Can Lack of Sleep Affect Your Eyes?
In a society known for being on the run, many often try not to think about what the effect is on their health. What is well known on the other hand is, our ever-increasing to-do list. Days are filled with a long laundry list of “must-do’s” and sleeping falls to the backburner of importance. The affects of not getting a good night’s rest may not only affect your mood the next day, but also your vision. No, we are not talking about the aesthetics and those dreaded dark circles or under-eye bags, but the actual health of your eye is in jeopardy when you do not receive adequate sleep.
Studies show that the eye needs at least five hours to replenish. Without adequate time to revive themselves, your eyes cannot work to their full potential. Over time this can lead to consequences, including popped blood vessels in the eye due to the strain on the eye.
For example, a shortage of sleep can contribute to dry eye. Think of sleep as a way to recharge and refresh your eyes to prepare them for the next day. When you don’t get sleep, your eyes look and feel as tired as the rest of your body may feel. When tears do not adequately lubricate the eye, a person may experience. Those suffering from dry-eye may experience some pain, light sensitivity, itching, redness, or even blurred vision.
An extended lack of sleep has also been attributed to other more serious eye conditions, such as Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (AION). This usually occurs in elderly to middle age people with a history of sleep apnea. The condition is an inflammatory disease of blood vessels that occurs especially with aging. Over time, damage to the optic nerve occurs from insufficient blood supply to the eye and it eventually can cause vision loss.
To bypass any future problems that are eye health related, it is best to make getting sleep a priority for your health. If you have a hard time finding time for shut-eye, it is suggested to make a plan to schedule sleep and stick to it. Often times, other items may seem serious but sleep is the time the body replenishes itself. If scheduling sleep is not the problem, and then maybe the problem is actually falling to sleep. In that case, there are thousands of remedies for sleep. Some include: 1. Not exercising before bed, 2. Limit caffeine intake during the day, 3. Reducing stress levels, 4. Take a warm bath before bed, and 5. Use aromatherapy solutions