Eye Pillows - Unveiling the Benefits, Mechanisms, and Scientific Insig

Little Lights recently started selling (eye) pillows from Molecule. These beautiful and incredibly soft pillows are handcrafted in Molecule's workshop in Utrecht. Eye pillows offer various benefits, and we'll outline them for you here.

Eye Pillows for Ultimate Relaxation

Looking to reduce stress and add extra relaxation to your life? A flaxseed and lavender eye pillow might be just what you need. It's one of the smallest and most affordable props with a multitude of applications beyond yoga, offering several powerful advantages.

Benefits of using an eye pillow:

Stress reduction
Headache relief
Promotes sleep
Anxiety reduction
Soothes dry eyes
Reduces eye puffiness
Shields the eyes from visual stimuli and light
Facilitates facial relaxation

Using a lavender eye pillow can help alleviate anxiety, tension headaches, and even insomnia. You can heat your eye pillow in the microwave for a warming, soothing sensation. Heated eye pillows work wonders for relieving dry eyes that have been strained all day from screens. Alternatively, you can cool your eye pillow in the freezer to reduce swelling, puffiness, and dark circles around the eyes.

How is it possible that an eye pillow supports our health in so many ways? Let's delve into the science behind it.

The Science of Weight and Pressure

Placing an eye pillow over your eyes exerts gentle pressure on the eyelids, stimulating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the primary nerve responsible for balancing the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system oversees many critical bodily functions, including mood regulation, heart rate, immune response, and digestion.

By applying pressure to the vagus nerve through an eye pillow on the eyelids, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to relax by sending calming messages to the neck, shoulders, chest, heart, and stomach.

Adding weight to the eyelids triggers the oculocardiac reflex, which lowers the heart rate. A lower heart rate enables the heart to pump more blood with each contraction, calming and healing the body.

How to Use an Eye Pillow?

There are countless ways to use an eye pillow and experience its benefits. Whether you heat it, cool it, or keep it at room temperature is up to you. Once you've decided on the temperature, find a comfortable spot to lie down and gently place the eye pillow over your face. Ideally, the eye pillow should cover your face from your eyebrows to just below your eye sockets (right under the eyes). You want to feel the weight on the eye sockets and around the eyes for maximum effectiveness.

How to Care for Your Eye Pillow?

Store your eye pillow in a dry place.
Keep the pillow in a sealed bag to prolong the lavender scent.
If you store the eye pillow in the freezer, keep it in a bag.
When warming in the microwave, add a small cup of water to reduce the risk of burning.
The outer cover is easily removable. You can hand wash it to remove any stains. Use lukewarm to warm water (max. 30 degrees) and mild soap.
To refresh the scent of your lavender eye pillow (over time), place a drop of essential lavender oil on your fingers and massage it into the inner cushion.

Microwave Heating Instructions

Remove the outer cover and set it aside. Lay the inner cushion as flat as possible on the turntable and heat it in 30-second intervals until you reach the desired temperature. Shake the cushion between intervals for even heating. Test the temperature on the back of your hand or forearm before placing the pillow on your neck or face. Avoid overheating.

Eye Pillows - Unveiling the Benefits, Mechanisms, and Scientific Insights