"I'm totally a morning person, it’s just that my eyes are not morning eyes."

What the heck does that mean?

Our eyes stop making tears, the lubricating type, during transient sleep hours, so someone with dry eye syndrome or blepharitis (clogged oil glands in the eyelids) may have dryness in the AM.

Here are 4 quick and easy keys to help reduce that dreaded morning dryness:

1. Lubrication Before Bed

Applying some Nighttime Eye Ointment or lubricating Gel can help buffer the eye surface for the long and dry night. By adding some lubrication to the eye before we go to sleep, we are providing our eyes with some extra protection for those hours where our eyes stop producing their own lubrication.

2. Put away the iPhone and IPad at least an hour before Bed

Remember when the first mobile phones came to market and you would have to cover the phones screen to read a text outside? Yeah, me too. Those days are over with the new iPhones and Galaxies, Yaaay!

But.....

The UV-blue light emitted by all our digital devices, makes the HD displays many new devices have possible, but the reason everything is so vibrant and bright on our screens is because of UVB radiation being used in these modern displays. UVB is great for the clarity and luminance of our new devices, but it also causes our tears to evaporate quicker when we are using our digital gadgets. So if you are guilty of answering emails, texting, checking sport scores (Guilty!), scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram, or just watching cat videos before bed, you are setting yourself up for a very dry eyed morning. I always recommend abstaining from hand held digital device use before bed to all our patients. Read a Book people!

3. Cold Weather = Dry Air = Low Humidity

One great way to prepare the air in your bedroom for a "eye friendly" night of sleep is by turning on your humidifier an hour before bedtime. By allowing the humidifier to moisten the air you breathe all night, it will help with that morning dry eye, but also with a dry throat and nose.

4. Do NOT sleep in your Contact Lenses

This is pretty simple. Contact lenses are like little sponge thieves that steal your tears all day in order to keep themselves hydrated, but in turn cause your eyes to lack lubrication for themselves. Now think about what will happen during sleep when your tear production drops dramatically. Exactly! Dry, Red, and Sticky Eyes in the AM.