Sleep in your eyes

​That sometimes yellowish coloured "goop" in your eyes when you wake up has a function.

The scientific name of "sleep" is rheum, and is in fact a combination of dried tears, oils, skin cells, debris and mucus. The tear ducts produce 24/7 tears to keep the eyes moist and protect our eyes against dirt, irritants, allergens and bacteria. Because you don't blink while you are sleeping, you don't "wipe away" the excess of tears with debris. It can be wet and sticky. After a while, the some of it's liquid may evaporate and the rheum may end up crusty and ends up collected in the inner-corners of your eyes. Although unflattering, it's perfectly normal. Simply remove the rheum using a wet (clean water only) cloth or cotton pad and wipe towards the inner corner of the eye.

A few conditions can increase the production of sleep. For example: allergic conjunctivitis or eye infections. The amount of rheum can be so severe in the morning that the eyes are "glued" together and difficult to open. In such cases it's recommended to consult a qualified healthcare provider.

​Take care.

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