Eyes won’t stay open? This is what your nervous system may be doing.

Can’t Keep My Eyes Open During the Day? This Is What Your Nervous System May Be Doing

Feeling like you can’t keep your eyes open during the day can be frustrating and even dangerous if it interferes with driving, work or daily activities. In many cases, the problem starts with your nervous system—either how it regulates alertness or how it controls the tiny muscles around your eyelids. Below, we’ll explain common causes, how to tell them apart and what you can do next.

How Eyelid Position and Alertness Are Controlled
• The levator palpebrae muscle lifts your upper eyelid. It’s powered by signals from the oculomotor nerve (cranial nerve III).
• Your reticular activating system (a network in the brainstem) keeps you awake. It balances chemicals like acetylcholine, dopamine and orexin.
• When that balance shifts—due to sleepiness, neurological irritation or muscle fatigue—you start to nod off or struggle to keep lids up.

1. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)
   When you can’t keep your eyes open during the day, first consider whether you’re simply too sleepy. To measure your sleepiness level, doctors often use the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Johns MW, 1991). A score above 10 suggests excessive sleepiness. Common causes include:
   • Poor sleep hygiene—irregular bedtimes, screens in bed, caffeine late in the day
   • Sleep apnea—brief breathing pauses that fragment sleep and reduce oxygen
   • Narcolepsy—sudden sleep attacks, often with muscle weakness (cataplexy)
   • Idiopathic hypersomnia—extreme sleepiness without clear cause
   • Shift work or jet lag—misaligned circadian rhythms
   • Medications—antihistamines, antidepressants or painkillers can all cause drowsiness

What to do:
• Keep a sleep diary for 1–2 weeks and track when you nod off.
• Limit caffeine after noon and avoid alcohol near bedtime.
• Practice a wind-down routine (reading, stretching, dim lights).
• If you snore loudly or wake gasping, ask your doctor about a sleep study.

2. Neuromuscular Eyelid Disorders
   Sometimes the nervous system misfires around the eye itself, leading to:
   • Blepharospasm—uncontrollable blinking or eye closure caused by overactive facial nerves (Jankovic & Orman, 1989).
   • Myasthenia gravis—autoimmune fatigue of the eyelid-lifting muscle, often worse by day’s end.
   • Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders—rigidity can involve facial muscles.

Key signs:
• Involuntary squeezing or blinking in blepharospasm
• Ptosis (drooping eyelid) that improves briefly with rest in myasthenia
• Tremor, slowed movements or stiffness in Parkinson’s

Treatment options:
• Botulinum toxin injections for blepharospasm relieve muscle overactivity.
• Pyridostigmine (Mestinon) or other immunotherapies for myasthenia gravis.
• Physical therapy and medications (levodopa, dopamine agonists) for Parkinson’s.

3. Metabolic and Medical Contributors
   Low energy in the nervous system can be aggravated by:
   • Hypothyroidism—slower nerve conduction and metabolism
   • Anemia—reduced oxygen delivery to brain cells
   • Dehydration or electrolyte imbalance—disrupts nerve signaling
   • Vitamin deficiencies (B12, D)—can affect nerve health

What to do:
• Ask your doctor for basic blood tests: TSH (thyroid), CBC (anemia), electrolytes, vitamin levels.
• Stay hydrated and maintain a balanced diet with adequate protein, healthy fats and whole grains.

4. When to Seek Professional Help
   Most causes of daytime eyelid drooping or sleepiness aren’t immediately life-threatening, but you should see a doctor if you experience:
   • Sudden, severe headache or vision changes alongside droopy lids
   • Chest pain, shortness of breath or fainting spells
   • Extreme sleep attacks that risk your safety (while driving, operating machinery)
   • Weakness in other muscle groups or sensory changes

Before your appointment:
• Score your sleepiness on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
• Note onset, frequency and duration of eyelid closure or nodding off.
• List all medications, supplements and any recent lifestyle changes.

Free Online Assessment
If you’re looking for a quick, no-cost way to narrow down possible causes, you might consider doing a free, online symptom check for daytime sleepiness and eye closure issues. It can help you gather targeted questions for your healthcare provider.

Putting It All Together
• Start with your sleep: aim for 7–9 hours of quality rest, consistent bedtime and wake time.
• Evaluate for sleep apnea, narcolepsy or other circadian rhythm disruptions if simple sleep hygiene doesn’t help.
• Look for signs of blepharospasm, myasthenia or movement disorders if eyelid control itself feels abnormal.
• Check basic labs to rule out metabolic contributors.
• Use targeted treatments—botulinum toxin, medications, CPAP or stimulants—under your doctor’s guidance.

Speak to a Doctor
If your daytime sleepiness or inability to keep your eyes open affects your safety, driving or job performance—or if you notice alarming new symptoms—please speak to a doctor right away. Early evaluation and treatment can improve your alertness, protect your health and help you get back to full focus.