Everyone will be in the mirror from time to time to puffy eyes. Whether it’s due to insomnia, allergies, or eating habits, they can become a beauty problem for many people.
The area around the eyes is the thinnest skin on the body, so it’s hard to hide swelling due to tear duct effusion, congestion, or inflammation.
Thankfully, puffy eyes are usually manageable, and it’s the body’s natural response to reasons like a high-sodium diet, sleep cycles, or gradual aging.
Read on to read more about why puffy eyes occur and how to treat them.
Get Enough Sleep
When you’re sleep-deprived, your body releases cortisol from the adrenal glands, which changes the balance of salt in your body, leaving your face retained and swollen. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is now common. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one-third of adults don’t get enough sleep each night. Adults need 7 to 9 hours of good sleep per night to develop positive sleep hygiene habits.
A good way to make sure you get a better night’s sleep is to avoid alcohol and caffeine at bedtime (at least 6 hours earlier). Also, try to turn off electronic devices at least 2 hours before bedtime, as this will give your eyes and brain enough time to rest before settling down and give melatonin a chance to do its job.
Limit Salt Intake
Fluid retention is the main cause of puffy eyes, so it pays to avoid foods that trigger puffy eyes. Sodium plays a key role in regulating intracellular water, and when we consume too much salt, the excess sodium increases the amount of fluid in the body outside the cell. Reducing salt in your diet can help you suppress excess fluid in your body
The American Heart Association recommends limiting salt intake to 1,500 mg per day, which will also help keep the heart healthier and reduce the risk of stroke.
Use a Cold Compress
Putting cold cucumbers on tired eyes is a popular practice and it’s done for a reason: it works. Cooling the area around the eyes can reduce blood flow, which can help reduce inflammation and swelling around the eyes.
While cucumbers are a commonly used tool, there are many items you can use at home: a bag of frozen vegetables, a spoon to keep in the fridge, a cold cloth, or a jade roller. Cold tea bags can also help, as caffeine can help reduce blood flow to the skin, making it look brighter and firmer.
Eye Cream
Eye creams with caffeine help combat dark circles and fine lines, which can reduce the overall appearance of puffy eyes. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, which means it constricts blood vessels. Many cosmetics companies sell eye creams that contain caffeine to reduce puffiness around the eyes. You can even keep the eye cream in the fridge to enhance its soothing powers.
Eye wheels
There are eye rollers made of metal or natural gemstones such as jade or quartz, which make it easy to apply gel or eye cream to the eyes. Using a roller can provide cold stimulation to your eye area, improve circulation, and aid lymphatic drainage, all of which can help reduce puffiness of the eyes.
Causes of Puffy Eyes
Allergic
When you have an allergic reaction, whether it’s to pollen, animals, or specific foods, your body releases histamine that dilates blood vessels and causes swelling around the eyes.
Allergens can stick to clothing, surfaces, and even the contact lenses you wear. Make sure to shower and wash clothing near allergens, and consider switching to disposable contact lenses.
If you think your puffy eyes are caused by allergies, try taking antihistamines and see if they lessen.
Diet and alcohol intake
An unbalanced diet and dehydration can have a noticeable effect on your skin and puffiness around your eyes. When you’re dehydrated, the skin under your eyes becomes loose and brittle, leading to the formation of eye bags. To avoid dehydration, make sure to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake, and reduce your sodium intake.
Similarly, consuming too much artificial sweetener can also lead to water retention, which can lead to puffy eyes. Adding potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas and leafy greens, can help you relieve water retention.
Crying
Waking up the next morning after a big cry usually means looking in the mirror to find your eyes extremely puffy and feeling like you need to drink the maximum glass of water.
It’s not clear why emotional tears are more likely to cause puffiness than watery tears, but it may be related to the stress hormones in emotional tears, which are associated with water retention. It can also be related to the lacrimal drainage, which is overwhelmed when you cry.
Genetics and aging
Aging causes the body to lose collagen, which can lead to thinning and brittle skin. This causes the fat deposits that normally support the eye area to sag, and causes the eyes to puff.
Additionally, some people are more likely to have puffy eyes as they age. If you have inherited puffy eyes, don’t worry, you may just be more prone to puffiness.
How to Prevent Puffy Eyes?
There are so many life factors that can affect your fatigue, hydration levels, overall health, and many more that contribute to the occurrence of puffy eyes, so it’s impossible to prevent puffy eyes forever.
However, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and taking care of the skin around your eyes may reduce the chances of puffy eyes.
Thankfully, in most cases, puffy eyes go away on their own, usually not due to a long-term condition.