History Main / SleepsWithBothEyesOpen

* ''ComicStrip/HeartOfTheCity'': Dean is implied to be doing this along with [[FellAsleepStandingUp sleeping while standing up]] in [[https://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2012/05/15 this May strip]] as his method of coping with the last month of school.
-->'''Dean:''' I look like I'm awake, but I'm sleeping inside.

* Zhang Fei, the youngest brother of the three BloodBrothers from ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' is said to sleep with his eyes open. On the night of his assassination, two killers barged into his tent with knives drawn, sees Zhang Fei staring at them while lying on his bed, and quickly stammers an apology before realizing Zhang Fei is snoring. They then kill him on the spot before he wakes up.

* Though not always, Sousuke of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' will occasionally sleep with his eyes open, particularly if he had been attacked shortly before. This caused a lot of trouble when he does it while AsleepInClass and his teacher discovers that he [[WakeUpFighting Wakes Up Fighting]] as she scolds him for his apparent refusal to participate in class.

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-->'''Jigglypuff:''' ''[gasps and balloons angrily]'' Puff.\\

''[Jigglypuff turns away, unconvinced]''\\

''[she touches Psyduck lightly, causing it to topple over like a statue, pose and all]''\\

* In the anime version of ''Manga/DragonBall'', the Great Demon King Piccolo sleeps with open eyes, adding another bizarre and creepy trait to his character, after showcasing that he can drink through using telekinesis and laying eggs with his mouth in the same scene.
* Though not always, Sousuke of ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' will occasionally sleep with his eyes open, particularly if he had been attacked shortly before. This caused a lot of trouble when he does it while AsleepInClass and his teacher discovers that he [[WakeUpFighting Wakes Up Fighting]] as she scolds him for his apparent refusal to participate in class.

* Gran sleeps like this In WesternAnimation/TheCroodsANewAge, which Guy finds very creepy, at one point he closes them, they pop back open.

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfSharkboyAndLavagirl'': the villain Linus/Minus can dream with his eyes open.

* Being artificially made creatures who only possess features their creator deemed necessary, the "Little People" in ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'' have no eyelids. Their eyes do become dimmer while sleeping, though.
* In ''[[Literature/TheBelgariad Belgarath the Sorceror]]'', Belgarath recounts how his daughter Polgara once cast a spell on some pompous border guards that caused them all to fall asleep with their eyes still open and without falling to the ground, just so that she could get away from them without them following her.
* ''Literature/ArmageddonTheMusical'' by Creator/RobertRankin is set in a dystopian future where people are paid according to how much television they watch. The protagonist has trained himself to sleep with his eyes open so that the tracking gadget will think he's still watching.
* Susan from ''Literature/LikeAFishUnderstandsATree'' keeps falling asleep with her eyes open in class. She's usually awakened by the bell, too late to understand what the homework assignment is. When she first arrived at her new school she would ask the other kids, but now they don't want to talk to her.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. In one episode, there was a group of mercenaries who slept not only with their eyes open but also in battle ready stances.

* Exaggerated in ''Series/{{Angel}}.'' Illyria appears fully awake, alert and aware even when sleeping.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': Sean sleeps with open eyes as Elliot speaks to him on the phone.
* In the ''Series/BroadCity'' episode "Working Girls," Ilana falls asleep at work with her eyes open, without even turning on the computer.
* ''Series/MySpecialBook'': Since the mailbox doesn't have eyelid mechanisms on him, in the episode "Mailbox Dreams", his eyes remain completely open when he finally does fall asleep.

* Captain Butch Flowers from ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue.'' This is a lampshading of the series' LimitedAnimation, since the creators can't realistically make it look like a character is sleeping.
--> Now to go to sleep, standing up, with my eyes open; as is my custom!

* In ''Webcomic/FauxPas'' Cindy slept like that when Myrtle gave her [[http://www.ozfoxes.net/cgi/pl-fp2.cgi?26 too much cough syrup.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [[https://youtu.be/Ftz2IyLNOTA Ever alert, Mermaid Man has trained himself to sleep with his eyes open.]]
-->'''Barnacle Boy''': Confound it, get away from him!
-->'''Mermaid Man''': Stop shoutin'! I'm nappin'!
-->'''Barnacle Boy''': [[GrossUpCloseUp IT'S NOT ME, YA OLD COOT!]]
-->'''Old Coot #1''': Yes...
-->'''Old Coot #2''': That's me...
-->'''Old Coot #3''': I'm over here...

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Ever alert, Mermaid Man has trained himself to sleep with his eyes open.

-->'''Jigglypuff:''' ''[gasps]'' Puff.\\

* Captain Butch Flowers from ''Machinima/RedVsBlue.'' This is a lampshading of the series' LimitedAnimation, since the creators can't realistically make it look like a character is sleeping.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/80390c42_86cc_4d33_88e6_d8fa9271e297.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:How is he supposed to get any rest when he's being stared down ''by'' someone resting?]]

Usually when someone's lying in a prone position with both eyes open, unblinking, they're dead. Well, it's either that or they're sleeping and their eyes are still open for some supernatural reason or because whatever species they are part of sleeps with their eyes open. Creepy, no? A lot of people who discover a character with this ability sleeping think so too.

While there are some people in RealLife who have trained themselves to sleep with their eyes open, it is bad for your eyes because the lack of blinking causes your eyes to dry up. In some cases, this can be involuntarily, as some people simply find themselves partially or even completely unable to close their eyes doing sleep. This is an actual medical condition called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagophthalmos nocturnal lagophthalmos,]] and it is estimated that about 20% of the world population has it to one degree or another, though in the vast majority of cases, those affected aren't aware that they are doing it.

For someone who dies with eyes opened see DiesWideOpen.

* One ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} story had a week-long series of "nap attacks" with Garfield randomly falling asleep at various points of activity, the last had him struggling to stay awake because he doesn’t want to miss his favorite tv show, he falls asleep with his eyes wide open.

->''I'm gonna ignore the strange fact that you sleep with your eyes open.''

* Misty's Psyduck in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime did this once, making Misty think he was immune to Jigglypuff's singing.

''(Jigglypuff turns away, unconvinced)''\\

''(she touches Psyduck lightly, causing it to topple over like a statue, pose and all)''\\
'''Misty:''' '''''YOU STUPID POKEMON! YOU'RE JUST SLEEPING WITH YOUR EYES OPEN!!!'''''\\

* One ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} story had a week long series of “nap attacks” with Garfield randomly falling asleep at various points of activity, the last had him struggling to stay awake because he doesn’t want to miss his favorite tv show, he falls asleep with his eyes wide open.

-->'''Captain Haddock''': [[ItMakesSenseInContext You had to be there]]!

* A bad guy in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin'' sleeps with his eyes open, not out of training, but because he lost his eyelids. [[NoodleIncident In a card game]].

* Misty's Psyduck in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' did this once, making Misty think he was immune to Jigglypuff's singing.