Left Ear Twitching?

[mick1987]

Hi everyone,

For the past five days, my left ear has been twitching or having spasms. Sometimes it happens in the ear itself, and other times just above it.

Today, it's been occurring every 10 seconds or so. I'm not sure if it's related, but for the past few weeks, my right eyelid has also been twitching.

I just started taking Magnesium today to see if it helps.

Does anyone know what might be causing this? It's really annoying!

 

[ampumpkin]

do you have ear fullness too?

 

[Grace]

My eyelids twitch sometimes... So does my moms lol its the weirdest sensation but we both just think its something with nerves and stress. Years ago my eyelids twitched for a week straight like off and on throughout the days

 

[ampumpkin]

My left eyelid does twitch too from time to time, when too stressed or tired. I once read it could be due to a lack of a certain vitamin B (not sure which one).

As for the ear twitching, I have been in the same boat as you my friend, for the past month. My right ear twitches INSIDE, it also tickles and it's annoying. I saw the ENT doctor yesterday and he said it was ETD and 20% of the population has that. He mentionned it could also be anxiety related.

Along with the spasms and twitching, I have sporadic ear fullness. He advised to chew gum and it cleared (both the spasms and fullness)

 

[mick1987]

do you have ear fullness too?

Yeah I did have on and off ear fullness in that ear, but that disappeared a few days ago.

 

[mick1987]

My left eyelid does twitch too from time to time, when too stressed or tired. I once read it could be due to a lack of a certain vitamin B (not sure which one).

As for the ear twitching, I have been in the same boat as you my friend, for the past month. My right ear twitches INSIDE, it also tickles and it's annoying. I saw the ENT doctor yesterday and he said it was ETD and 20% of the population has that. He mentionned it could also be anxiety related.

Along with the spasms and twitching, I have sporadic ear fullness. He advised to chew gum and it cleared (both the spasms and fullness)

It could be ETD because I've been using earplugs quite a lot the past month (might be causing pressure changes), getting on and off ear fullness etc, I'll go without the plugs for awhile (avoid noises places) to see if that might solve the problem.

 

[ampumpkin]

chew gum to see if it helps also...

do you have Nasonex in the UK? The ENT also mentionned I could use that!

 

[mick1987]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try the chewing gum method, I'm not into taking medicine, I haven't even taken a single painkiller in the last 2 years! Lol.

 

[Telis]

Tilt your head side to side towards your shoulders stretching your neck. Use your hand from the opposite side to pull your head to the shoulder. This stretches the muscles up the neck, including the muscles around the ear and ear itself. I used to get the exact same thing...twitching ears and muscles around the ear.

 

[ampumpkin]

@Telis and how long did it last? did you have ear fullness?

well, I have to say that I've been chewing gum on and off since yesterday and the earfullness is completely gone... Even when I go up and down the elevator at work (I'm on the 11th floor), it stays clear.

I love my life !!

 

[Telis]

@Telis and how long did it last? did you have ear fullness?

well, I have to say that I've been chewing gum on and off since yesterday and the earfullness is completely gone... Even when I go up and down the elevator at work (I'm on the 11th floor), it stays clear.

I love my life !!

Was on and off for years, way before I had any ear issues. I think mick is talking about the muscles out side his ear? The muscles surrounding the ear and that attach to it. They are twitching and making his ear feel like it's twitching. Maybe I'm way off! But the way he describes it, sounds like to a tee what I had. I did these stretches and gone! I still get it here and there. It drove me nuts at the time! I even went to the doctor about it. They didn't have a clue. Now it comes around and I don't even think about it because my T over shadows everything! Or, I do these stretches and it vanishes quickly. For me it's like a thumping just above the ear, the muscles that attach to the ear. Makes the outside of the ear feel like it's twitching.

 

[mick1987]

Thanks for your reply telis, it is indeed the ear itself that is twitching, then other times its like you say above the ear, luckily it has calmed down to every hour now lol, but I'll try your stretching technique, thanks.

Was on and off for years, way before I had any ear issues. I think mick is talking about the muscles out side his ear? The muscles surrounding the ear and that attach to it. They are twitching and making his ear feel like it's twitching. Maybe I'm way off! But the way he describes it, sounds like to a tee what I had. I did these stretches and gone! I still get it here and there. It drove me nuts at the time! I even went to the doctor about it. They didn't have a clue. Now it comes around and I don't even think about it because my T over shadows everything! Or, I do these stretches and it vanishes quickly. For me it's like a thumping just above the ear, the muscles that attach to the ear. Makes the outside of the ear feel like it's twitching.

 

[Telis]

Thanks for your reply telis, it is indeed the ear itself that is twitching, then other times its like you say above the ear, luckily it has calmed down to every hour now lol, but I'll try your stretching technique, thanks.

Yeah no worries, might take a day or so to work, but should give you relief fairly quickly.

 

[Chelles]

I have this too!! It's extremely annoying I don't know what's causing it but did yours go away?

 

[mick1987]

I have this too!! It's extremely annoying I don't know what's causing it but did yours go away?

