The Value of Resting Your Eyes
Getting adequate rest is crucial to functioning better in day-to-day life. If you haven’t gotten enough sleep, and you aren’t able to nap, there are ways you can still rest your eyes, which is valuable for both eye health and overall health. If you’re at work and feeling like you need to rest your eyes, take a moment to close your eyes, meditate for a few minutes, and relax. It may not be as advantageous as getting extra sleep, but it can help rest your eyes.
Eye fatigue is also a common condition that can occur if you eyes aren’t well rested. This can include unpleasant symptoms such as the following:
- Irritated eyes
- Trouble concentrating
- Dry eyes or watery eyes
- Blurred vision
- An increase in light sensitivity
- Back, shoulder, and neck pain
These symptoms can negatively impact your day, so it is so important to get adequate rest.
Put Your Mind at Rest
You can still be awake, but take a break to rest your eyes. This calms your mind. Some people even practice a yoga called “yoga nidra,” which puts people in a yogic sleep between the two worlds of being awake and asleep. Resting your eyes also allows your muscles and body parts to relax, resulting in stress reduction, mood enhancement, and a clearer mind. Being in a calmer state can increase your creativity, motivation, and ability to be productive.
Other techniques you can use are visualization or deep-breathing. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of your day, these solutions allow you to center yourself and calm the mind. Taking a break to rest your eyes can even enhance memory. Sleep or rest is beneficial for declarative memory (the ability to remember facts) and procedural memory (how to remember abilities that you have such as bike riding). In a high-speed life full of distractions and constant information, taking the time to settle down and rest is a great idea for any person. Down time should be a daily occurrence just to reset your mind and slow things down.
Lay Your Head Down
If you do have the opportunity, lying down is a great way to relax all your organs and muscles. You don’t even have to be napping – just taking a break and laying back can have the exact same effect.
Some people have difficulties taking naps during the day or can’t get to sleep. If this is the case for you, getting up and doing a mellow activity like reading (especially something on the more boring side) will help you feel more tired and get you to sleep. Avoid looking at computer screens, your phone, or other technologies as the light from the screen can play a trick on your body by preventing the release melatonin, which aids in sleep. Also, clearing your head of distracting thoughts can help immensely.
There is so much value in just taking the time to rest your eyes and relax. It causes a healthy level of productivity, is good for eye health, and can have a calming effect on the body.
The team at Dr. Ghosheh Medical Clinic want our patients to be at their very best. We hope these tips can help you rest your eyes, and give you a nice boost for your day! If you find that resting your eyes isn’t helping reduce certain problematic eye conditions, be sure to book a free consultation with us.