Is it possible to sleep with your eyes open

Seek immediate medical assistance if someone has drooping on one side of their face. Sometimes when surgery is done to remove these tumors, parts of the nerves are damaged. Both of these conditions can cause a loss of control over the eyelids, causing them to stay open at night. When this happens, a person can lose control of the muscles on their face, including in their eyelids. Moebius syndrome is a rare disorder causing weakness or paralysis of the facial nerves.

Those with this disorder are unable to pucker their lips, smile, frown, raise their eyebrows, or close their eyelids. Sleeping with your eyes open over the long term can damage your eye health.

It can also cause major disruption to your sleep and you may be trapped in a cycle of fatigue. According to one estimate , 1. In other cases, surgery is necessary. A doctor will look at your eyes and eyelids, and may run imaging or neurological tests to better understand how your eyes are working. If so, you could be sleeping with your eyes open. This article lists 17 evidence-based tips to sleep better at night. Getting good sleep is very important for optimal health.

Getting quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health. Here are 10 evidence-based reasons why good sleep is important. Experts say you can prepare for the end of daylight saving time for days in advance. Among the recommendations is outdoor physical activity. It may also be genetic. These work by moisturizing the eyes during sleep. Sleeping with a humidifier in the bedroom can also keep the surrounding air moist and less likely to dry out the eyes.

A doctor may recommend using an external eyelid weight. This is attached to the outside of the upper eyelids to keep them closed. Applying surgical tape to the eyelids also serves the same purpose. In one type of surgery, a gold surgical implant is inserted into the eyelid that works like an eyelid weight to keep the eye closed while someone is sleeping.

This surgery involves making a small incision on the outside of the eyelid above the lashes. This creates a small pocket where the implant is inserted. The implant is held in place with stitches, which seal the pocket.

Antibiotic ointment is applied to the eyelid to help it heal. As a result of the surgery, a person may experience:. A doctor will ask whether any recent trauma or illness could be the cause, how long symptoms have been going on for, and when symptoms are at their worst.

If a doctor believes nocturnal lagophthalmos is the cause of the symptoms, they will see what happens to the eyelids after they close.

It is possible that serious problems may occur if the eyes become dry or dehydrated. These include:. Nocturnal lagophthalmos is linked to reduced sleep quality.

A person may not sleep as long or as well due to the pain and discomfort caused by the eyes drying out throughout the night.

People should make an appointment with their doctor if nocturnal lagophthalmos is suspected. A doctor can then help them find appropriate treatment. People who sleep with their eyes open do not usually experience severe complications or damage to their eyes. However, if left untreated for an extended period, the risk of serious damage to the eyes increases and may result in loss of vision. Treatment for sleeping with the eyes open is usually straightforward, and eye drops, eyelid weights, and air humidifiers can all help.

Do talk to your doctor if you are waking up with red or sore eyes or have been told by someone that you sleep with your eyes open. Alice is a Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths. She has contributed to several diverse research areas, including the longitudinal associations between sleep and psychopathology, behavioural genetics, sleep paralysis and exploding head syndrome.