Poll Do You Twitch?

[becvan]

The sudden startle response is not twitching. Two totally different things. Sudden startling response is jumping, or being scared by loud noises, people coming up behind you, etc...Twitching is an uncontrolled muscle spasm that can happen anywhere in the body and can be brought on by different things (stress, excitement.. who knows? lol)

Just wanted to clarify the difference here...

bec

 

[Marlene]

Hmm...I have both. Startling and the twitching (uncontrolled muscle spasms). Thanks, Bec, for clarifying the difference. I was having trouble putting words to it.

Lisa

 

[Marine0311]

My wife hates to sleep to close to me. When I'm alseep I twitch jerk around arms, legs you name it. I've choked her once in my sleep. I talk in my sleep about combat and it scares the crap outa her also.

 

[mightsurvive]

My eye often twitches which I know is a stress thing and yesterday I had my cheek twitch. And no matter how hard I try to stop the twitch I can't. I also sometimes wake in the night because I have had an involuntary twitch - maybe from nightmares? Not sure though.

 

[harrywgtn]

I only twitch when im feeling bad and my mind is racing , freaks me out. my whole body can give a unwanted jump

 

[ChrisB]

Marlene- I said yes to the twitch. I seem to get them after I have removed myself from the stimulus. Better sit down cause I'm about to get weird. Watch Animal Planet, watch the lions chase the deer. Notice that when the lion fails to get the deer in the chase (attack), when the deer gets to safety he will shudder-his entire body will shudder. This is their built in ability to shed the over abundance of adrenaline. (Fight or Flight) Adrenaline helps us survive but could it be that we shed it poorly due to our hypervigilance? Could our twitch or shudder be our way of helping ourselves? Just a thought.

 

[dedic8edmum]

Marlene- I said yes to the twitch. I seem to get them after I have removed myself from the stimulus. Better sit down cause I'm about to get weird. Watch Animal Planet, watch the lions chase the deer. Notice that when the lion fails to get the deer in the chase (attack), when the deer gets to safety he will shudder-his entire body will shudder. This is their built in ability to shed the over abundance of adrenaline. (Fight or Flight) Adrenaline helps us survive but could it be that we shed it poorly due to our hypervigilance? Could our twitch or shudder be our way of helping ourselves? Just a thought.

I too answered yes to havnig the twitch. I've had them for at least 20 years. When I was a kid my Aunt called them "Nervous Tension Relief", but my Mother would tell me someone was "Walking Over my Grave" I experience them in my eyes and cheek, I also have spasms that travel right up my spine, with my arms often flailing and my head twisting from side to side.

I was totally surprised to read so many others share this expience. Plus I really like the idea that its a coping method we've developed to help protect ourselves. Great thought!

 

[winterlion]

twitching

I started having leg and foot twitches about 2 years ago. My therapist said that's normal. They were really bad while I was still working but since I lost my job, my stress is lower and the twitching has subsided quite a bit.

 

[void]

muscle twitches

My muscles are constantly contracted and it is difficult for me to walk because of same.

 

[hodge]

ChrisB,

I don't think your observation is weird at all; it makes perfect sense to me. In addition, I do a lot of shuddering at the end of some high stress situations or moments. It feels like a shaking off of something - adrenaline? Could be as simple as such a biochemical response, though I have other feelings attached to it, but I can't think of how to express them right now.

 

[moog]

Eye and facial (cheeks) twitch. Hands/arms shake majority of the time. At night my I have leg and arm jerks. Apparently I kick the wife quite often. I used to have really bad constant twitching/jerking of my arms almost all the time, it was almost as if I was in convulsions; mostly noticeable when I was relaxed because when I concentrated on movement it would diminish.

 

[Auburngirl]

I 'twitch' sometimes when I'm just about to fall asleep - usually arms or legs. I used to full on shake (usually just after falling asleep and would wake myself up!), but that hasn't happened in a while. My doctor said it was the body's way of trying to get rid of excess tension.