# Can you sleep with your eyes open? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2001, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204 "2001-01-03T05:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/1 "2001-01-03T05:07:32Z")
Just got done watching “Hollow Man”, where one of the grim side effects of becoming invisible is that while you can close your eyelids, since they are invisible, you can still see ie your eyes are always wide open. The theoretical paradoxes of that aside for another thread, in the movie the character apparently does sleep. But is it possible to sleep with your eyes open? Is there any truth to the saying “Sleep with one eye open”? If it is possible, maybe I can nap while driving to work! ---
**Author:** ![McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/2 "2001-01-03T05:36:17Z")
Funnily enough, my sisters girlfriend can do exactly that. I’d imagine it’s pretty rare though, and I don’t know how she’s able to do it. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/3 "2001-01-03T06:24:25Z")
I’ve been known to sleep with my eyes open; I’ve noticed my father did it too. It kept me from sneaking around him when I was little and my friends from fucking with me while asleep after drinking with them later on–the old lipstick makeover or whatever. It looked pretty freaky, according to my friends. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/4 "2001-01-03T07:03:54Z")
My nephew sleeps with his eyes open sometimes. It’s weird. If my eyelids were gone or transparent, I could probably sleep in a very dark room. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/5 "2001-01-03T07:15:52Z")
Just another testimonial: my girlfriend sleeps with her eyes open (well, semi-open) sometimes. Freaks me out. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/6 "2001-01-03T07:31:45Z")
I can. I can be laying in bed reading and the next thing I know, the words on the page have become random groupings of letters (like ‘ghdfhdfh’ and ‘zyyzx’). I know I’ve fallen asleep, but my eyes never strayed from the page. I can wake up enough to put in a bookmark and close my eyes. Then I sleep through the night. Odd, no? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/7 "2001-01-03T07:44:10Z")
Some people who stand watch sleep with eyes open. Any change in the environment wakes you right up. More details upon request. 🆒 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/8 "2001-01-03T07:54:40Z")
Is there any truth in the story about the Japanesse cutting off eyelids as a form of torture and causing soldiers to go mad? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/9 "2001-01-03T16:45:57Z")
If you can sleep with your ears open, you can sleep with your eyes open. Just takes some training. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/10 "2001-01-03T16:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimbo \* > \*\*Is there any truth in the story about the Japanesse cutting off eyelids as a form of torture and causing soldiers to go mad? \*\* Not sure if that’s true or not but I imagine that not being able to blink would be more tortorous than not being able to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-sleep-with-your-eyes-open/48204/11 "2001-01-03T19:01:17Z")
Yes, it’s possible. Especially if it’s dark (no difference from closed eyes), or if you need to watch out while you sleep (my dad, ex-green beret, did for a few years after getting back from 'Nam).