Experiencing eye twitches that just won’t go away? This could be why

Droopy eyelids, under eye bags, and puffy eyes — sleeplessness can wreak havoc on one’s daily life. As such, it needs no retelling that a good night’s sleep is essential to your health and well-being and can have a significant impact on your concentration, mood, and metabolism, among other things. But, did you know that just like our body and mind replenish themselves during sleep, so do our eyes? According to optimax.co.uk, adults need a minimum of 5 hours of sleep a night to feel refreshed, but only 35 per cent of people get an average of fewer than five hours each night.
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This lack of sleep can be dangerous for your eyes as they will fail to work to their full potential, leading to possible serious consequences such as dry eyes, eye strain, blurred vision, and, at worst, vision loss. “While it goes without saying that not getting enough sleep can result in dark circles beneath the eyes, it can also harm the health of your eyes,” Dr Virender Sangwan, Director of Innovation, Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital said, highlighting that we need at least five hours sleep each night for our eyes to effectively regenerate.
How sleep deprivation affects your eyes
Have you ever experienced one of those eye twitches that just won’t go away? “Your eyelids spasm involuntarily, causing those eye twitches. The term ‘myokymia’ refers to these uncontrollable spasms,” Dr Sangwan said.
Though these eye spasms don’t hurt or directly impair your vision, they can be highly upsetting and durbing, he added. “One of the main reasons for ocular spasms is sleep deprivation.”

While eye spasms are one of the most common eye issues linked to lack of sleep, they are not the only ones. “Other dangerous eye disorders including Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy have been linked to prolonged sleep deprivation (AION). When a person has a hory of sleep apnea, this typically happens to them; especially when they are in their middle to late years. This illness, an inflammatory blood vessel disease, is more common as people age. Vision loss may eventually result from injury to the optic nerve over time due to insufficient blood flow to the eye,” the expert explained.
Are you having trouble falling sleep? (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Several studies have also found a link between sleep deprivation and dry eyes. “Sleep disorders are highly prevalent among patients with Dry Eye Disorder (DED), and the incidence of sleep durbances in DED patients has been reported to be as high as 40 per cent. Decreased sleep quality can aggravate dry eye symptoms increasing tear osmolarity and decreasing tear production,” a recent study titled ‘The Association Between Dry Eye and Sleep Quality Among the Adult Population of Saudi Arabia‘ said.
How to avoid?
Prioritise your sleep, experts say. “If you have trouble sleeping at night, there are several methods you can try,” Dr Sangwan said, sharing the following common methods to sleep better.
*Drink chamomile tea before bed.*Minimise the screen time.*Practise meditation.*Read before going to sleep.
According to Dr Rishi Bhardwaj, HOD-Ophthalmology, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram, it is crucial to make a sleep routine you can adhere to. “To establish a pattern that your body is accustomed to, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day,” he said.

Further, to induce sleep, he suggested using light-blocking drapes, a fan or a white noise machine to keep your room dark, cool and silent.
Does your eye health affect your sleep?
While many link sleeplessness only to exercise habits, caffeine consumption, sleep environment and other common factors, your eye health can also be one of the leading obstacles, Dr Bhardwaj said.
Eye spasms are one of the most common issues caused sleep deprivation (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Explaining the same, he added: “Eye health is often neglected when we are glued for hours on our favourite screens, not realising its adverse effects on the body. Maintaining your eye health is very important.”
Tips for eye health to get better sleep
Dr Bhardway led ways you can improve your eye health and, in turn, your sleep.
*One shouldn’t sleep with their contact lenses and cosmetics on as it can lead to dry eyes and various infections.
*Mascara and eyeliner can affect the eye glands. As such, remove any makeup before going to sleep in order to reduce irritation and have a sound sleep.
*Using phones for long periods of time affects eye health. Specifically, using phones in dim lights before sleeping can lead to trouble in sleeping.
*Maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and wear eye protection when out in sun to protect them from harmful rays.
“All of this will help in better eye health and maintaining a proper sleep schedule,” he concluded.
(Next in the series: How many hours of sleep do you need to lose weight?)
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