Stress and Anxiety
Excessive stress and anxiety are common mental health conditions that affect many people. Stress is the body’s natural reaction to uncontrollable events and stressors. On the other hand, anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness, worry, and fear when faced with complex problems. Stress and anxiety are almost identical due to their shared symptoms like difficulty sleeping, digestive system issues, trouble concentrating, muscle tension, irritability, anger, and muscle twitching. The difference between them is their triggers: stress originates from an outside factor, while anxiety is a stress response, making its origin internal.
Muscle twitching or fasciculation is common during stressful and anxiety-provoking events. A person may experience muscle twitching due to the release of neurotransmitters from the nerves found in the muscles. Serotonin is a hormone that acts as a mood stabilizer in the body and is evident in neurotransmission leading to fasciculation.
Another reason is that anxiety often makes the brain signals the body to breathe faster than usual. This process is called medical hyperventilation. When a body experience hyperventilation, it changes the pH level and the concentration of ions in the body. These bodily processes lead to muscle twitching.
