What happens to people who sleep with their eyes open?

Most people close their eyes when they sleep, but some people do not completely close their eyes when they sleep, which is often called sleeping with eyes open. In general medicine, people who sleep with eyes open are called lagophthalmos. In fact, if you sleep with your eyes open and there is no other discomfort in your body, you don’t need to worry too much, especially for babies. This is a normal phenomenon.

Reasons for sleeping with eyes open

1. The opening and closing of the eyes is accomplished by the contraction and relaxation of the extraocular muscles and facial muscles, especially the levator palpebrae superioris muscles and the orbicularis oculi muscles. If the tension of your orbicularis oculi muscles is low, you may sleep with your eyes open.

2. If your facial levator palpebrae superioris muscles are not relaxed enough, it may also cause incomplete closure of the eyes, causing you to sleep with your eyes open.

3. Babies may keep their eyes open during REM sleep because this stage is a relatively active sleep cycle. Compared with adults, babies have much more REM sleep and sometimes sleep with their eyes open. This is a normal phenomenon.

Why do babies sleep with their eyes open?

It's normal for babies to sleep with their eyes open, it just looks a little strange. In medical terminology, sleeping with eyes open is called incomplete eyelid closure, commonly known as "rabbit eyes".

If your baby falls asleep with his eyes open, it's not harmful to him or her and it doesn't mean he or she has a sleeping problem. This phenomenon is common in infants. However, most babies no longer have this problem by the time they are 12 to 18 months old. Next, let me tell you why babies sleep with their eyes open!

No one knows exactly why some babies sleep with their eyes open. There are also few related studies. This may be related to the fact that babies spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Babies may keep their eyes open during REM sleep because this stage is a more active sleep cycle. Compared to adults, infants get much more REM sleep, which accounts for about 50% of their total sleep.

If you think your baby looks strange with his eyes open while sleeping, you can gently close his eyelids.

If your baby continues to sleep with his eyes open for several hours at a time, or if he continues to do so frequently after he is 18 months old, it is recommended that you take him to see a doctor. In rare cases, your baby's inability to close his eyes properly may be caused by a malformation of the eyelids. Apart from this situation, there is nothing to worry about if your baby sleeps with his eyes open.

By the way, there is some evidence that lagophthalmos can be inherited. If you notice your baby sleeping with his eyes open, ask your husband if this happens to you, too. In rare cases, sleeping with the eyes open in adults can be a sign of certain medical conditions, such as facial nerve damage, thyroid disease, or even a tumor. If you have such concerns, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up.