Why Your Eyes Burn When You Wake In The Wee Hours - NBC News

Mr. Sandman may bring us dreams. But Mr. Alarm Clock brings us sandpaper.

At least, that’s how Shelley Hunter, a frequent late-night worker/early riser, describes that first, frightful sensation shared by many sleep-deprived folks when they wake and crack open their tired bulbs.

“It burns and feels like I have sandpaper in my eyelids. I don't feel it at any other time of day,” said Hunter, who lives in Danville, Calif., near San Francisco. “It definitely seems that lack of sleep is the cause.

“When the alarm rings at 6:30 a.m., my eyes hurt immediately,” Hunter added. “If I were to go back to sleep, the pain would be less. Sometimes I try to lay in bed for just a minute hoping that it won't feel so bad, but I rarely get that chance.”

What’s delivering that dawn dose of pepper to our peepers? Basically, it's dryness, say two medical exerts. But why does a lack of Zs dry our eyes? Two theories.

This may be all about the lacrimal gland, located just above the eyelid and just below the outside of the eyebrow. From under the skin, this lumpy-looking gland secretes tears that lubricate the eye surface, keeping it damp, glistening and healthy. It’s also wired to the brain via neurological circuitry, said Dr. Sheri Rowen, ophthalmologic surgeon and director of the eye and cosmetic surgery center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

“It's related to sleep. I think it’s the same mechanism that happens when you’re up late at night and your eyes feel tired then,” Rowen said. “It may be that the lacrimal gland stops putting out tears if you don't sleep enough.

“It may involve that same circuitry: a signal that you're needing sleep,” Rowen added. “The gland says: OK, I need to get some sleep. I’m going to start shutting down so the body gets rest.' The patient can’t tolerate the burning, stinging eyes so they sleep. You can’t bypass that feeling without sleeping.”

Sore, fatigued eye muscles bolster that early-morning heated feel, said Meir Schneider, who teaches people how to improve their vision naturally. He is the founder of the School for Self-Healing, a non-profit in SanFrancisco.

“Overuse of the eyes can lead to eyestrain and cause people not to blink as often, especially if they are focused on a computer screen. Blinking allows our eyes to lubricate themselves naturally,” Schneider said. “When people do not have much sleep it often is because they have stayed up late to work or celebrate.”

So, reduced late-night blinking means the eyes were dry when they closed for the night – and they remain dry when the alarm buzzes and the lids rise.

Hunter, 45, who operates giftcardgirlfriend.com, admits “working from home causes me to stay up late on the computer. It's probably a combination of being up late and focusing on a screen well into the night.

“That's when the house is quiet, the kids are asleep, and homework is done. I am often quite tired at 9 p.m. and am certain I'll go to sleep as soon as I get the kids to bed. But then I get a second wind and sit down to my most productive hours on the computer, building my site, responding to customer requests.

“All of those things (kids, work, husband, household chores) add up to me trying to fit just one more thing in my day, which often leads to me staying up too late … and waking up with scratchy eyes.”

But there’s one more mystery to mention here: The tiny sounds made by weary bulbs. 

“Each morning, I rub my tired eyes,” said eye surgeon Rowen. “Did I mention that they squeak when I rub them?”

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