Why your eyes are dry when you wake up, and what helps

If your eyes feel dry, gritty or sore when you wake up, look at what happens while you sleep. Here’s what can dry the eyes overnight, the clues that point to each cause, and what helps at bedtime.

By Symvana EditorialUpdated 14 min readHow we research
On this page
  1. Why eyes dry out overnight
  2. Eyelids that don’t fully close during sleep
  3. Sleep apnea, CPAP masks and floppy eyelids
  4. Bedroom air, fans and heating
  5. Sleep aids, other medicines and alcohol
  6. Dry eyes and a dry mouth together
  7. What helps at bedtime
  8. When to see an eye doctor
  9. Common questions

The short version

  • Your eyes make fewer tears while you sleep, so they depend on closed lids to stay moist. Anything that lets air reach the eye overnight can leave it dry by morning.
  • Eyelids that don’t fully close during sleep are easy to miss. You usually won’t know unless someone tells you, but an eye doctor can check.
  • A CPAP mask that leaks toward the eyes, a fan or vent blowing on your face, dry air, some sleep aids and alcohol can all add to it.
  • Snoring, a dry mouth or daytime sleepiness are worth raising with your doctor. Sleep apnea is linked with dry eye and with floppy eyelids.
  • At bedtime, an eye ointment, air that doesn’t blow on your face and, in dry rooms, a clean humidifier are reasonable first steps.
  • Never stop CPAP or a prescription because of your eyes. Ask the doctor who manages it.

Why eyes dry out overnight

Your eyes make fewer tears while you sleep, which leaves the eye surface relatively dry1 Gauba and Curtis, Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology, 2014 (opens in a new tab). Sleep position and the ocular surface in a high airflow environment.. A study that collected tears at different points in the daily cycle, including the moment closed eyes opened, concluded that once the eyes close, reflex tearing stops or slows sharply and a slower background flow takes over2 Sack et al., Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 1992 (opens in a new tab). Diurnal tear cycle: evidence for a nocturnal inflammatory constitutive tear fluid.. Eyelids that close fully protect the eye during sleep. When they don’t, the tear film can suffer and dry eye symptoms can get worse3 Takahashi et al., Life, 2020 (opens in a new tab). Nocturnal Lagophthalmos and Sleep Quality in Patients with Dry Eye Disease..

So the things worth checking are the ones that can leave the eye drier by morning:

How your eyes feel and what an exam shows don’t always line up across the day. In a small study, 21 people with dry eye were examined in the morning and again in the evening4 Walker et al., Cornea, 2010 (opens in a new tab). Diurnal variation of visual function and the signs and symptoms of dry eye.. By evening their eyes showed more keratitis (irritation of the cornea’s surface) and more redness, and their sharpest vision lasted a shorter time between blinks, yet they reported more discomfort in the morning4. Our guide to dry eyes and blurry vision covers how blur changes through the day.

For the causes of dry eye in general, see what causes dry eyes. Our Dry Eye Profile asks when your symptoms are worst and what happens at night, and weighs both.

Eyelids that don’t fully close during sleep

Doctors call it nocturnal lagophthalmos: the eyelids don’t fully close during sleep. It’s linked with damage to the exposed surface of the eye, poorer sleep and lasting symptoms from the exposure5 Latkany et al., The Ocular Surface, 2006 (opens in a new tab). Nocturnal lagophthalmos: an overview and classification.. It can be caused by facial nerve paralysis or an injury to the face, but it’s also common in otherwise healthy people3.

It’s easy to miss. You usually won’t know it happens unless someone else notices1, and even at an eye exam a gap can sometimes be hidden by the lashes or by the way the upper lid sits over the lower one5. In an online survey of 2,000 adults in Japan, 4.5% said their eyes are open during sleep and more than a third weren’t sure3. Those who said yes more often reported dry eye, and more often woke with eye symptoms such as pain or trouble opening their eyes3.

A 1990 report described 40 people diagnosed over six months with symptoms from lids that didn’t close at night6 Lyons and McNab, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology, 1990 (opens in a new tab). Symptomatic nocturnal lagophthalmos.. Most had symptoms in one eye6. In 30%, the symptoms followed alcohol intoxication; other factors included sleeping pills, cosmetic eyelid surgery, botulinum toxin injections for eyelid spasms, facial palsy, thyroid eye disease and scarring skin conditions of the lids6.

