You might be surprised to learn how sleeping can affect our eye health. Bad positions, poor sleeping environments, and other factors can contribute to eye issues. Luckily, some tips can help you with eye care while you sleep, as well as eyewear recommendations to improve your eye health.
How Sleep Position Affects Eye Health
Pressure on the Eyes
If you sleep on your stomach or your side, this can increase pressure on your eyes. It is especially bad for people with Glaucoma, a condition that damages your eyes optic nerve over time.
Pressure directly on your eyes can worsen fluid buildup and stop drainage, making the condition worse.
Puffiness and Dark Circles
Sleeping face down often leads to fluid pooling around the eyes which can contribute to dark circles or make them look worse. Although it’s not the sole cause of dark circles, it's a factor.
Dry Eyes
Poor eyelid closure or environments with direct air conditioning can make dry eye symptoms much worse. This is because the loss of humidity in the air can make your tears evaporate more quickly.
Eye Irritation
Pillow cases can be full of bacteria, oils, and allergens which can irritate your eyes if your face is pressed against it. Learn more about eye irritation here.
The Best Sleep Positions for Eye Health
Although sleep positions might not entirely fix your eye health problems, they can improve them to a degree, here are some of the best sleep positions to care for your eyes.
Sleeping on Your Back
Sleeping on your back can help minimize pressure on your eyes and also keep your face away from the pillow. This can promote better blood flow and reduce puffiness forming around your eyes.
Our Tip: Use an elevated pillow to help reduce fluid buildup.
Sleeping on Your Side (with Modifications)
Side sleeping on your eye can increase pressure on the lower eye but adjusting your pillow and posture can help to mitigate this.
Our Tip: Use a soft and contoured pillow and avoid burning your face in it to help reduce pressure.
Avoid Sleeping on Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach can be problematic since it places significant pressure on your eyes and can lead to increased intraocular pressure which is a concern for people with Glaucoma.
Our Tip: Train yourself to sleep on your back with supportive pillows.
Additional Tips for Healthy Sleep and Eyes
Use a Humidifier
This can prevent dry air from aggravating your eyes, especially in the winter or during air-conditioned environments.
Take Care of Eyelid Hygiene
Clean your eyelids before going to bed by gently wiping them, this can prevent irritants from causing discomfort during the night.
Sleep Masks
Moisture-retaining sleep masks can help fight dry eyes. Try to avoid tight masks that press on your eyes since these can cause discomfort.
Change Pillow Cases Regularly
Fresh pillowcases can help to reduce exposure to allergens and bacteria which could irritate your eyes. Make sure to change them regularly for eye comfort.
Use Warm Compresses
A warm compress for 10 minutes before bed on your eyes can help to release oils in your glands and soothe any irritation for a comfortable night's sleep.
Decrease Your Screen Use
Extensive digital screen usage during the day can tire your eyes out and cause discomfort at night. Taking breaks during the day is important to combat this, and blue light-blocking glasses can help too.
Try the 20-20-20 rule, lubricating eye drops, and using your device in dark mode to reduce eye strain from blue light.
Recommended Glasses To Support Eye Health With GlassesShop
Although glasses don’t directly impact sleep, the right eyewear can help alleviate daytime eye strain which can improve eye comfort and therefore sleep quality.
We recommend the following glasses to support eye health -
GlassesShop Reading Glasses with Anti-Reflective Coatings - These glasses are great for bedtime reading since they avoid glare and eye strain.
GlassesShop Blue-Light Blocking Glasses - They reduce blue light exposure from screens which has been proven to interfere with melatonin production and disrupt sleep cycles.
GlassesShop Polarized Sunglasses - Protects eyes from glare and UV rays during the day which can reduce overall eye strain.
GlassesShop has a wide range of lenses and frames on offer for all your needs, whether it be for eye strain or UV protection to help with your lifestyle and sleep.
We offer discounts to save you money such as buy one get one free, and online features to help you make the right decision such as our face shape detector and try before you buy service.
Get a 365-day guarantee on your glasses and free shipping over $69 when you shop with us.
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