I’ve made quite the discovery just recently.

I have been struggling with sore, red eyes especially first thing in the morning. And I’ve been struggling with waking up feeling like I’ve just cycled a century rather than sleeping.

I’ve tried different things …
— drops in my eyes when I wake up
— no coffee after 5 pm
— chamomile tea in the evening
— putting on relaxing music late in the evening before bed and turning down the lights
— reading something relaxing before I fall asleep
— a sleep monitor that records what I do in the night … maybe I do get up and ride a century! 🙂

The drops in the morning helped a bit, the relaxing techniques ensured I fell asleep within about 5 minutes, and the sleep monitor revealed I snore a little right at the beginning of the night but then seem to sleep all right.

The other night, I was dozing off and somewhere in between that wake and sleep state when I suddenly felt like my eyes weren’t entirely closed. Then I got to wondering … am I sleeping with my eyes slightly open? It is a thing. It does happen to some people.

One of the simplest solutions for that is to put drops in the eyes before bed and to wear an eye mask at night. So I went out and got a lightweight one. That night … drops in the eyes, eye mask on … and I had one of the better night’s sleeps I’ve had in a while! Plus my eyes were less red and sore and I was less puffy around the eyes.

I’ve gone to a bigger, heavier eye mask and have slept with it two nights now. So far, I like it better.

Who would have thought that a simple eye mask would make such a difference!

But there is evidence that blocking out the light can help.
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/earplugs-and-eye-masks-help-promote-sleep

 

So these are my sleep tips for creating a Cocoon of Silence and Comfort …