Contents:
- Medical Video: If You Get Sleep Paralysis, Don't Open Your Eyes | Psych2Go
- Why are eyes open while sleeping?
- Symptoms of nocturnal lagophthalmos
- What causes nocturnal lagophthalmos?
- Is it safe to sleep with your eyes open?
- How to treat or prevent sleep with your eyes closed?
Medical Video: If You Get Sleep Paralysis, Don't Open Your Eyes | Psych2Go
Have you ever seen someone sleeping with their eyes open? It may look strange, but there are indeed abnormalities in the eye that cause the eyes to open when they fall asleep and that can also happen to you. Then is it safe if this happens?
Why are eyes open while sleeping?
When you fall asleep, you will not know whether your eyes are closed or open. If when you wake up your eyes feel itchy, dry, and tired, chances are that you are sleeping with your eyes open or partially closed. This can occasionally occur in healthy people.
However, if symptoms continue to appear after waking up, you may have eye disorders. For example, nocturnal lagophthalmos or nocturnal fatigue.
Symptoms of nocturnal lagophthalmos
In addition to dry and itchy eyes, there are other symptoms that can occur if you experience a nocturnal disorder, such as:
- Red eye
- Blurred vision
- Eyes feel sore or hot
- Easy glare
- The eye feels like being possessed by a foreign object
What causes nocturnal lagophthalmos?
Nocturnal abnormalities occur as a result of facial paralysis, which is the part of the orbicularis muscle in the eyelids that can be temporary or permanent. The cause is infection, stroke, former surgery, trauma, or bells palsy (weakness in facial muscles).
In addition, nocturnal lagophthalmos can also occur after undergoing blepharoplasty, a procedure to remove excess skin from the upper eyelid when aging occurs. This surgery can indeed make the face younger, but the risk of developing lagophthalmos is greater.
There are several diseases that can also cause sleep with your eyes open. For example lyme disease, chickenpox, goiter, polio, leprosy, diphtheria, Guillain-Barré syndrome, moebius syndrome, and neuromuscular disease. Eye disorders such as exophthalmos (protruding eyes) can also make it difficult for a person to close the eyelids. Then, the upper and lower lashes that are too thick can also cause the eyes to close perfectly.
Is it safe to sleep with your eyes open?
Reporting from Verywell, the eyelids provide a barrier and provide access to tears to wet the surface of the eye. In tears, there are natural antibiotics that help kill viruses and bacteria. In addition, tears also help keep the environment around the eyes moist so that the eye cells function properly.
If the eyelids are not closed during sleep, it will cause dry and red eyes in the morning. If it continues to occur, chances are that the eyes will become irritated and can endanger your vision, such as damage to the cornea or blindness.
How to treat or prevent sleep with your eyes closed?
The sore and red eyes when you wake up are not necessarily symptoms of nocturnal lagophthalmos. Plus, you cannot find out whether you fall asleep with your eyes open or not. For this reason, you should see a doctor and take several checks to get the right diagnosis and treatment.
Actually sleeping with your eyes open does not always have serious consequences, if you can overcome them with eye drops and the use of eye moisturizers according to your doctor's advice and supervision or also to get used to sleeping with an eye patch. If the condition is severe, it is likely to be recommended for surgery.
