Sore Eyes? Get Rid of Them with These 4 Tips
Do your eyes consistently feel sore and strained at the end of the day? With all the time spent on our computers and phones, sore eyes are common for a lot of people. Screen time is a highly intense activity for our eyes. Just like any overused body part, your eyes deserve some attention and recovery. Luckily, there are few proven strategies that can help eliminate sore eyes and keep them healthy in the long run.
How to Eliminate Sore Eyes
Beyond eliminating sore eyes, the methods below are also useful for improving overall eye health. Healthy eyes feel better and are able to function properly.
1. Improve your Environment
Choosing the right lighting is an important factor in eye health. Warm lighting is ideal and will put less strain on your eyes. Cool lighting produces more UV radiation and causes significantly more eye strain. When possible, use filtered natural light as your lighting source (ie. sunlight coming through a window). You can also replace your light bulbs with LED, CFLs, or Full Spectrum bulbs. These tend to be the least harsh when it comes to artificial light. When outside, make sure to always wear sunglasses and protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.
If you live in an area with high allergen levels and are experiencing sore eyes, it’s worth looking into an air purifier. While you can’t control the air quality outside your home, it is possible to improve the air inside. By removing allergens from the air, you’ll no longer have to worry about them irritating your eyes.
2. Supplement
Protecting the eyes from the inside out is beneficial as well. Some of the top recommended supplements and vitamins include fish oil, carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, and vitamin E. Fish oil helps keep your eyes lubricated and soothes inflammation. The retina has a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, so it’s important to consume enough of this nutrient to maintain healthy vision.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two carotenoids that play a vital role in the proper functioning of your eyes. Plus, these antioxidants help absorb blue and UV light that can be damaging to your eyes. For those who clock a lot of screen time, these are a must.
Other vitamins that have shown positive results for improving eye health include vitamin E, vitamin C, and zinc.
3. Take a Break
Our eyes work hard all day long, give them a break. The most popular rule to follow is the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, give your eyes a 20 second break by looking at something 20 feet away from you. When we stare at screens, our eyes’ blink rate decreases to half, sometimes even down to a third of our normal rate. Our eyes can quickly become dry and irritated. It may not seem like a lot of time, but 20 seconds is all you need for your eyes to relax and reset.
4. Craft a Better Sleep Routine
One of the most important factors in repairing any part of the body, including the eyes, is proper sleep. Getting proper sleep in a modern world often requires a conscious look at your pre-sleep routine. Crafting a sleep routine is mainly about signaling the body to naturally release melatonin. As you approach your bedtime, consider implementing the following to enhance your sleep:
- Reduce light from screens or other sources
- Remove stimulants, such as caffeine, well before bedtime
- Read to occupy your mind from distractions
- Use Marc Pro on your traps and mid back
Why the last one? Marc Pro’s recovery mode is preset at 2hz, or 2 beats per second. These persistent contractions can be almost hypnotic when combined with the increased blood flow to the area. Many people carry tension in their upper back and necks. In extreme cases, this may lead to tension headaches, but for most people it’s a common source of poor sleep. Reducing tension, increasing bloodflow, and slowing down the body’s rhythm may all help melatonin production. So, besides the many muscle recovery benefits of using Marc Pro, it may also be a strong contribution to a better pre-sleep routine.
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