Help for Puffy Eyes

Do you often wake up, even after a good night sleep, with puffy eyes?  This can be frustrating, and even hard to cover with makeup.  There are a few easy things you can do to prevent and help puffy eyes.

Puffy eyes can be caused by many, many factors.  If you have recently cried – your eyes can remain puffy for up to 24 hours.  Allergies and hormone changes can also attribute to puffy eyes.   And eating or drinking foods with too much sodium can cause you to wake up with the dreaded puffy eyes!

Sometimes puffy eyes can be prevented – watch your diet for excess sodium, try not to stress too much, drink plenty of water to keep your system flushed out, and get enough quality sleep. Sometimes people find that they just need a thicker pillow to help drain excess fluid away from the eyes at night.   If allergies or hormonal factors are your cause – consult your doctor or natural health practitioner to help get these under control.

If you have tried everything and still wake up with puffy eyes – don’t despair – there is help!  You may have seen ads for those de-puffing gels that some companies offer.  I don’t know if these really help or not – but there are a few easier, and cheaper, ways to de-puff your eyes instead.   My favorite is to make a pot of green tea and soak cotton pads in it for a few minutes.   Put these pads into a freezer bag and keep in your freezer, taking out as you need them.   Lie down and put these soaked cold pads over your eyes for about 5 minutes.  The green tea will naturally soothe and help to depuff.   Cucumbers sliced thinly will work as well – but I find green tea works just a bit better.  If you don’t have any extra time in the morning sometimes simply splashing icy cold water over your eyes will work.  Whatever method you choose you can follow up with an eye massage to help disperse the fluid from the area.  You do not need a specialty eye cream – you can use your regular moisturizer, or an oil such as vitamin E or avocado oil if your eye area is dry.  Use a very very small amount and using your ring finger, gently massage the under eye area, moving from the outside of the eye towards the nose and continuing in a circle around the eye over the top of the eyelid – just below the eyebrow.  Continue moving in circular motions gently for about 10-20 seconds each eye.   You should already be noticing a significant improvement.

With any condition, puffy eyes can be a symptom of an eye disorder such as an infection so if your eye is red, if only one is puffy, or if they are significantly more puffy than usual – please see your health care professional to rule out any possible problems.  Otherwise, these few easy changes and treatments should help you start your day without those puffy eyes.

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