Muscles randomly twitching all over the body? Here is why that happens (and if it is dangerous)

Sometimes, people experience random muscle twitches that interrupt their normal daily activities. This is usually not harmful, but can produce discomfort. These random muscle twitches, known as ‘fasciculations’ can occur because of a variety of reasons, include lack of sleep, too much caffeine, and nutritional deficiencies. Let’s learn more…What is a muscle twitchThe muscle twitch creates short, involuntary muscle contractions, which affect tiny muscle areas that lie beneath the skin. The sensation occurs as a small movement, which people describe as a jump, flutter or ripple, that affects different body parts, including the eyelid, calf, thumb, arm, leg and tongue.Doctors identify these movements as ‘fasciculations’, because they occur when individual nerve fibers, which control small muscle groups activate independently to produce brief muscle contractions. The body experiences these muscle contractions as normal movements that do not indicate any illness.

Common harmless reasons for twitching all overMultiple common elements in daily life create conditions that make nerves more sensitive, thus leading to random muscle twitching throughout the body.1. Stress and anxietyStress and anxiety create the most frequent triggers, which result in muscle twitching that affects many people. The body releases stress hormones which include adrenaline to activate nerve sensitivity and muscle twitching during stressful situations.Anxious people tend to experience eyelid, facial, arm and leg twitching, which disappears when their stress levels decrease. The physical movements of twitching create additional anxiety, which can be bothersome.2. Too much caffeine or stimulantsThe nervous system becomes overactive when someone consumes excessive amounts of coffee, tea and energy drinks, which results in body-wide twitching. The body eliminates twitching symptoms when people decrease their caffeine intake, and this process takes three days to complete.3. Lack of sleep and fatigueThe body experiences muscle twitching when it does not receive sufficient rest, or when it becomes excessively fatigued, particularly in the legs and arms and face. The recovery process of nerves and muscles becomes disrupted because of inadequate sleep, which makes people more susceptible to random muscle spasms.

4. Exercise and muscle overuseHigh-intensity physical activity causes muscle twitching because it leads to muscle fatigue, lactic acid buildup and tiny nerve damage. The condition affects calves, thighs and arms, before it disappears when patients rest their muscles and follow recovery procedures.5. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalanceThe body experiences mineral deficiencies when people fail to drink enough water while losing body fluids through sweating, and when they experience vomiting and diarrhea. The body develops muscle twitching and cramping because of these imbalances, which affect different parts of the body.6) Nutrient deficienciesThe body experiences muscle twitching because it does not have enough magnesium or calcium, or because it lacks sufficient vitamin D, or vitamin B12.Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS)Some people have frequent, random muscle twitches all over the body for weeks or months, even when they are not stressed or tired. Medical professionals refer to this condition as Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS). In BFS, twitches move around the body (for example, from the calf to the arm to the abdomen), and they are not linked to any serious nerve disease. Medical tests reveal BFS patients experience minimal muscle spasms and weakness and tingling but their muscle strength remains within normal limits.BFS does not pose any danger to health and it does not reduce life expectancy, but it creates significant distress which leads people to develop health anxiety about developing ALS.Early warning signs

The combination of twitching with muscle weakness occurs because of three medical conditions which include ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and two types of neuropathy (nerve damage), and several uncommon muscle diseases. Stress and fatigue and BFS occur more frequently than these conditions do.When to visit a doctorThe patient needs to consult with a doctor or neurologist, when twitching continues to cause muscle weakness. The doctor will start by performing a physical examination followed by blood electrolyte and vitamin tests, before deciding to perform an EMG test which evaluates nerve and muscle.Disclaimer: This article is informational only and not a substitute for medical advice