Experts suggest that foregoing a pillow during sleep might be a useful strategy for managing intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients. The findings from this study were featured in Medical Xpress on January 27th. The experiment demonstrated that sleeping without a pillow helps stabilize IOP throughout the night, which is crucial for safeguarding the optic nerve from damage.
It is generally understood that IOP levels fluctuate considerably based on body posture. Specifically, when lying horizontally, there is a tendency for intraocular pressure to rise. Employing high pillows, which elevate the head and neck by an angle of 20–35 degrees, can worsen this effect. This position causes compression of the jugular veins, thereby impeding venous outflow. Consequently, this leads to a further elevation in IOP.
As part of the study, which involved 144 individuals diagnosed with glaucoma, specialists monitored IOP readings across various sleeping positions. The highest IOP measurements were recorded when participants’ heads were raised while using pillows. Simultaneously, researchers observed a reduction in perfusion pressure within the eye’s microvasculature, an outcome detrimental to the blood supply and nourishment of the optic nerve.
The collected evidence indicates that making adjustments to sleeping posture could be incorporated as an auxiliary component of comprehensive glaucoma management. Nevertheless, the study’s authors caution that these initial outcomes are preliminary and necessitate verification through larger, longer-duration clinical trials. This subsequent research is vital for establishing evidence-based guidelines to optimize sleep routines for glaucoma sufferers and thereby enhance treatment efficacy for the condition.
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