The Best Sleeping Position when Recovering from Glaucoma

Glaucoma is caused when the pressure in the eye—known as intraocular pressure (IOP)—becomes constantly raised. There’s been a lot of research into the correlation between sleep, IOP, and glaucoma. While many factors currently remain outside medical knowledge, there’s a whole lot of information that’s been evidenced surrounding sleep, development, and management of the condition. 

How to Sleep with Glaucoma: essential information

• Sleep and intraocular pressure
• Glaucoma and sleep problems
• Glaucoma and pillows: how to sleep with glaucoma

Sleep and intraocular pressure 

It’s well known that IOP rises when the body is in a horizontal position. This is exacerbated in those who suffer from glaucoma, although the exact reason for this isn’t yet fully understood. There are some tentative links between worsening glaucoma and sleeping positions. For instance, it might be (with an emphasis on the word “might”) that those who have glaucoma in just one eye and sleep that side down could accelerate its progression.

However, it’s important to understand that this has yet to be proven and that sleeping in such a manner certainly isn’t the sole reason for worsening glaucoma.

Glaucoma and sleep problems 

What is better understood, however, is the link between certain sleep conditions and glaucoma. For instance, those with sleep apnea could be as much as 10 times more likely to develop the condition. Why this is the case is still under discussion, with much research still ongoing.

Other issues, such as sleeping more than 10 hours per night, consistent daytime sleepiness, and even how quickly (or not) you fall asleep also appear to have a glaucoma connection.

Glaucoma and pillows: how to sleep with glaucoma

If you’ve been diagnosed with glaucoma, then your ophthalmologist might make the following suggestions:

• Sleeping in an upright position: Because it’s known that IOP rises when you’re horizontal, sleeping more upright may help reduce this.
• Using a bed that raises your head above your heart: Again, this might help mitigate the overnight rise in IOP when sleeping. It’s believed that an elevation of 30 degrees or more could help reduce IOP.
• Wearing special protective glasses: A type of eyeglasses that sits on the orbital rim has been shown to prevent IOP, even if lying horizontally. 
• Other eyewear: Turning the head into the pillow on the side of an affected eye is shown to increase IOP. Wearing an eye shield during sleep might be advantageous and used to aid glaucoma recovery.

It’s very important to understand that this research is ongoing. In a recent controlled study reported by the National Library of Medicine, while IOP was proven to be raised when lying down, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Even those who don’t have significant pressure spikes can find their condition deteriorates. This has given further evidence to the hypothesis that other factors are at play, such as impaired blood flow.

As research stands, today’s best clinical knowledge means that many ophthalmologists might recommend glaucoma sufferers to sleep with their head raised to a greater or lesser extent. Naturally, the learning curve continues to advance as more studies are carried out. 

For those diagnosed with glaucoma, it’s imperative that you follow your eye doctor’s instructions. Specialists will have access to the very latest information and will advise accordingly.

Tailored Care (including advice on how to sleep with glaucoma) at the WBEC

At the West Boca Eye Center, our clinical experts use the latest cutting-edge options to treat glaucoma. We keep our patients up to date with the latest proven information surrounding everything to do with managing the condition, including how to sleep with glaucoma.

Discover more at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/services/glaucoma-dropless-therapy