Hi Chelles, yes the ear twitching went away after awhile, i agree its highly irritating! It started after I did some intense cardio, but it was actually the muscle above my ear that was twitching giving me the feeling my ear was twitching.

Interestingly my eyelid was twitching at the same time as the ear twitching, I did a little research online and one of the possibilities for the spasms/twitches were a magnesium deficiency, I started taking magnesium and both the ear and eyelid twitches went away pretty quickly (a few days) and hasn't returned since, might be worth a shot? If you do try magnesium avoid oxide forms because of poor absorption, better bets are glycinate or citrate forms, good luck!

 

[Chelles]

Thanks for the reply the twitching has been going on and off since October and in November I started taking magnesium it has helped a little but I still get them.

 

[mick1987]

Thanks for the reply the twitching has been going on and off since October and in November I started taking magnesium it has helped a little but I still get them.

OK, maybe its stress/anxiety related?....I remember the first year of tinnitus I constantly kept getting ear fullness (stuffy ears) warmness of the ears etc due to the high anxiety/stress which is to be expected in the beginning of T, but I'm pretty confident the ear twitching should resolve in time once you've got any anxiety under control.

 

[Chelles]

I don't know if it's anxiety related usually what sets it off is if I yawn or burp and this morning I had a hiccup so my ear is spasming right now.

 

[mick1987]

I don't know if it's anxiety related usually what sets it off is if I yawn or burp and this morning I had a hiccup so my ear is spasming right now.

The only other thing I can think of is Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome or some sort of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction?......have you been to a doctor about this? Maybe worth seeing an ENT specialist to try and find a cause?

 

[Chelles]

I have an apt for feb 4th with an ENT in the meantime I have tried muscle relaxers but they don't really work. I'm glad yours went away my eye twitches sometimes too but that usually goes away within a few minutes.

 

[mick1987]

I have an apt for feb 4th with an ENT in the meantime I have tried muscle relaxers but they don't really work. I'm glad yours went away my eye twitches sometimes too but that usually goes away within a few minutes.

That's good you've got an appointment with an ENT, hopefully then you can get to the bottom of the ear twitching, it can be maddening!

Just on a sidenote, do you drink a lot of caffeine or do any intense exercise regularly? Because those two things can cause muscle twitches.

 

[Chelles]

No I don't drink caffeine or any kind of work out. Did your spasm made a noise in your ear? Mine does it almost sounds like a boom or when you hit a microphone.

 

[mick1987]

No I don't drink caffeine or any kind of work out. Did your spasm made a noise in your ear? Mine does it almost sounds like a boom or when you hit a microphone.

No the spasms/twitches never made any additional noises, because it was more the outer ear that was twitching rather than inside the ear/ear drum.

But I have had thumping noises occasionally like you describe ,today infact but I've got a cold right now so a suspect my ears are congested.

 

[conbsgc]

anxiety

 

[Erin0830]

Hi Chelles, I have been researching this topic because my ear is doing the same thing with twitching and making a boom sound like tapping on a microphone after yawning or belching sets it off. I am so afraid this will never stop, has yours gone away and what helped? Thanks so much!

 

[Chelles]

@Erin0830 sorry to hear about your ear twitching, mine has been going in for almost 9 months. Unfortunately I still have it but it has gotten slighty better. Have you gone to the ENT about it? Is yours 24/7?

 

[Erin0830]

Yes, I went to the ENT and he said it was the Eustachian tube, thought it was swollen, and put me on Flonase, however I don't see any improvement with the Flonase and I do not think it is ETD. It even comes on with stretching now. like a muscle spasm. It it not 24/7 thank goodness but I am getting so depressed because when it is doing it I cannot sleep. if I put my finger in my ear it will stop, but the foam ear plugs don't help. isn't that weird? how do you sleep when it is going on? I can't figure out why the finger trick will work but not the ear plug. what type do you use? what does your doctor say about the outcome?

 

[Chelles]

@Erin0830 mine sounds very similar to yours it happens when I yawn, burp, and stretching but it can also come by itself and it can last for a few minutes to days. I can also stop mine by putting my finger in my ear.

The way I can get some sleep is by using the foam earplugs I try to jam it inside as much as I can (I don't recommend this you might hurt your ear) and lay on the side putting more pressure in my ear. I find that's the only way I can get a little relief and some sleep even tho is not very comfortable.

Have you tried any medications? I've tried flexeril (muscle relaxer) and magnesium with vitamin d. The only thing that helped a little was the magnesium. My ENT wasn't much help he just told me to continue the magnesium.

 

[Erin0830]

Thanks, I will have to try that when I sleep. The only medication that I have tried is Flonase. This reminds me of a muscle spasm one would get with an eye twitch so I don't know if anything will help it. It's so frustrating. Does yours bother you every day? Did they rule out your Eustachian Tube? It's just so frustrating because mine started out of nowhere!

 

[Erin0830]

Also, have you given up hope that it will go away? I thought it would at first, but everyday that it goes on, I lose more and more hope.