What Is An Eye Pillow & Why Use One?

When you need to fall asleep gently and without the help of complicated rituals or a bunch of pills, what you need is a simple eye pillow. It helps you to get good quality and duration of sleep and to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. 

You may have many questions about this sleep aid and we’re here today to talk about this little accessory and what it can do for you. Before we get into that, let’s look at why sleep is so crucial to your health and well-being. 

Why Is Sleep Important?

Though sleep is a universal phenomenon, the type, length and how it is induced can differ widely from person to person, and across different ages. The common factor is that sleep is essential to your survival. Hormones such as melatonin are released to signal the system to go into sleep mode. During sleep, your whole body is at rest in an almost paralyzed state, while your brain remains active.

It is a resting period that allows your cells to repair or get replaced, muscles, joints and nerves to relax and rest, for your mind to de-stress and recover from the day’s work. Sleep is crucial for your mental and emotional stability. It prevents anxiety, mood swings and depression, and improves immunity. 

Another important aspect of sleep is that it allows your brain to process, store and categorize information in the right slots. 

In real terms, sleep deprivation results in poor performance, slower reaction times and impaired decision making, poor judgment and sensory ability, altered cognition in severe cases and inability to learn or remember. 

You may have heard the term sleep debt and consoled yourself by thinking that you can always make up for lost sleep later. But this can be counter-productive. As the debt builds up, the more difficult it is to make up for the hours of sleep deprivation. The trick is regular and consistent sleep in a comfortable and safe environment. 

Eye Pillows : What Are They?

You may not suffer from sleep deprivation or insomnia, but why not treat yourself to something that can enhance the sleep experience and help you get the full benefits of sleep?

Eye pillows are tiny cushions that are filled with a natural product such as flax-seeds or rice that help to weigh them down. They may also contain mildly fragrant, soothing herbs such as lavender that help to calm you down and promote relaxation. For more information visit, https://restanddigest.com.au/products/eye-pillow

In physiological terms, the gentle pressure on the eyeballs helps to stimulate the vagus nerve and lower the heart rate while shutting out the light. 

They have a cover that’s usually made from natural fabrics such as soft cotton or silk and are washable so you can keep them clean. Some products come with a small container of essential oil such as bergamot, chamomile or cedarwood. You can apply a few drops on the eye pillow cover to help promote relaxation. You may have to experiment with a few oils to find the one that suits you best. 

Place the eye pillow over your closed eyes and allow the feeling of calmness to wash over you. 

Benefits of Using An Eye Pillow

Apart from sleep, you can use the eye pillow during certain yogic practices such as meditation or shavasana to promote all-round mental and physical relaxation. 

Using an eye pillow regularly gives you an enhanced quality of sleep. This means that you go through all the stages of sleep. Stage 1 is the transition stage which is a light sleep, Stage 2 is where your heart-rate, body temperature and eye-movements are reduced. Stage 3 takes you into deeper unconsciousness, and your body and mind are completely relaxed. Cell repair occurs in this stage, and it’s difficult to be woken from this sleep. In Stage 4, the final REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, your eye-movement, heart-rate and breathing are faster and you may dream. You go through all 4 stages of sleep at least 3 times during a single sleep cycle and this is the best quality and quantity of sleep. 

Eye pillows relax the eyes and give relief from burning sensation or eye-strain. 

If you suffer from puffiness or dark circles under the eyes, using an eye pillow regular will reduce these. 

The pillow blocks out ambient light so that you can relax. 

You may have to adjust the contours of the pillow by adding or removing the filler so that it fits your eyes well. Keep your pillow wrapped in a cotton cloth or cover when not in use and wash it with a gentle, fragrance-free detergent. Dry it thoroughly before use.