How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes
Are you searching for tips to banish the puffiness under the eyes once for all? We understand how frustrating it could be having these water pockets from time to time despite your commitment to self-care and trying multiple solutions. It is almost impossible to stay away forever from salty snacks or a movie night; neither you can avoid occasional insomnia or stress episodes. But, you don’t need to pay such a heavy price for this. This article will talk about how to get rid of puffy eyes, what causes them, and tips for throwing this problem away forever.
What Causes Puffy Eyes?
Oedema or an excessive accumulation of fluids around your eyes and surrounding skin tissue causes your eyes to swell. Swelling can be quite prominent due to fragile skin around the eyes.
But why do you get these symptoms of oedema resulting in puffy eyes?
Puffy eyes usually result from multiple factors, including:
- Fatigue and lack of sleep/insomnia
- Crying
- Fluid retention due to overconsumption of salt
- Sinus problems
- Dehydration
- Thyroid issue
- Inherited facial features
- Stress
- Ageing
- Smoking and alcohol consumption
- Allergies or skin disorders
How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes?
There is a lot you can do to reduce puffiness surrounding your eyes. It includes from the simplest solution, e.g., drinking lots and lots of water, to more involved ones such as getting cosmetic surgery. Let us talk about them one by one;
Up Your Water Intake
Make sure you drink enough water, no less than eight glasses a day. Puffy eyes could result from dehydration or lack of enough water in your system. With this simple solution, you could avoid puffiness around the eyes and kick many skin issues. In this digitalized world, you can not make excuses that you don’t remember to drink water. You can simply set an hourly reminder on your phone or keep a refillable water bottle from which you can sip time to time. There are hundreds of iPhone and Android applications that remind you of drinking water with many valuable tips to stay healthy. So, say bye-bye to excuses and welcome regular water intake in your life.
Get enough sleep
An adult needs almost 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Therefore, logging into a regular sleep-wake cycle by going to bed at a specific time helps reduce puffy eyes. Hence always stick to a bedtime routine.
Do not forget that your bedtime routine does not mean lying down at a specific time. It starts long before you go to bed. Mayo Clinic suggests the following tips to regulate your sleeping routine:
- Do not take caffeine at least 6 hours before your sleep time.
- Do not consume alcohol before 1 hour to bed.
- Have your dinner almost 3 hours before you sleep.
- Finish exercising several hours before bedtime.
- Say goodbye to all electronics at least 2 hours before bedtime.
Take Care of Your Allergies
Do you have seasonal or year-round allergies? If yes, talk to your doctor and get proper treatment, as allergies cause redness, swelling, and puffiness in your eyes. In addition, itchiness due to allergy makes you rub your eyes, resulting in further puffiness.
Sleep with Head Slightly Raised Up
Do not sleep in a straight posture; instead, have a few pillows under your head. This posture does not let fluid accumulate around your eyes. Slightly raising the head of your bed could help if you can not sleep on a stack of pillows.
Minimize Alcohol Consumption
As discussed earlier, dehydration is a major cause of puffy eyes. Therefore, minimize or avoid completely alcohol or any other drink that causes dehydration. Instead, satisfy your cravings with fresh fruit juices that rehydrate your body and help your skin glow.
Try a Herbal Eye Solution
Medicated/herbal eye solutions or creams help counter the adverse reactions of pollutants and irritants that cause inflammation and puffiness of the eyes. Some ingredients to look for in such medications are cucumber, chamomile, and arnica.
Medicines containing anti-inflammatory and antioxidants make such products more promising to eliminate puffy eyes by reducing inflammation and tightening the skin. Dr Hauschka Eye Revive is a renowned herbal eye solution that contains potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidants such as chamomile, fennel Seed, kidney vetch, etc., that help reduce puffiness around the eyes within no time.
Eat Foods Containing Potassium
Potassium can help reduce oedema symptoms, so consider your diet boosting up with potassium. Bananas, yoghurt, beans, and green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of potassium.
Avoid Exessive Salt
Consuming too much sodium or table salt is responsible for fluid retention in your body. Excessive sodium intake is also a risk factor for hypertension, heart problems, and stroke.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends 2,300 milligrams (mg)- sodium a day.
However, it is recommended 1,500 mg of sodium per day to most adults. Therefore, track your sodium by reading labels as prepackaged and processed foods are often high in sodium.
Use a Cool Compress
Resting a cool washcloth on eyelids for a few minutes helps drain excess fluid in the periorbital area. You can also use green or black tea bags as tea contains antioxidants that help reverse the damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) from allergens. Luckily, tea also contains caffeine, an excellent anti-inflammatory agent, and it also constricts blood vessels.
Consider Cosmetic Surgery
If you have done everything from changing your lifestyle to trying multiple remedies, but the eye puffiness is still there and is becoming severe every passing day, consult your doctor about blepharoplasty or cosmetic surgery for puffy eyes.
Chemical peels and laser treatments are few other options to fight severe puffiness around the eyes.
Bottom Line
Expecting an overnight solution for periorbital puffiness is like demanding an Aladdin’s lamp. Instead, you need a change in lifestyle, some herbal solutions, and healthy food to get rid of puffy eyes. So start drinking much water, pass on your salt, and adopt a healthy sleeping routine from today and kick the puffiness around the eyes away for good.
