People shocked after discovering what 'yellow sleep' in your eye when you wake up actually is

Let’s be real, sometimes going to sleep is the absolute highlight of the day. After long, endless hours at work, a painful commute home and then a bowl of reheated dinner, getting back into bed can be all you want.

And on the opposite end of the scale, waking up the next morning can be like an actual nightmare.

But that’s occasionally made even worse when the corners of your eyes are coated in that gross, yellow gunk. Like a grimy reminder of the fact you need to get up and ready for work.

Yet while the first thing we do is wipe it away, no many of us really know what that ‘yellow sleep’ actually is – and people have been shocked after finding out.

Sure, it’s a bit of a disgusting thing to discuss but it’s something most of us can relate to – it’s pretty natural.

It might be the first thing you do in the morning. (Getty Stock Photos)

A TikTok from neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explained why this yellow gloop specifically happens while we’re sleeping.

He said: “If you have ever woken up in the morning and you have some crust on your eyes.

"And you know that crust, that kind of yellowy stuff, sometimes it's yellow - I know this is kind of gross. That's actually dead bacteria that your eyes have successfully defeated during your night's sleep.

“So when you wipe those away, you're taking the casualties of a war that you won during your night's sleep and you're whisking those away.”

Basically, when you’re wiping away those crusty bits from your eyes in the morning, you’re disposing of the deceased intruders that dared to breach your body’s well-being.

The yellow gunk actually helps us out. (Getty Stock Photos)

Going into more detail, Medical News Today and the Cleveland Clinic say the crust in your eyes is actually a combination of dead skin cells, dirt, dust, oil and mucus. Lovely.

When we're awake we blink away all this nastiness, but with out peepers shut during sleep, it all builds up, congeals, and dries out - ready for us to deal with in the morning.

It's grim, but important for keeping our eyes clean and healthy. People were mind-blown when they found out the reason behind the crust, leaving several comments on the TikTok.

One said: "I refuse to lose even when I’m sleeping." Another user rightly commented: "Starting the day with a victory."

A third user said: "When I was in kindergar[t]en i put them in my tea," followed by a skull emoji. Ok, now that’s gross.

Topics: Health, Science, Sleep, TikTok

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_