The largest group, 42%, had no clear cause, though five of them had a parent, sibling or child who slept with their eyes open, or had been seen sleeping that way themselves6. All 40 got relief from simple treatments without surgery6.

An eye doctor can usually diagnose it from your history and an exam at the slit lamp, the microscope used in eye exams5. The exposed part of the cornea often shows a band of tiny damaged spots low on the eye in the morning3. One simple treatment is an eye ointment at night along with artificial tears, and taping the lids closed during sleep has also proved helpful3. Ask your doctor to show you how before you try tape. When the shape or position of the lids is the cause, minor procedures or eyelid surgery are options5.

Sleep apnea, CPAP masks and floppy eyelids

In obstructive sleep apnea, the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, reducing or stopping the flow of air7 Lin et al., Nature and Science of Sleep, 2024 (opens in a new tab). Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment on Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. It’s linked with dry eye. A 2024 review looked at 11 studies with 1,526 patients7. In the nine it could pool, people with sleep apnea had less stable tear films, made fewer tears and reported worse dry eye symptoms than people without it7. Across the studies, the measures generally got worse as sleep apnea got more severe7. These were observational studies, and for that reason the reviewers rated the evidence low quality7.

You may not know you have the nighttime signs of sleep apnea until someone tells you: frequent loud snoring, gasping for air, and breathing that stops and starts8 US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2025 (opens in a new tab). Sleep Apnea: Symptoms.. Signs you may notice yourself include daytime sleepiness, a dry mouth, headaches and waking often during the night to urinate8. If that sounds familiar, talk to your doctor. You may need a sleep study8.

CPAP masks

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is widely seen as the first-line treatment for sleep apnea. Its most common mask problem is air leaking from the edge of the mask, which may dry the mouth, the nose and even the eyes7. The international dry eye workshop notes that people often complain their masks leak air onto the eye9 Gomes et al., The Ocular Surface, 2017 (opens in a new tab). TFOS DEWS II iatrogenic report..

Used for long enough, CPAP may help the eyes. The same review found three small studies on this, with 180 patients in all7. In the two where people had used CPAP for a year or more, their dry eye measures improved; in the one with only four months of use, most measures didn’t7. The reviewers rated this evidence very low quality, and they suggest leaks may matter most early on, when the mask can shift as you sleep on one side7.

Don’t stop CPAP because of your eyes

Sleep apnea is a major risk factor for heart and metabolic problems10 Bulloch et al., Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2024 (opens in a new tab). Ocular manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Tell your sleep doctor or equipment supplier that your eyes are dry in the morning, so they can check how the mask fits. For people whose eye surface is already affected, the dry eye workshop suggests considering a more advanced CPAP device or another sleep apnea treatment, along with eye lubricants9. That’s a decision for your sleep doctor.

Floppy eyelids

In floppy eyelid syndrome, the upper eyelids are unusually loose and can turn outward or inward during sleep, exposing the eye. People with it often sleep face down or on their side, positions that put pressure on the eyelids11 Scarabosio et al., Diagnostics, 2024 (opens in a new tab). The Overlooked Floppy Eyelid Syndrome: From Diagnosis to Medical and Surgical Management.. Typical complaints are redness, light sensitivity, a constant feeling of something in the eye and mucus discharge, often worse on waking and on the side you sleep on11.

It often comes with sleep apnea. In a review of 12 studies with 511 people with floppy eyelid syndrome, 57% had sleep apnea, most were men, and their average age was 5512 Bulloch et al., Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2023 (opens in a new tab). Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Floppy Eyelid Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.. Tear film problems were the most common other eye finding, seen in 79%12. Another review found that people with sleep apnea had about 3.7 times the odds of floppy eyelid syndrome10. The first review’s authors advise routine screening for sleep apnea symptoms in people with floppy eyelids who are at risk12.

Treatment often starts with an ointment or gel at night. Taping the lids closed during sleep, along with the ointment, is used before considering surgery, and severe cases may need surgery to tighten the lid11.

Bedroom air, fans and heating

Moving air can draw extra moisture from the eyes, and at night it works on an eye surface that’s already relatively dry1. A study at a dry eye clinic in Dubai looked at 48 new patients who all slept with air conditioning or a fan. Most of them (81%) showed signs that their lids don’t fully close during sleep, and in those patients the eye on the side away from the pillow more often had surface damage and worse symptoms1. Patients without these signs had no surface damage in either eye1.

The researchers suggested changing the direction of the airflow, sleeping more on your back, a humidifier near the bed or an eye ointment at night, though they didn’t test these1.

Dry air matters too. In a lab study, an hour in very dry air (5% relative humidity, compared with 40%) made tears evaporate faster and break up sooner, and worsened the oil layer, tear production and comfort13 Abusharha and Pearce, Cornea, 2013 (opens in a new tab). The effect of low humidity on the human tear film..

Sleep aids, other medicines and alcohol

The international dry eye workshop (TFOS DEWS II) lists medicines known or suspected to cause or worsen dry eye. Several are things people take at night9:

  • Sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medicines, such as zolpidem, eszopiclone, alprazolam and lorazepam9. Sleeping pills were also among the factors behind lids that didn’t close at night in the 1990 report above6.
  • Antihistamines, including diphenhydramine and doxylamine9. Doxylamine is sold as an over-the-counter nighttime sleep aid16 Product label: nighttime sleep aid (doxylamine), via DailyMed (opens in a new tab). Nighttime Sleep Aid (doxylamine succinate 25 mg) tablets., and diphenhydramine is the nighttime sleep aid in some “PM” pain relievers, such as acetaminophen PM17 Product label: acetaminophen PM (acetaminophen and diphenhydramine), via DailyMed (opens in a new tab). Extra Strength Acetaminophen PM caplets.. Allergy antihistamines such as cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine are on the list too9.
  • Antidepressants and antipsychotics, a long list that includes amitriptyline, mirtazapine and trazodone9.
  • Alcohol. Ethanol is on the list as well9, and alcohol intoxication came before the symptoms in 30% of the people in the 1990 report6.
  • Eye drops with preservatives. Preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride may make dry eye worse. Dry eye symptoms are common in people using preserved glaucoma drops, and several studies found that switching to preservative-free versions reduced them9. The Drop Decoder picks out preservatives in an ingredient list.

Don’t stop or change a prescription because of your eyes

That includes glaucoma drops. Ask the doctor who prescribed it, or your pharmacist, whether it could be adding to your dry eye and what your options are. A pharmacist can also help you compare over-the-counter sleep aids and allergy pills. NIH advises people with Sjögren’s disease to tell their doctor which medicines they take, because some make eye and mouth dryness worse14.

Dry eyes and a dry mouth together

If you wake with a dry mouth as well as dry eyes, these are the possibilities to raise with your doctor:

There’s no single test for Sjögren’s. Doctors may ask about your dryness, including when it started and whether you feel it every day, and may order eye tests, saliva tests and blood tests. A rheumatologist may make the diagnosis, and an eye doctor or dentist may run some of the tests14. If your eyes and mouth are dry most days, mention both at your next appointment.

What helps at bedtime

If one of the causes above fits, start there. Whatever the cause, these are reasonable first steps:

  • An eye ointment or gel at bedtime. Eye ointments are thicker than drops and keep the eyes wet for several hours. They can blur your vision, so most people use them while they sleep14. Refresh P.M., for example, is a preservative-free ointment whose active ingredients are mineral oil and white petrolatum. Its label says to pull down the lower lid and apply a small amount, about a quarter inch, to the inside of the lid19 Product label: Refresh P.M., via DailyMed (opens in a new tab). REFRESH P.M. (mineral oil, white petrolatum) lubricant eye ointment..
  • Air that doesn’t blow on your face, and a clean humidifier in dry weather (see bedroom air).
  • Moisture goggles. Mixed evidence They seal a pocket of humid air around the eyes. They haven’t been well studied, but they’re worth trying if your eyes are worst on waking, you sleep near a fan or you use CPAP (ask your equipment supplier whether they fit with your mask).
  • Contact lenses out before sleep, unless your eye doctor has told you to sleep in them20 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab). Preventing Eye Infections When Wearing Contacts.. Sleeping in lenses raises the risk of eye infection six- to eightfold21 Cope et al., CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2018 (opens in a new tab). Corneal Infections Associated with Sleeping in Contact Lenses: Six Cases, United States, 2016 to 2018.. Even an occasional night in them adds risk, and so do lenses approved for overnight wear21. More in our guide to dry eyes with contacts.
  • A warm compress, if your oil glands are involved. Good evidence Our guide to the two main types of dry eye lists the clues. In the studies a 2024 review looked at, repeated warm compresses relieved symptoms of this kind of dry eye, and the review advises a moist-heat mask on each eye for at least 10 minutes22 Lee, Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2024 (opens in a new tab). Evidence-Based Strategies for Warm Compress Therapy in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.. Our warm compress guide shows how to do it properly.
  • Itchy lash lines or crusts on your lashes? Our guide to Demodex blepharitis covers eyelid mites, one possible cause.

Night ointment

Refresh P.M.

A preservative-free petrolatum and mineral oil ointment that protects the eye surface overnight. Useful if you wake up with sore, sticky eyes.

Worth knowing. Eye ointments can blur your vision, so most people use them while they sleep. Its only inactive ingredient is lanolin alcohols, so skip it if you avoid lanolin.

Good evidence$
See price on Amazon for Refresh P.M. (opens in a new tab)

Moisture chamber goggles

Tranquileyes Moisture Goggles

Foam-sealed goggles that trap humid air around your eyes. Worth trying if your eyes are worst on waking, you sleep near a fan or you use a CPAP mask.

Worth knowing. Research is thin. The logic is sound and the risk is low, but give it two weeks before judging.

Mixed evidence$$$
See price on Amazon for Tranquileyes Moisture Goggles (opens in a new tab)

Room humidifier

A small cool-mist humidifier

Central heating and air conditioning can pull indoor humidity low enough to speed up tear evaporation. A desk or bedside unit helps most in winter.

Worth knowing. Empty and refill it daily and clean it every few days, as the EPA advises. A dirty humidifier puts mold and bacteria into the air you breathe.

Mixed evidence$$
See price on Amazon for A small cool-mist humidifier (opens in a new tab)

Heated eye mask

Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress

A microwavable mask made to hold its warmth far longer than a washcloth, which cools within minutes. Steady warmth over several minutes is what thickened gland oil needs to soften.

Worth knowing. Test it on your wrist every time. Eyelid skin is thin and burns easily.

Good evidence$$
See price on Amazon for Bruder Moist Heat Eye Compress (opens in a new tab)

Evidence grades are for the type of product, not the brand. Amazon links are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure.

Our evidence board grades 20 dry eye treatments, from humidifiers and moisture goggles to prescription drops. For daytime drops, see the best eye drops for dry eyes.

Not sure which type you have?

The free Dry Eye Profile sorts your symptoms into a likely type and gives you a plan in about three minutes.

Take the dry eye quiz

When to see an eye doctor

Book an eye exam if you wake with dry or sore eyes most mornings despite the steps above, if one eye is regularly worse, or if someone has told you your eyes stay open while you sleep. An eye doctor can check how well your lids close5, test how loose they are11, and look for signs of exposure on the lower part of the cornea3. If you use an over-the-counter ointment, follow its label: Refresh P.M. says to stop using it and ask a doctor if you have eye pain, changes in vision, or redness or irritation that continues, or if the problem gets worse or lasts more than 72 hours19.

See a doctor promptly if you have

Sudden, sharp pain in one eye when you wake, often with redness, watering, light sensitivity or blur. That’s the typical pattern of a recurrent corneal erosion. It usually starts when drying overnight makes the cornea’s surface layer cling to the inside of the lid, and opening the eye pulls it loose. It typically affects an eye with a past injury, earlier eye surgery or certain corneal conditions23 Miller et al., Clinical Ophthalmology, 2019 (opens in a new tab). Recurrent corneal erosion: a comprehensive review..

Eye pain, redness or blurred vision after sleeping in contact lenses. Take the lenses out and contact your eye doctor20: corneal infections from sleeping in lenses can damage the cornea and may cause permanent vision loss21.

Sore, dry eyes most mornings?

A dry eye specialist can check how well your lids close and test your tear film. Our directory lists practices whose own websites show dry eye care beyond drops. Search by ZIP code, starting in Florida.

Find a specialist

Common questions

Why are my eyes so dry when I wake up?

Your eyes make fewer tears while you sleep, so they rely on closed lids to stay moist. Lids that don’t fully close, air from a fan, a vent or a leaking CPAP mask, dry air, some sleep aids and other medicines, and alcohol can each leave the eye dry by morning. If it keeps happening, an eye doctor can check how well your lids close.

Is it normal to sleep with your eyes slightly open?

It isn’t rare, and it’s seen in otherwise healthy people. In an online survey of 2,000 adults in Japan, 4.5% said their eyes are open during sleep and more than a third weren’t sure. People who said yes more often reported dry eye and woke with eye pain or trouble opening their eyes. If you often wake with sore eyes, ask an eye doctor to check how your lids close.

Can CPAP cause dry eyes?

It may, if air leaks from the mask toward your eyes. Keep using it, and ask your sleep doctor or equipment supplier to check the fit. Small studies suggest dry eye measures improve after a year or more of CPAP use, though the evidence is of very low quality.

Should I use eye drops or ointment at night?

An ointment keeps the eyes wet for several hours, which suits the time you’re asleep, but it can blur your vision, so save it for bedtime. Thinner drops are easier during the day. If you wear contact lenses, take them out before you sleep unless your eye doctor has told you to sleep in them.

Why is only one eye dry in the morning?

Several nighttime causes tend to affect one side: a lid that doesn’t fully close, air from a fan or vent reaching the eye that faces away from the pillow, or a floppy eyelid, whose symptoms are often worse on the side you sleep on. Sudden, sharp pain in one eye on waking can be a recurrent corneal erosion and needs prompt care from an eye doctor.

What does it mean if I wake up with dry eyes and a dry mouth?

Possible reasons include a leaking CPAP mask, sleep apnea itself, some medicines, and Sjögren’s disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the glands that keep the eyes and mouth moist. If your eyes and mouth are dry most days, mention both to your doctor.

Sources

  1. Sleep position and the ocular surface in a high airflow environment (opens in a new tab). Gauba and Curtis, Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology, 2014.
  2. Diurnal tear cycle: evidence for a nocturnal inflammatory constitutive tear fluid (opens in a new tab). Sack et al., Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 1992.
  3. Nocturnal Lagophthalmos and Sleep Quality in Patients with Dry Eye Disease (opens in a new tab). Takahashi et al., Life, 2020.
  4. Diurnal variation of visual function and the signs and symptoms of dry eye (opens in a new tab). Walker et al., Cornea, 2010.
  5. Nocturnal lagophthalmos: an overview and classification (opens in a new tab). Latkany et al., The Ocular Surface, 2006.
  6. Symptomatic nocturnal lagophthalmos (opens in a new tab). Lyons and McNab, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology, 1990.
  7. Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment on Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (opens in a new tab). Lin et al., Nature and Science of Sleep, 2024.
  8. Sleep Apnea: Symptoms (opens in a new tab). US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2025.
  9. TFOS DEWS II iatrogenic report (opens in a new tab). Gomes et al., The Ocular Surface, 2017.
  10. Ocular manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab). Bulloch et al., Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2024.
  11. The Overlooked Floppy Eyelid Syndrome: From Diagnosis to Medical and Surgical Management (opens in a new tab). Scarabosio et al., Diagnostics, 2024.
  12. Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Floppy Eyelid Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (opens in a new tab). Bulloch et al., Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2023.
  13. The effect of low humidity on the human tear film (opens in a new tab). Abusharha and Pearce, Cornea, 2013.
  14. Sjögren’s Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take (opens in a new tab). US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
  15. Use and Care of Home Humidifiers (opens in a new tab). US Environmental Protection Agency.
  16. Nighttime Sleep Aid (doxylamine succinate 25 mg) tablets (opens in a new tab). Product label: nighttime sleep aid (doxylamine), via DailyMed.
  17. Extra Strength Acetaminophen PM caplets (opens in a new tab). Product label: acetaminophen PM (acetaminophen and diphenhydramine), via DailyMed.
  18. Sjögren’s Disease (opens in a new tab). US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
  19. REFRESH P.M. (mineral oil, white petrolatum) lubricant eye ointment (opens in a new tab). Product label: Refresh P.M., via DailyMed.
  20. Preventing Eye Infections When Wearing Contacts (opens in a new tab). US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  21. Corneal Infections Associated with Sleeping in Contact Lenses: Six Cases, United States, 2016 to 2018 (opens in a new tab). Cope et al., CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2018.
  22. Evidence-Based Strategies for Warm Compress Therapy in Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (opens in a new tab). Lee, Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2024.
  23. Recurrent corneal erosion: a comprehensive review (opens in a new tab). Miller et al., Clinical Ophthalmology, 2019.

This guide is for education and doesn’t replace an eye exam, or advice from the doctor who manages your sleep apnea or your medicines.

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