By Dr. Sneha Shah
March 21, 2024 (IANSlife) Many healthy individuals suffer from the problem of heavy eyelids which is usually due to fatigue lack of rest or spending too much time in front of the computer screens. A few eye allergies, infections, and medical conditions can also be responsible for causing heavy, droopy eyelids.
After a long day at work, we generally feel our eyelids getting heavier as if something is pulling them down. This may be after a day of intense exercise or when we spend hours staring at a computer screen in the office.
But what causes our eyes to get heavy when we feel tired and sleepy?
To understand this, we first need to understand the basic anatomy of the eye. The eyelids are comprised of thin layers of skin and muscles which play a crucial role in protecting the delicate structures of the eye from external elements like dust, debris, and bright light. They also greatly contribute to the overall appearance and expressiveness of the face.
The muscles around the eyes that hold our eyes in position, play a similar role to any other muscle of our body when it comes to experiencing fatigue after a long day of consistent use. In other words just like our arms and legs muscles grow leaden with extended use after a physically exhaustive day, similarly the muscles around our eyes also grow weary and experience fatigue.
This is particularly true for ocular and brow muscles since they are the most active during our waking hours. Therefore, in general, the heaviness of the eyelids in otherwise healthy individuals is due to fatigue that these muscles experience during the hours we are awake.
Various factors that are responsible for causing sleepy eyes are:
All this can also occur as a result of ageing changes around the eyes. It may be accelerated by chronic exposure to the sun and also the harmful light from our gadgets! Deflation and decent of the tissues around the eyes make them look saggy and tired.
Treatment for sleepy eyes:
Impact of sleepy eyes on overall health:
Sleepy eyes can result in difficulty in staying alert, decreased productivity and even safety hazards like impaired driving. There can also be some significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. Prolonged periods of inadequate sleep can also contribute to mood disturbances, such as irritability, anxiety, and depression.
On the other hand, one may be completely rested, and yet their friends/ colleagues may comment that they look tired/ sleepy ki. This can have a significant impact on the confidence. In such cases one may consult an Oculoplastic and aesthetic surgeon, to find out the exact cause of this look and provide appropriate solutions.
(Dr. Sneha Shah is the Ophthalmologist and an Aesthetic Surgeon)
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