Puffy Eyes

Puffy eyes causes you to look fatigued, aged, and could led others to misinterpret your lifestyle.

You may have had a full eight hours of sleep last night, but you wake up looking as if you have spent the whole night out on the town. Some symptoms of puffy eyes may include swelling, dryness, itch, and puffiness of the eyelids. 

The eyelids, in general, are very sensitive and can easily become irritated, red, and cause you to have puffy eyes. Dark circles and puffy eyes are not the same thing. Most people however only experience minor symptoms. This occurs when fluid accumulates when sleeping and is very noticeable when you wake up. This mild level is reduced or even gone as the day progresses due to gravity as the fluid is drained. But, puffy eyes can also occur throughout the day as well. Usually minor puffiness can be cured easily. On the other hand, chronic puffy eyes should be taken more seriously.   
 

Diseases associated with chronic puffy eyes:

• Belpharitis which is an inflammation
• Orbital cellulitis, an infection of the orbital tissue
• Chalazions, small tumors on the eyelid that are benign
• Kidney infections
• Thyroid problems

If you are experiencing chronic puffy eyes or severe swelling, you should contact a doctor immediately to treat those symptoms.

The following is a list of some other causes of puffy eyes:

• Heredity or genetic predisposition
• Fluid retention due to changes in weather or hormone levels
• Allergies or dermatitis
• Certain medications
• Lack of sleep
• Excessive crying
• High sodium diets
• Emotional or physical stress
• Build-up of toxins and wastes in the body
• Post operation or surgical recovery
• Alcohol
• Contact lenses
• Sinus infection
• Tiredness, fatigue

As you can see, there are numerous reasons why we get puffy eyes. For those of us without chronic condition and who are not predisposed genetically there are certain things we can do as prevention.

PREVENTION TIPS:

• The first thing you can do is get your six to eight hours of sleep at night. When you sleep, you may want to prop your head a bit on a pillow to encourage your fluids in your body to drain down.
   
• While sitting up, you can also apply cool compresses to help with your puffy eyes. If your symptoms are from allergies, you may want to discuss with your doctor certain medications that will help you with your allergies, and in turn, your puffy eyes.
   
• You also want to avoid rubbing. Repeated touching will irritate them and worsen your allergies.
   
• Changing your diet can also help with puffy eyes. Eating foods with less salt means you will not retain as much water. Staying hydrated is also important because once your body is dehydrated it stores water as a defense mechanism. This build up of water can contribute to puffy eyes.
   
• Beauty cannot be achieved without water. It is important to drink eight cups of water a day and for every caffeinated beverage that you drink, you need to add another cup of water to compensate.

Other small things you can do to help with puffy eyes symptoms: