DISCLAIMER. As always, this is an opinion piece. Unless stated by a source, all information is opinion based. If you see any medical advice attached to this, consult your doctors. What may work for someone else, could be potentially dangerous to you.
Anxiety can present itself in different ways; emotional, physical, or mental for example. For me, my anxiety displays itself in all three, which is why it could be a mix of my anxiety, ADHD, and depression, but it isn’t that way for everyone. Physical anxiety traits come in all different levels and present themselves in different subdivisions. A common misconception is a difference between anxious twitches and actual tics. What is it?
I am not an expert in any tic disorders, or anxiety even. I only experience anxiety. All of my knowledge of tic disorders comes from classes I’ve taken on anxiety or mental health classes.
The following information from Healthline, explains the internal workings of anxiety twitches.
“Anxiety causes your nervous system to release neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that your body uses to send messages between neurons, or between neurons and muscles.
Some types of neurotransmitters will “tell” your muscles to move. When you have anxiety, neurotransmitters may be released even when there’s no clear reason for them to be released. This is what can cause anxiety twitching.
Another reason anxiety can cause muscle twitching is because it can cause you to hyperventilate. Muscle twitching is one symptom of hyperventilation.“
Another Healthline article talks about tics.
“A lot of people who have a tic disorder will have a premonitory urge — a physiological feeling you get in the body that precedes the tics,” Bubrick told Healthline.
He says the best comparison is the tingly feeling that occurs in your nose right before a sneeze.”
By comparison, it seems that anxious twitches are involuntary, as opposed to tics have a feeling before they happen. I know that when my anxiety spikes, I get ‘wiggly’ and go all ‘zoomy’ across my house, and pacing ensues. I twiddle my thumbs and tend to find myself tapping at random times.
WebMD defines twitches as, “Unlike tics, the majority of muscle twitches are isolated occurrences, not repeated actions. Muscle twitches are also known as myoclonic jerks. They are entirely involuntary and cannot be controlled or suppressed.“
WedMD defines tics as. “Tics are often classified not as involuntary movements but as unvoluntary movements. This means that people are able to suppress the actions for a time. The suppression, though, results in discomfort that grows until it is relieved by performing the tic.”
For more information, you can consult the full articles that I have quoted.
Hersh, Erica. “Anxiety Twitching: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention.” Healthline, www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-twitching.
Cassata, Cathy. “Tic Disorders in Kids Are Often Overlooked: How to Spot the Signs.” Healthline, www.healthline.com/health-news/tic-disorders-in-children#Is-it-a-tic,-nervous-twitch,-or-allergy?.
Parker, Hilary. “Tic Disorders and Twitches.” WebMD, 21 Oct. 2008, www.webmd.com/brain/tic-disorders-and_twitches.
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