Questions and Answers Version

Quality sleep is naturally vital to our physical and mental well-being towards a healthy and productive life. Following our information-sharing on matters concerning it, we engage in questions-and-answers series with you, our audience. We thank you immensely for your participation in this interactive aspect of our publication. Here is an extract from the series for widespread benefit.

Dear Doctor, 

My daughter sleeps with her eyes partially open. Is it safe for one to sleep with the eyes open? Dr, what are the causes of sleeping with eyes open? How do we solve the problem?

O. M.

Dear O. M.

It is possible that you might be surprised to hear that a lot of people sleep with their eyes open. According to some statistics about 20% of people sleep with their eyes partially or totally open, including babies. My brother, you are not alone in this experience! As no one sees oneself while asleep, many people who sleep with their eyes partially or totally open don’t even realize it. It is usually a family member, friend or partner who observes that.

For our eyes to close, the eyelid muscles contract and tighten to cover the eyes seated well-contained in the socket. And this is controlled by signals sent from the brain to the eyelid muscles through the wire-like bundle of fibres in the face called nerves. There are several conditions that can cause the eyes to be incorrectly closed while asleep. It is either that the eyeballs are bulging out beyond the eye sockets or that the eyelids are unable to cover the eyeballs contained in the sockets. It can also be due to a combination of both bulging eyeballs and faulty eyelid closure. Some people are born with bulging eyeballs or faulty eyelids closure from their face structures that keep the eyes from shutting completely all the way, while others with similar problems acquired them from drugs, diseases, injuries and surgeries. E.g. – a disease of the neck gland, goitre causes the eyeballs to bulge out of the eye sockets beyond the coverage by the eyelids. Also, some other diseases, injuries and surgeries in the face especially around the eyes can upset the eyelid muscles or the signal-transmitting fibre bundles leading to faulty eyelid closure and coverage of the eyeballs. Furthermore, excessive alcohol and sleeping pills can cause sleeping with eyes open.

No matter the cause, sleeping with eyes open can be harmful if it is ignored. Closing our eyes also blocks light, which is crucial for the body’s internal 24-hour clock. Detecting darkness, a sleep-inducing brain chemical, melatonin, is produced, triggering sleep. So, the light perceived through the eyes open during sleep is awakening and disrupts melatonin production, an offer for poor sleep. When we close our eyes or blink, tears wet our eyes to keep them healthy. If the eyes aren’t able to close properly, they will dry out, causing eye irritation and dryness for a restless sleep. In serious cases, the dryness can lead to cracks, sores and scarring of the eye surfaces which when one is eventually awake results in being sensitive to light, poor vision or complete loss of vision. Also, the eyes left open during sleep could unconsciously get scratched causing sores and scarring too. One might also get watery eyes, red eyes or a feeling that something is stuck in the eyes after sleep with eyes open.

Thankfully, the open-eyes problem can be treated. If possible, it is important that a doctor corrects any underlying condition contributing to the problem. The doctors can also prescribe eye drops for awake hours and ointments for bedtime to keep the eyes from drying out. Keep the room dark so that light does not enter the open eyes and contribute to awakenings. Moving the bed away from dry airflow can also lessen dry eyes. Some surgeries can be done especially if the other methods don’t help. The eyelids can be sewn closer together or a small weight is inserted into the upper eyelid which will lightly pull the eyelid down when one sleeps so that the eyes can close correctly. You may also need to use medical tape to shut the eyes during sleep. 

Yours in service,

Dr Charles

Let us remember that when you sleep, where you sleep and how you sleep affect your mental health, physical well-being and living a healthy life. We all need quality sleep to be set for productivity in our endeavours.

Do you need further information on the above subject? Are you looking for ways to maintain quality sleep for general well-being and healthy living? Remember, a doctor is an appropriate person to offer relevant advice for the maintenance of quality sleep and solution to sleep difficulties. Do you want to contact the Orthopaedic Sleep Consultant, Dr Charles Uzodimma, kindly send your request to[email protected] OR Whatsapp 08129982143.

Vitafoam Nigeria Plc is the first foam manufacturing company in Nigeria to partner with a sleep expert to educate Nigerians on quality sleep for healthy living. The proudly Nigerian company is truly passionate about sleep and general well-being, and continues to consistently provideNigerians with quality products that offer great comfort.

To learn more about Vitafoam, please visitwww.vitafoamng.com