Eye pillows are often associated with relaxation at the end of a yoga class. Bringing about a sense of calm and helping you to drop into savasana. Of course this is amazing but why limit their magic to only happen on a yoga mat when you could be using them off it too?
Why do eye pillows help you relax?
Eye pillows help you relax because they tap into the rest and relaxation part of your nervous system.
Our nervous system is split into two parts, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic part of our nervous system is often referred to as our “fight or flight” response. The parasympathetic part of the nervous system is more geared towards rest and relaxation. When we are more in this state the heart rate slows, the physical body relaxes and we feel more of a sense of calm and grounding.
Eye pillows themselves can actually help us stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. By placing their gentle weight over the eyes this sends a signal to the vagus nerve due to the oculocardiac reflex. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the autonomic nervous system and connects with the heart, lungs and digestive system. Stimulating, or toning, this nerve is often associated with helping us drop out of fight or flight and into our more relaxed state.
Of course eye pillows also block out the light and remove visual stimulations and distractions. This can have the effect of helping us to relax and quieten the mind.
How could an eye pillow help me sleep better?
So that’s the science behind eye pillows but how could they help you off of the mat and at bedtime?
As adults we so rarely put the time in to slow down and prepare for bed. Life is busy and it tends to pretty full on right up to bedtime. With us completing chores, answering emails and dealing with whatever the day has thrown at us. We tend to watch TV and use screens or external stimulation to help us to forget what has happened during the day rather than trying to quieten the stimulation of our minds. Compare this to what we do to help children prepare for sleep. If you’ve been around small people you will know that there is a whole routine of gentle unwinding. Bathtime, reading a book, ensuring favourite toys are around and then laying down to go to sleep.
Why don’t we do this as adults? It’s no wonder that we can find it hard to relax and drop off if we’re moving from awake to expecting sleep with nothing in between.
This is where I think eye pillows could be a missing factor. They’re not going to help diminsh the to do list or bring bedtime forwards an hour but maybe by using one they can do what bathtime and reading a book can do to a toddler.
Building an eye pillow into your bed time routine
Building a bedtime routine as an adult might seem a little strange but our nervous systems react in the same way as they did when we were younger, so why not take the time to gently unwind rather than hurtling from busy to pyjamas and just expecting it all to happen.
Think of an eye pillow not as a sleep aid necessarily, as in it will keep you asleep, but as a preparation for sleep. I’d build one into my bedtime routine as soon as I get into bed. For example, put the phone down, make sure your comfy and lay down with the eye pillow over your eyes. Try focus on the physical feeling of the breath and let the mind settle. You may not fall asleep immediately when you place your eye pillow over your eyes but it should make that transition from awake to resting that little bit quicker and more possible. You can of course drift off this way but also after a few minutes maybe you notice your breath or heart rate slowing. If this is the case take the eye pillow off and curl up with your book feeling more chilled than you did before.