Blepharospasm

That frightening-looking word is the official name for a new phenomenon I am experiencing, officially defined as "an abnormal involuntary blinking or spasm of the eyelids."

Apparently it is most often caused either by excessive fatigue from lack of sleep, or by stress and anxiety over a particular event (like an impending public speaking engagement).

As far as I know, the frequent twitching of my left eyelid which I have experienced over the past few days is the result of neither. I have certainly had more exhausted and more stressful times in my life, when no "blepharospasm" was present. I am not experiencing a particularly sleepless or anxious time in my life right now.

Whatever its cause, "Eye Twitching is associated with an abnormal function of the 'basal ganglion' from an unknown cause. The basal ganglion is the part of the brain responsible for controlling the muscles."

So, I'm not sure how I feel about having any sort of "abnormal brain function from an unknown cause," but I do know that the little twitch I've begun to develop a dozen or so times a day in my left eye is driving me crazy.

I guess it is time for "sleep week" in our home, where I go to bed at 9:00 p.m. and see if more sleep will take care of it. But who has time for that! I have overnight Thanksgiving guests arriving on Wednesday, and the late-night visits with out-of-state family members is one of the best parts! "Sleep week" will have to wait.

Does anybody else have any experience with this? I'd love to hear how it resolved itself...