There are many different reasons why lip numbness or tingling strikes. Some of them are very common ones that require you to simply apply a lip balm or take slow, deep breaths. Others may warrant a trip to the doctor’s clinic.
If it seems like your lips feel numb or tingling, keep on reading. Below are some of the most common causes of it.
Cold Weather
Especially during the coldest months of the year, it’s not unlikely for your lips to feel numb or tingly. Since they are constantly exposed to the frigid air, such is something that can be expected.
See to it that you stay warm by suiting up according to the weather or staying indoors where a heating system or fireplace is available. Regularly applying lip balm is definitely a wonderful idea.
Chapped Lips
Speaking of lip balm application, another very common culprit behind that numbness or tingling is chapped lips. All kinds of things can cause chapped lips, from exposure to cold air or moving air to lip licking.
By the way, there are certain medical conditions that can cause chapped lips. So if the issue is accompanied by other unusual symptoms, consider paying a doctor a visit.
Irritation
Oftentimes, numbness or tingling of the lips is brought about by contact with certain substances or chemicals. The skin of your lips is very thin and sensitive, and that’s why they can easily react unfavorably to anything that can cause irritation, such as a household cleaning product that contains bleach.
Especially if you have very sensitive lips, make sure that you check out the list of ingredients of a personal care or beauty products to make sure that your lips do not come into contact with strong or irritating stuff.
Hypoglycemia
In layman’s terms, hypoglycemia is having low levels of sugar in the blood. Although it is more common among diabetics, just about anyone can suffer from hypoglycemia. Some examples are individuals who are dieting and those who engage in strenuous exercises without eating properly.
Other indicators of hypoglycemia aside from lip numbness or tingling are rapid heartbeat, sweating, tremors, blurry vision, and trouble concentrating.
Anxiety or Panic Attack
Do you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks? Then you may experience lip numbness or tingling each time you are having an attack. Such can be blamed on hyperventilation that causes you to breathe in excessive amounts of oxygen.
Taking slow, deep breaths can help put an end to hyperventilation during an anxiety or a panic attack. Breathing in a brown paper bag is an effective home remedy for it.
Cold Sores
One of the telltale signs that cold sores are about to strike is numbness or tingling of the lips. Cold sores should not be mistaken for canker sores because they are contagious. It’s for the fact that they are due to the herpes simplex virus which tends to stay with you for life although inactive most of the time.
Your immune system can deal with cold sores, although there are OTC topical solutions available online and offline that can help accelerate the healing process.
Medical Conditions
All kinds of medical conditions can cause the lips to feel numb or tingly. Some of those that can be associated with the said symptom include neuropathy, shingles, Raynaud’s phenomenon, Guillain-Barre syndrome, lupus and even oral cancer. If you suspect that the numbness or tingling of your lips is due to a medical condition, see a doctor.
Lip numbness or tingling may also be due to a stroke, something that requires immediate medical attention.
Don’t forget to share this article on your various social media sites to get everyone you care about also acquainted with the above-mentioned common causes of lip numbness or tingling.
