Health & Illness

I Can't Open My Eyes When I Blink. What Does It Mean?

Published: October 27, 2020

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Alright, so I wake up and start watching youtube on my phone. I close my eyes to blink but then I can't open them. It's about maybe two minutes and I can open them again. I've never had sleep paralysis so I don't think its that. Also in the dream I had before I woke the same thing happened but in the water, where I couldn't close my eyes. This happened last year. What does it mean/

Signed: I Can't Open My Eyes When I Blink. What Does It Mean?

Dear I Can't Open My Eyes When I Blink. What Does It Mean?,

Unfortunately, TeenHealthFX cannot diagnose over the internet. Based on the information provided, it is very difficult to assume what is happening and only a medical professional can help. We strongly encourage you to reach out to a parent or trusted adult and see a doctor.

In the meantime, we suggest taking screen breaks from your phone. Try to avoid being on your phone and watching videos first thing in the morning and right before bed.

If you need help finding a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-5199 for an appointment with an adolescent medicine specialist.

Signed: TeenHealthFX

Ratings

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 10-14 ¹

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 15-24 ²

51% of youth (6-17) get treatment each year for a mental health condition ³

15.6 teenage girls for every 1,000 will give birth to a baby before they are 20 years old. ⁴

Only 6% of high school students get tested for STDs ⁵

1/3 of high school students who were currently sexually active used effective hormonal birth control the last time they had sex with an opposite-sex partner ⁶

Nearly 30% of female students currently drank alcohol and nearly 20% currently used marijuana.⁷

2.14 million middle and high school students currently vape ⁸

Over 80% of women and men both report having experienced their first rape under the age of 25. ⁹

Almost 40% of high school students have reported using marijuana at least once. ¹⁰

83.88% of 12- to 17-year-olds have reported using marijuana within the last month. ¹¹

One in four women first experienced intimate partner violence before the age of 18. ¹²

5.9 million teens have reported to drink at least once in the past month. ¹³

In 2022, there were 1,573 motor-vehicle deaths from underage drinks ¹⁴

About 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem ¹⁵

Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear seat belts when driving or as a passenger. ¹⁶

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than any other age group. ¹⁷

49% of the youth report having less than 3 friends in 2022 ¹⁸

^{2.7 million youth report experiencing severe major depression}¹⁹

Over 3.3 million teens will be graduating from high school in the year 2023-2024 ²⁰

The average social media screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes per day ²¹