December 4, 2017 - Eye Health
How Sleep Affects Vision
Sleep is a critical ingredient for replenishing the eyes and maintaining overall wellness. Yet, the CDC estimates that more than 40 million Americans receive less than 6 hours of sleep per night. While sleep requirements do vary by individual, most adults need at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night to function optimally.
In the short-term, lack of sleep can cause your eyes discomfort. This can include dryness, a burning, gritty, or sandy feeling, muscle spasms, sensitivity to light, redness and blurry vision. It can also cause dark circles to appear under your eyes, which is an indicator of increases cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in the body. Over time, sleep deficiency can contribute to many different eye conditions. Here are some easy ways to improve your quality of sleep:
1. Avoid blue-light electronic devices before bed
The pineal gland produces melatonin to regulate sleep. Research has found that blue-light disrupts melatonin production in the body, which can make it difficult to fall asleep.
2. Reduce your caffeine intake
Caffeine is a common cause of poor sleep. It can reduce your ability to fall asleep and deteriorate the quality of sleep. If you find it too difficult to cut your caffeine habit cold turkey, you can improve sleep with some simple changes to how you consume caffeine. You can:
- Order smaller sizes of coffee. Try cutting ⅓ of your total coffee intake per week.
- Avoid drinking caffeine after lunchtime.
- Substitute tea for coffee.
3. Reduce alcohol intake
Alcohol alters your sleep patterns and reduces your quality of sleep.
4. Stop smoking
Tobacco contains stimulants that disrupt sleep cycles in a similar fashion to caffeine. Smoking can also lead to difficulty breathing, which can cause you to wake up more often throughout the night.
5. Add exercise to your routine
Regular exercise has a long list of health benefits which include improved sleep. Exercise has been shown to strengthen circadian rhythms, which may help stimulate slow-wave sleep, which is the more restful phase of sleep.
6. Maintain a bedroom temperature of 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit
Studies have shown that optimal sleep is achieved in temperatures between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below 54 degrees and above 75 degrees can be very disruptive to sleep.
7. Add these nutrients to your diet
- Magnesium helps regulate blood sugar levels, relaxes muscles and nerves, regulates the heart rhythm, and improves immune system function
- Selenium and Vitamin D have been found to play a role in sleep problems
- Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in regulating blood sugar levels
- Vitamin D3 plays an important role in the body and mental health. Because sunlight is the primary source of D3, it is common to be deficient during colder months
- Zinc plays an important role in the immune system and balances hormones in the body. Vegans and vegetarians are most commonly deficient in this nutrient
- Theanine is an amino acid that helps improve our relaxation response and reduces anxiety.
8. Avoid eating for 3 hours before bed.
According to the NIH, eating dinner earlier improves our ability to digest our food. It also prevents our body from having a surge of insulin at bedtime (which can make it difficult to fall asleep). Eating earlier can also help us attain REM sleep (the deepest and most restful dream state).
9. Use eye exercises to relax
It’s no secret that stress can impact our quality of sleep. Here’s the catch – getting less sleep reduces the body’s ability to handle stress. If you’re feeling stressed before bed, here are some eye exercises you can do to detach from stress and allow yourself to fall asleep.
10. Minimize the amount of sugary food and refined carbs in your diet.
Eating these foods causes a sharp increase in blood sugar levels and can lead to the body feeling restless. These foods also slow down the production of melatonin. Instead, eat more high-fiber foods that help you digest your food slowly and relax the body.
11. Put your phone on do not disturb
Most phones have a ‘do not disturb option’, which will allow you to silence all notifications without silencing your alarm for the morning. These phones also have the functionality to exclude certain individuals from silencing, in case there are certain individuals would like to receive calls from in case of emergencies, such as an elderly family member or child.