Sleeping Flat Might Save Your Sight: A Simple Glaucoma Tip

Glaucoma is a sneaky condition that can steal your vision. It happens when pressure builds up inside the eye, damaging the optic nerve. But here's a simple trick that might help: skip the pillows at bedtime. Researchers found that sleeping with pillows can raise eye pressure. Two-thirds of people with glaucoma saw their eye pressure go up when they slept with pillows. But when they slept flat, their eye pressure stayed lower. This is big news because high eye pressure is a major cause of vision loss in glaucoma. So, why does this happen? It's all about the neck and veins. When you sleep with pillows, your neck is bent, and this can squish the jugular vein. This vein helps drain fluid from the eye. When it's squished, fluid builds up, and eye pressure goes up.Glaucoma is common in people over 60. It's one of the leading causes of blindness in this age group. Usually, doctors treat it with eye drops or laser therapy. But these treatments can be expensive and have side effects. Sleeping flat might be a simple, safe way to help manage the condition. The study looked at 144 people with glaucoma. They slept with pillows and without pillows. The researchers measured their eye pressure and found that sleeping flat was better. It kept eye pressure lower and helped blood flow to the eye. So, if you have glaucoma, it might be worth trying to sleep without pillows. It's a simple change that could make a big difference. But remember, always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your treatment.