Before you get too worried about your baby’s health, you should know that sleeping with eyes open is not as rare as you might fear. In fact, there’s even a medical term for it: nocturnal lagophthalmos.

This may seem strange to you, but it is perfectly normal. Some babies and adults sleep with their eyes slightly open. Medically, sleeping with open eyes is harmless, quite common among babies and does not indicate that your child has a sleep problem. No one knows exactly why some babies sleep with their eyes open. There is not much research on the subject, but doctors say it may be because babies spend too much time in deep sleep.
The deep sleep phase when babies sleep with their eyes open is an active sleep cycle, and babies spend about 50 percent of their total sleep time in REM sleep, more than adults. Nevertheless, if you feel uncomfortable with the way your baby sleeps, you can gently close their eyelids. If your child’s eyes become dry or irritated from sleeping with their eyes open for hours, you can consult their doctor. In very rare cases, discomfort in the eyelids can prevent them from closing normally. But if this is not the case, there is no need to worry about this.

By the way, there is some evidence that sleeping with open eyes is hereditary. If you notice that your child sleeps with a blank and pensive look, ask your partner if you have ever slept with open eyes.

December 2023