When I woke up, my single eyelids turned into double eyelids in a second. I encountered the bug of having double eyelids.

Have you ever had the experience of waking up with your eyelids changed in appearance?

Some people sleep their double eyelids into single eyelids, while some people sleep their single eyelids into double eyelids...

If your single eyelids turn into double eyelids after sleeping, you can still "admire yourself". But if your double eyelids turn into single eyelids after sleeping... you will probably quickly search the Internet for ways to reduce the swelling, worrying that your single eyelids will remain.

Is this kind of eyelid change normal? Will the single/double eyelids caused by sleeping last forever?

How are double eyelids formed?

To know the reason, we must first understand the formation principles of double eyelids and single eyelids.

In medicine, the eyelids are called "eyelids", which are two movable eyelid covers.

Don't underestimate these two eyelids, they are the first line of defense to protect our eyeballs. Once foreign objects touch the cornea at the front of our eyeballs, the eyelids will quickly close to protect them.

In addition, our tears can only be effectively spread to the conjunctiva and cornea of ​​the eyes through the structure of the eyelids.

So, what exactly are the double eyelids and single eyelids that we often mention?

In fact, double eyelids mean that when the eyes are open, the upper eyelids will overlap to form a wrinkle, which looks like double eyelids. Single eyelids mean that when the eyes are open, the upper eyelids cannot form wrinkles, and there is only one smooth eyelid.

Generally speaking, whether a person has single eyelids or double eyelids has a lot to do with the structure of the upper eyelid. This is related to the two key muscles on the eyelid - the orbicularis oculi muscle and the levator palpebrae superioris muscle.

The orbicularis oculi muscle is ring-shaped, surrounding the eyes. Closing the eyes is achieved by controlling the contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle through nerves. Under special circumstances, abnormal excitement of the nerves will cause the orbicularis oculi muscle to twitch, which is commonly known as "eyelid twitching".

The function of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle is easier to understand, which is to lift the upper eyelid to help us open our eyes.

The orbicularis oculi muscle can be seen from the picture. Image source: Wikipedia

To form double eyelids, it is generally necessary to have a relatively developed orbicularis oculi muscle and levator palpebrae superioris muscle, and the upper eyelid skin and subcutaneous fat should not be too thick. The eyelid skin and tarsal plate also need to have an adhesion zone.

This allows the orbicularis oculi and levator palpebrae superioris muscles to function fully, allowing the upper eyelid to form wrinkles when the eyes are open.

On the contrary, once the levator palpebrae superioris muscle is not strong enough, coupled with thicker upper eyelid skin and subcutaneous fat, no obvious wrinkles can be formed on the eyelids when the eyes are open, which will result in smooth single eyelids.

Going further, it is essentially genetic genes that determine whether a person has single eyelids or double eyelids.

Existing research shows that double eyelids are controlled by dominant genes, while single eyelids are controlled by recessive genes. When both recessive and dominant genes are present, the traits controlled by the dominant gene will be manifested.

Only when both parents inherit the recessive single eyelid gene will a person show single eyelids. So from a statistical point of view, the probability of having single eyelids is much smaller than double eyelids.

How do you become a couple or a single when you wake up?

Since single or double eyelids are determined by genes, how can single eyelids turn into double eyelids or double eyelids turn into single eyelids after a good night's sleep? Can sleeping change genes?

Obviously, in our daily lives, the probability of gene mutation is very small. In other words, the possibility of single eyelids and double eyelids changing from each other due to genes is very small, so what exactly causes the changes in eyelids?

In fact, this situation is often closely related to our sleep the night before. For example, if you drink too much water before going to bed the night before, the water may be concentrated in the eyes, causing swollen eyes after waking up. Or irregular work and rest, lack of sleep, or even excessive sleep may cause upper eyelid swelling.

When the upper eyelid is swollen, the orbicularis oculi muscle and the levator palpebrae superioris muscle cannot function fully, and when the eyes are opened, the original double eyelids become single eyelids.

However, due to abnormal sleeping conditions, it may also cause the levator palpebrae superioris muscles to become tighter, turning single eyelids into double eyelids, or even double eyelids into triple eyelids. However, in either case, it means that your eyes have not had enough rest, which is an unhealthy signal sent to us by the body.

But there is no need to worry about this change, as it will return to its original state soon as the swelling of the upper eyelid subsides or the levator palpebrae superioris muscle recovers. If necessary, you can also use hot compresses, massage techniques, etc. to promote blood circulation and accelerate swelling reduction.

However, if the eye swelling does not subside for a long time, you need to go to the hospital for further diagnosis. Because this kind of eyelid swelling may also be caused by eye diseases, which may even affect vision if not treated in time.

In short, if you are born without double eyelid structure, it is very difficult to wake up with a pair of "permanent" double eyelids. However, if you think about it carefully, many beauties in ancient times had single eyelids!

END

Audit experts:

Liu Dongbao, chief physician of ophthalmology, Shenyang Red Cross Hospital.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo