Yes, but only if there’s something wrong with the body.
The medical condition that prevents the eyes from closing completely is called lagophthalmos – when it occurs at night, causing the person to sleep with their eyes open, it is called nocturnal lagophthalmos. The problem can be temporary or permanent, and the causes are usually muscle diseases or diseases that affect the facial nerve, such as leprosy, one of the main causes of the problem in Brazil. You can also sleep with your eyes open because of eyelid malformations, cysts, allergies, congenital diseases (acquired during pregnancy), use of central nervous system depressants (such as alcoholic beverages and sedative drugs) and even because of sleep-walking. The consequences are heavy: dryness of the eyeball, redness, infections and, in extreme cases, blindness. But it can be cured with medicine, eyelid exercises and surgery. Just don’t think about training to see if you can sleep with your eyes open: as sleep is linked to muscle relaxation, it’s impossible to do this on your own.
SOURCE Clélia Franco, neurologist at the Hospital das Clínicas at UFPE, and Márcia Pradella-Hallinan, neurologist at the Instituto do Sono
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