Correlation between dry eye and sleeplessness?
I struggle with sleep for a variety of reasons, including my autoimmune disease, but sometimes I feel like the pressure in my eyes makes it difficult to sleep as well.
Does this happen to anyone else?
Pressure in my eyes was one of my most irritating feelings with dry eye. I remember going to my eye doctor often trying to explain this pressure feeling. As my dry eye has been better the pressure is less.
So glad I'm not the only one but also sorry you can relate to this uncomfortable feeling. What has helped decrease pressure for you?
I have had dry eyes for almost 40 years and it hasn't bothered my sleeping until recently. I now have issues with gritty feelings at night. I use eye ointments at night and sometimes I wake up at night feeling like my eyelids are glued together also. But when I sleep I sleep sound. I don't have any issues falling to sleep.
Yes, there can be a connection. Dry eye symptoms often feel worse at night or first thing in the morning, and that discomfort can definitely make it harder to fall or stay asleep. On the flip side, poor sleep or conditions like sleep apnea can also worsen dry eye because your eyes don’t get enough moisture or may not close fully while sleeping.
I’ve found using lubricating gel drops before bed, a humidifier in the bedroom, and sometimes a sleep mask really helps ease the pressure and makes it easier to rest. You’re not alone, lots of people with autoimmune conditions and dry eye experience the same cycle.
