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Amid packed social calendars and highly demanding academic obligations, many college students don’t get enough sleep. The NIH estimates that, on average, over 70% of responding college students said they get less than eight hours of sleep a night. Additionally, 60% say they are “dragging, tired, or sleepy” at least thrice a week. Unfortunately, chronic sleep disturbances have very serious repercussions.
Studies find that students who often have lackluster sleep hygiene are prone to cognitive and emotional problems. This results in heightened feelings of anxiety and poor concentration and retention. Physically, lack of sleep can impair bodily functions, making students vulnerable to sickness and accidents.
While the reason for such sleep disturbances varies from student to student, evidence suggests that ocular conditions may also be to blame.
The connection between the eyes and sleep
The eyes are one of the most used and abused organs in the body, given that they’re used to actively and passively perceive images and process data almost 24/7. For students, the eyes are especially exhausted due to their lifestyles. For starters, a Standford report reveals that up to 50% of the average student’s waking hours are spent in front of a screen. Since most screens are unnaturally bright, emit potentially harmful blue light, and are held at awkward angles, this can put a strain on the eyes. Aside from this, ScienceDaily shared that almost half of all students usually eat foods that lack nutritional value. In many cases, busy college kids will opt for accessible fast food over more time-intensive but nourishing home-cooked meals. This can cause nutritional deficiencies that can impact the way the eyes function and recover.
Unfortunately, eyes are directly related to sleep because of the significant discomfort they cause. For example, a clinical study on dry eyes found that participants who had this condition reported having trouble falling and staying asleep. This was linked to the recurring feeling of soreness and grittiness in their eyes. Another example of how the eyes negatively influence sleep is due to hormones. When the eyes experience duress, it can cause spikes in stress hormones like cortisol. Too much of this hormone can suppress melatonin. This not only makes it harder to find rest during bedtime, but it also makes staying awake during waking hours tricky as it deregulates the body clock and energy levels. Overall, this is why it’s certainly likely that eye problems can be a reason why college kids are sleeping poorly.
How students can better their eye health and sleep quality
The good news is that preventing eye-related sleep disturbances is relatively straightforward, even for students who may have limited resources. One of the most effective and accessible options is to use blue light glasses. Available with and without prescriptions on retailer Eyebuydirect, these specs use special filters that can block out light waves between 400 and 455nm. As touched on above, blue light is linked with numerous ocular problems, ranging from fatigue to retinal degradation. That said, they do let beneficial turquoise light pass through, which helps regulate the circadian rhythm. Since these also have standard UV protection and a neutral tint, they can be used outside and in various settings without impacting the true color or contrast that some students may need.
Another good habit for students to adopt is to keep their eyes lubricated. Doing so not only helps promote better circulation, oxygenation, and recovery, but it also helps wash out any irritants. Naturally, the eyes do this through tears. However, tear production is often reduced and low quality among busy individuals who lack enough sleep, nutrition, and hydration. To compensate for this, students should keep OTC hydrating eye drops on hand.
Formulated to mimic real tears, drops from brands like Visine can provide immediate relief. While one shouldn’t become dependent on them, eye drops are an easy way to soothe tired or irritated eyes before they get worse.
Finally, it helps to observe stress-relieving exercise, too. As discussed earlier, this can directly address the way stress hormones affect eye health and sleep. One easy way to unwind is to meditate. Aside from being free and doable virtually anywhere, meditation can help reduce stress levels and improve breathing. This helps prevent hormone spikes that can aggravate the eyes and discourage sleep.
