Will Sleeping Heal My Dry Eyes?

Sleep is very important to the health of your body, as it is the time that your eyes and your body repairs and rejuvenates themselves.  Often, I find that my patients with the driest eyes are very poor sleepers. 

In addition, with the winter season and the holidays going on right now, it may even be a little bit harder to get on a good sleep schedule.  Here are three tips to help you get good sleep this season, which will keep your eyes feeling healthy and happy.

#1) Set Up a Bedtime Routine

You probably have a time that you wake up every morning.  Maybe it's the same Monday through Friday and a little bit later on the weekends, but you have a strict guideline for waking up in order to get to work on time. 

However, not many adults have a set bedtime routine. And having a set bedtime is actually more important than a wake-up time.  Your body needs a routine to let it know that it is time to sleep.   Getting good sleep between the hours of 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM is very important to your body.  If you set your body up to know what to expect and to be in bed by 10:00 PM every night, then you'll get the rest that you need.

A great bedtime routine would include:

• Taking a warm bath
• Wearing loose-fitting pajamas
• Drinking a warm beverage like chamomile or peppermint tea
• Taking a magnesium supplement - low magnesium can lead to insomnia
• Reading a book (with pages that you turn, not digital)
• Writing in a gratitude journal
• Turning the temperature down to between 60 - 68 degrees

Repeating the same set of tasks every night is a good habit to have.  A bedtime habit can trigger your body to know that it is time to wind down and settle into sleep. 

#2) Nighttime Dry Eye Treatment Regimen

In the morning, you already know there are 4-simple steps I recommend you take to care for your dry eyes.  Check out this blog, if you don't know these 4 steps.  However, at night, I sneak in 2 extra steps and call this routine "6 for the Fix".  Here are those 6 steps: 

1. Take an anti-inflammatory dry eye supplement with dinner (I like HydroEye best.)
2. Remove your contact lenses and eye makeup (This is the golden rule. Never, ever, sleep with either contact lenses or eye makeup.)
3. Cleanser your lids and lashes 
4. Use an artificial tear or your prescription dry eye medication
5. Soothe your eyes with a warm compress
6. Add a drop of artificial tear gel or ointment before bed

These 6 steps are an important part of your dry eye treatment regimen.  They give your eyes the foundation they need to heal while you rest at night.  Your eyes need to be given the proper building blocks through lubricants, vitamins, and minerals to stay healthy.

#3) Avoid Sleep Disruptions

There will, of course, be the occasion during this time of year where you will have either an unexpected late night or a planned late night.  Strive to have these nights of not getting to bed on time be the exception and not the norm.

Watch out for sleep disruptors like alcohol.  You might think a glass of wine will relax you and help you get to sleep faster, but it can also disrupt your sleep in the middle of the night.

Set a caffeine curfew.  If you like to enjoy caffeinated beverages, make sure you know what time of day you need to cut out caffeine.  You know your schedule.  You probably know exactly what time it is that if you drink some caffeine beyond that point, it's going to keep you up later that night.  And, this time of year with events to attend, some caffeine might just sneak in.  You want to be conscious of whether or not you're getting past your curfew time.

The blue light emitted from your digital devices: cell phone, computer, tablet, or even your television, will disrupt your sleep.  Blue light up-regulates Serotonin.  Serotonin is a hormone produced inside of the body and signals it to wake up.  When blue light naturally goes away in the night sky, the body responds by up-regulating melatonin.  Melatonin is the hormone that helps you to fall asleep and stay asleep.  Avoid artificial blue light at night as it can disrupt your sleep hours later. 

CONCLUSION

Getting the proper amount of sleep each day is just as important for the health of your eyes as it is for the rest of your body.  Keeping your eyes closed and your body at rest for at least 7 - 9 hours each day will go a long way in making your eyes feel great.  Set yourself up for a successful night of sleep by following a bedtime routine that lets your body know it is time to rest.  Take care of your eyes with a 6 step treatment regimen before getting under the covers.  And, avoid sleep disruptors like caffeine, alcohol, and blue light.