting at the computer or reading too much because it strains the eyes.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Jan 11
Thanks that is a really useful tip! How much potassium do you think I would need. Because I'm thinking I could just eat bananas more often than I have been, and my potassium level will come back up.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
21 Jan 11
I'm not sure how much, but yea go ahead and try the bananas. :)
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
3 Jan 11
Hey dnl! Nice to see ya and Happy New Year! I have had this problem on and off for years. As quickly as it starts it just disappears! It can last for months. The only thing that I was told it that is comes from your being tired, sleepy, your eyes are tired or you need glasses or a new prescription! It is one of the most annoying things because there is pretty much nothing that can be done to stop it until it wants to stop! I haven't had the problem in quite awhile so it will go away, just no one can predict when.
1 person likes this
@Valene82 (89)
• United States
2 Jan 11
Perhaps you are deficient in a particular mineral. Our muscles need a balance of calcium and magnesium to function properly. You might try a "cal-mag" supplement from a pharmacy or health food store or just take a multi-mineral. How is your diet? Do you drink a lot of soda? Soda leaches minerals from our bones and bodies and can make you deficient. I would recommend eating some foods that are rich in minerals or taking a vitamin that has a good balance of minerals in it. Liquid minerals are especially good because you absorb them quickly and they often contain a great balance of trace minerals as well.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Jan 11
This is something that I hadn't thought of. I try not to drink much soda, but at the same time I have a hard time with water lol. I fall somewhere in the juice/fruit drink category. I am an ice cream and milk fiend, so I don't think my body is especially deficient in calcium. However, magnesium may be another story. If this continues into later on this week, I will look into getting some magnesium supplements, thanks!
@halynn (1809)
• United States
2 Jan 11
That SAME thing has happened to me with my right eye on several different occasions. There is never anything that i can find that will make it quit either! I dont know what it is unless it's stress related. It will do it for like 2-3 weeks at a time & then one day it will just quit. SO aggravating!!
• United States
2 Jan 11
It's my right eye too!!! I've been reading a book called "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living", and it gave me some very good techniques to reduce stress. Problem is, I've done all of them and even though I feel better, my eye just won't quit! I swear I feel like ripping it off!
@buggles64 (2709)
• United States
2 Jan 11
lol...funny, because my eye has been twitching today too. I have a twitching eye quite often. I never looked it up online, but sometimes it seems to annoy me more than other times. Today hasn't been so bad. I just thought it was the nerve endings in my eyes doing all that twitching around. My eye twitches on and off for hours...and then quits and doesn't twitch for 5-6 weeks or so, sometimes less. Interesting topic, I would like to see read what others have to say about this one.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Jan 11
If I were having your problem, this wouldn't be a discussion lol. I've had times where my eye will twitch for a few hours, maybe even a whole day, but never this long. This eye has been twitching off and on during my every waking hour for the past 3 weeks!!!! I am almost ready to go to the hospital, this is so not normal.