Decipher the surprising truth behind the ability to 'sleep without eyes' in the legend

Zhang Fei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms once had an anecdote sleeping without closing his eyes. But in real life, can humans do that?

The hero Truong Phi in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has an anecdote about the ability to "sleep without closing his eyes".

At that time, Truong Phi wanted his two subordinates, Truong Dat and Pham Cuong, to finish sewing white flags and white armor for all soldiers within 3 days, otherwise they would be beheaded. It was unthinkable, Truong and Pham knew it, so they decided to plot to kill the general.

In the middle of the night, when Zhang Fei was drunk, the two swords with their swords sneaked into the tent, then startled to realize that their general's eyes were wide open. It was only when they heard the steady snoring that they believed that Zhang Fei was asleep, immediately killed and brought his head to Ton Quyen.

The world has also recorded many cases of sleep without eyes.

Many people believe that Luo Guanzhong took the form of exaggeration here, but no one sleeps without closing his eyes.

But it turned out we were wrong. In fact, in the world, there have been many cases of sleep without eyes closed. For example, the story of Robyn Cathey (living in Acworth, Georgia, USA). For many consecutive years, she often fell asleep with her eyes completely open." This phenomenon only happens when I have a lot of tiredness at work " - Ms. Robyn Cathey shared.

Or the case of Mel Boozer, in Andover, United States, when up to 2 her children had the phenomenon of sleeping without closing their eyes. She also joked: "My child must be afraid to miss something so they don't dare to close their eyes."

But the cause is not so fun

In medicine, the phenomenon of open eye sleep is called nocturnal lagophthalmos . In a nutshell, this is considered a disease affecting the eyelids , making them unable to close completely when we sleep.

The world recorded as many as 20% of people with this disease. In particular, even the infected person himself could not realize that he was sleeping with his eyes open.

The world recorded as many as 20% of people with this disease.

According to science, many different causes of Lagophthalmos such as trauma in the skull, thyroid disease . even genetic diseases.

In particular, the main reason comes from the facial nerve - which controls the movement of both muscles that increase the eyebrows and eyelashes that close the eyelids - having problems. Or can also occur due to problems with the skin around the eyelids.

In an interview, Dr. Ivan Schwab from the American Academy of Ophthalmology said: "When sleeping, the muscles around the eyes gradually close and slowly fall into a deep sleep state. "It is very difficult to get a good night's sleep. Even if you open your eyes when you sleep, you may scratch, burn and damage your eyes.

Indeed, practical cases have demonstrated the harmful effects of sleeplessness. According to Ms. Cathey: "My eyes are extremely dry and a burning sensation. This has made me wake up several times while sleeping."

Dr. Schwab gives us advice: " If you have persistent sleeping eye, it is best to apply eye ointment, eye drops, . or wear specialized safety glasses at night . If the illness worsens, you definitely need to go to a specialized hospital for an examination. "

If you accidentally suffer from eye-opening sleep, you should be careful and see a doctor to prevent the harmful effects to health.

How to detect if you have Nocturnal Lagophthalmos?

The eyes of people with Lagophthalmos are always in a state of stress due to no rest. The eyes will protect and maintain moisture by rolling upwards revealing the whites. However, it does not help much.

Patients may wake up with dry or blurred vision, and there have been cases of corneal ulcers. If you frequently wake up with dry, itchy, inflamed eyes, or have infections and watery eyes, you may have some eye disorder.

Of course, you may also experience some of the above symptoms if you don't get enough sleep. But if the symptoms persist and your eyes are always wide open when you wake up, the safest option is to see a doctor immediately.

Is there any way to cure this condition?

This condition is quite common and completely curable. The treatment can be as simple as wearing a sleeping mask for the eyes or surgery to shorten the eyelids. In more severe cases, the eyelids may need to be implanted to make them heavier and pull the eyelids down during sleep.

The treatment depends on the severity of your condition. Take temporary measures, such as applying ointments to the eyes or using artificial tears to prevent dry eyes.

Lagophthalmos is a form of pathological condition that affects the patient's eyes. Patients should not accept "living with floods" because we cannot train eyes to get used to this. Although it may not seem serious, you should not take it lightly. We only have one eye, so if someone notices the symptoms of Lagophthalmos in you, see your doctor immediately.