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Causes for Puffy Eyes

Causes for Puffy Eyes

No one likes waking up and looking in the mirror only to see their eyes puffy. This is one of the last things you want to see. And yet, it happens so often. But what can you do to stop it?

 

How can you ensure that you never get puffy eyes again?

 

Well, first, you have to dive deep into the cause of the problem and then focus on improving your lifestyle and using some natural solutions.

 

Causes of puffy eyes in the morning

Causes for Puffy Eyes

While you might have fallen asleep with your eyes looking flawless, your eyes looked puffy when you woke up. Why did this happen?

 

First off, it’s good to know that eye puffiness is nothing to be worried about. It happens. It goes away on it’s own after a day or two. If it sticks around any longer than that, you should contact your healthcare provider.

 

Here are some possible – and probable – causes of your eye swelling:

 

You didn’t sleep well – Sleeping poorly is one of the biggest reasons for eye puffiness. The reasons for that are quite obvious since your body is tired, especially your eyes. You need more rest.

You have a thyroid problem – Puffy eyes can also be a sign that you have a problem with hyperthyroidism. This causes the thickening of the fat around your eyes which is that puffiness.

You have edema – If you have puffy eyes in the morning, then it might be due to the fact that you have edema which is fluid retention. The fluid gets trapped in your lower eyelid and it usually goes away as you start to blink.

The room where you sleep is too hot – This is not only bad for your sleep quality but also for your eyes. Your eyeballs mucous membranes get dry and this makes the tissue more irritated.

You are not rinsing properly – If you are washing your face with cleansers which have retinol or salicylic acid, not rinsing it properly means that it can get stuck in your eye. The same goes for shampoos, mascara, conditioners, makeup removers, makeup and so on. Literally anything that has fragrances and additives can be bad for your eyes if you don’t rinse it. In this case, you will rub your eyes and increase the irritation which will lead to puffiness.

You may have some allergies – When your eyes come in contact with allergens, the tears will dissolve them and react with your antibodies. This will cause the puffiness around your eyes.

If you have been crying – When you cry, your eyes have to work hard to produce tears and this creates watery, less salty fluid which then causes puffiness of your eyelids.

You are on your period – Bloating spreads. If you are on your period, you should prepare for the swelling of your eyes. But, it will go away with your period or sooner.

You drank too much – Drinking a lot of alcohol means that your body gets dehydrated which adds to the swelling around your eyes.

You are getting older – Ageing can cause puffy eyes too. The tissue in your eyelids gets weaker and all of the fat from your upper eyelid goes down to the lower eyelid.

 

Can stress cause puffy eyes?

Causes for Puffy Eyes

To understand whether stress can cause eye puffiness, you have to understand what stress does.

 

When you get stressed, your body releases cortisol from the adrenal glands which then changes the salt balance in your body. This means that you retain more water in your body and you can experience swelling.

 

The swelling will translate to your eyes too.

 

Stress can also affect your eye swelling in indirect ways. For instance, people that are under stress don’t sleep well, they sometimes drink too much or cry which are all the causes for eye swelling.

 

Some people also process their emotions through eating junk food which is usually high in sodium and other bad elements.

 

What foods cause puffy eyes?

 

People sometimes take serious steps to improve their health, and yet it doesn’t work like they want it to. For instance, you stop eating foods that are too salty or you stop salting your food or you might drink a lot of water. And yet your eyes are still puffy.

 

But have you considered that some foods may be causing it?

 

Here are some of the foods that are most likely to cause eye puffiness:

 

Fast food – Obviously, fast food is extremely full of sodium even if you don’t salt your food additionally. Your body retains water because of high levels of sodium and you can have some serious puffiness because of this. Better avoid it completely.

Tomatoes – Tomatoes contain solanine which can cause eye puffiness and inflammation. This is not yet confirmed scientifically but the people who have stopped eating tomatoes have shown great results.

Eggplant – This is another vegetable that contains solanine which means that it can cause puffy eyes.

Canned food – If your dinner commonly comes from a can, then you must have plenty of issues with puffiness. This food is full of sodium and you need to rinse it before making a meal out of it.

Bread – Eating wheat bread can be really bad for you if you have wheat or gluten allergies. This could cause your eyes to be puffy

Dairy – Dairy products can be really inflammatory and they can cause swelling to your eyes. Try to go without dairy for a while to see improvement.

Hot peppers – Peppers are from the same family as tomatoes and contain solanine and capsaicin which causes inflammation and swells the area around your eyes.

Sugar – While sweets are super tasty, they can be very inflammatory and cause swelling around your eyes.

 

How to get rid of puffy eyes

Causes for Puffy Eyes

Suffering from puffy eyes can be really annoying. Avoiding mentioned foods can really help as well as eliminating some of the mentioned causes of swelling. However, not everything is avoidable and puffy eyes will happen every now and then to set you up for a really bad day.

 

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some simple remedies?

 

Luckily for you, there are:

 

Soak caffeinated tea bags into warm water. Chill this in the fridge and then put bags on your eyes to get rid of the puffiness. The caffeine helps because it reduces eye puffiness.

Use a hemorrhoids cream on your puffy areas because it can tighten the puffy areas quickly and reduce wrinkles too. It smells bad but you can always mix it with some moisturizer to make the smell more bearable. Make sure that you don’t get it in your eyes.

Use some cucumber. Just like in the movies, use some cool cucumber and then put them on your eyes for 30 minutes. This will help reduce the irritation and make your eyes feel much better.

Put cold spoons on your eyes. It may seem funny but the coolness of the metal actually helps soothe your eyes. Lie down and then hold them on your eyes for a minute.

Use teething rings – put them in the freezer for 10 minutes and then put the rings on your eyes when they are closed.

Eat less sugar because it triggers inflammation.

Rub your cold fingers on your eyes. Put your fingers under very cold water or on ice and then rub your eyes gently.

Don’t use your hairspray because the particles can irritate your eyes. The same goes for all sprays that go near your eyes.

Use a good eye cream to help you reduce the puffiness. Find creams with anti-inflammatory elements like glycerin, vitamin C, shea butter and other helpful ingredients.

Stop using a cleanser.

Put a slice of potato on your eyes because it contains an enzyme that can reduce the puffiness.

Rub ice cubes on the swollen areas.

Drink a lot of water every day.

Prop your pillow up.

Don’t eat too much salt.

Put a cold washcloth on your eyelids for 10 minutes.

Address any allergies.

 

References

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19899435/puffy-eyes-causes/

https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/what-causes-puffy-eyes

https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/how-get-rid-puffy-eyes

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