lifestyle

I didn't sleep enough last night, and I felt a little dull today. Consequently, I just went through the motions in most of my activities today without pushing myself very hard -- and without putting much effort into the positive habits I've been developing, either. For example, I did not do any weight training today, nor did I  accomplish anything  extraordinary at work. I didn't get to cross off many items on my ToDo list.

As little as 5 or 10 minutes of weight lifting gives me a post-exercise effect that results in reduced eye pressure after the workout.

The weight lifting doesn't have to be super intense, but it can't be too easy either. There have been a few studies that have looked at this effect in the past. Here are some (but not all) of the links:

Effects of Different Intensities of Exercise on Intraocular Pressure

The effect of continuous strenuous exercise on intraocular pressure

The effect of exercise on intraocular pressure (pdf)

In my experience, a short weight lifting program often brings my eye pressure down to around 14 or 15 (or less). Sometimes the effect is not very dramatic. For example, if my eye pressure is around 17, the workout might bring it down to 15. Other times, the post workout effect is fairly impressive. Here are some examples:

Our discussions and planning for a new business venture have been getting progressively more intense during the last week. Today represents a peak in that "stress".

I went to my ophthalmologist today convinced that my IOP would be lower than it was on my last visit. After all, my IOP has been trending downward since my first visit to the ophthalmologist. I assumed all the good nutrition and health practices I have been doing are responsible for this positive trend and I'm still doing all those good things. Furthermore, I have engaged in a much more ambitious program for improving my vision and the health of my eyes these last few months.