How many times you BLINK per minute might be a sign of a underlying health issue… so how often do YOU do it?

A change in how often you blink could be a sign of an underlying health problem, experts say.

On average, most adults blink about 14 to 17 times per minute, which is the sweet spot for keeping the eyes moist and cleaning the surface of the cornea.

But blinking more or less can be a sign that something is wrong, ranging from immune disorders to Parkinson’s.

Research has shown that the average number of blinks per minute a Parkinson’s patient may slow to one or two blinks per minute, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association.

Research has shown that the speed at which we naturally blink reflects the activity of dopamine in the brain.

The lower our dopamine levels, the more we fixate on one subject and the less often we blink.

A distinguishing feature of Parkinson’s disease is the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, which can cause symptoms such as slower blinking and hand tremors.

Most people with Parkinson’s develop the disease after the age of 60, but the disease can occur before the age of 50.

Slower blinking can be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease, as can general slowness of movement and problems with coordination, such as difficulty buttoning a shirt.

About half a million Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Blinking less often can also be a sign of Graves’ disease, which results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones.

Symptoms vary widely, but may include mild tremors of the hands or fingers, heat sensitivity, weight loss, an enlarged thyroid gland, bulging eyes, and thick, red skin on the shins or feet.

Graves’ disease can occur at any age, but is most common in women over 20 years of age.

The condition affects nearly one in 100 Americans.

The disease affects the eyes in as many as half of cases.

It is caused by a malfunction in the body’s disease-fighting immune system, but scientists are not sure if this happens.

People with Graves’ disease often have dilation of the eyelids. The combined protrusion of the eyeball and retraction of the eyelids can cause the cornea of ​​the eye to become dry and damaged.

This leads to blinking less often because the eyelids are too tight. In severe cases, it can cause scarring of the cornea due to lack of protection.

A 2011 study found that people with Graves’ disease blinked slightly less often than healthy participants, at an average of 13 times per minute.

However, that study found that the average for healthy participants was 20 blinks per minute.

Blinking more frequently, on the other hand, can be a sign of fatigue when you’re trying to perform a demanding task, such as driving while lethargic.

Excessive blinking can also occur when the body tries to compensate for dry eye disease, which can happen for several reasons.

One of these is Sjögren’s syndrome – an autoimmune disease that leads to dry eyes and dry mouth.

In the disease, the immune system attacks glands that make tears and saliva.

This causes inflammation that damages the glands and limits the production of tears, which normally keep the surface of the eyes wet.

Dry eyes due to Sjögren’s disease can lead to an itching or burning sensation, which leads to increased blinking.

There are other reasons for temporary dry eyes, including hormone changes and inflamed eyelid glands, which can increase a person’s blinking frequency as the body tries to keep the eyes moist.

Allergies can also increase blinking frequency.

When foreign objects such as pollen or dust get into the eyes, it can cause the roughening of the conjunctiva: the mucous membrane that covers the front of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelids.

This can lead to watering, itching and can overstimulate the blink reflex.

Frequent blinking can also be a motor tic associated with Tourette syndrome.

Motor tics are sudden, uncontrollable movements, such as excessive or constant blinking.

Tourette tics occur many times a day, almost every day.

Tics generally develop during childhood but tend to disappear over time and many people grow out of them in adulthood.

According to the CDC, persistent tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, affect approximately 1.4 million people in the US.

However, many Americans suffer from facial tics that are not an indicator of a serious health condition.