# What causes facial tics?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 22, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051 "2008-11-22T23:40:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051/1 "2008-11-22T23:40:12Z")

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I’ve had a small tic twitching away beside my eye all afternoon, and it’s about ready to drive me bonkers. Whenever this happens, I try pressing the spot firmly for a few seconds and work on relaxing as much as possible, on the theory that stress is behind it, but is that true?

What causes tics? And how do I keep it from happening ever again?

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**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051/2 "2008-11-23T00:21:12Z")

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That sounds more like a spasm or twitch than a tic. A tic involves multiple muscle groups and is semi-voluntary (in that you can feel it coming and may be able to suppress it).

Nerves and/or fatigue may be causing your twitch. Whenever I get them they only last a few days.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051/3 "2008-11-23T00:23:24Z")

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When I get any kind of spasm like that (I agree that that’s a more accurate term), I wear an eye patch packed with tissue to hole my eye closed for several hours. This is the best way I have found to let all the facial muscles around my eye relax.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051/4 "2008-11-23T04:50:33Z")

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My eye starting to twitch (or spasm - it’s involuntary) is usually a sign of stress for me. I work on the underlying cause of the stress, and the eye spasm stops.

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**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-facial-tics/474051/5 "2008-11-23T15:41:14Z")

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Ignorance fought, thanks! I’ve been using the wrong term for a spasm all these years, which is making me wonder what else I think I know but really don’t.

Upon reflection, I think that I’m most likely to have a muscle spasm in my face, usually around the eyes, when there’s a combination of stress and lack of sleep going on. One more reason not to let myself get overtired, I suppose.