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Let's face it... we are more tired and busier than ever and many of us are getting too little sleep or poor quality of rest.😴
This can have an impact on how we feel, but also how we look!
When we are tired, often we may get bags under our eyes or puffy eyes.
What Else Causes Puffy Eyes?
- Indoor heating: 🔥 I can so relate to this as it's currently winter where I am and I've been cranking the heating just about all day long! I have actually noticed my eyes looking a bit puffy and baggy lately and maybe that is what's inspired this blog? Being indoors a lot with heating going can cause dryness of the eyes and what also happens is the mucous membranes in your eyeballs become parched and this causes the tissue to thicken and become irritated. This irritation leads to puffy eyes!
- Lack of Sleep: 💤 As mentioned, a bad night's sleep won't do you any favours in the un-puffy eye department because if you're not getting enough quality sleep you may be releasing cortisol from your adrenals and this puts your salt balance out of whack! When we retain water (due to salt imbalance) things naturally tend to swell up.
- Allergies: 🤧 Seasonal allergies can cause puffy eyes because of the histamines your body is releasing (it goes into full allergy "assault" mode).
- PMS: 👹 Poor old PMS cops the blame for so many of our womanly woes but just like you may experience bloating at that time of the month, your eyes can retain water as well! The swelling usually goes down after your PMS subsides.
- Tears: 😥 Have you ever cried and not had puffy eyes? I think not! It goes without saying really.
- Alcohol: 🥃 Drinking alcohol can be super fun (if done in moderation and mindfully) but one should be aware that drinking alcohol can be very dehydrating on our body, making our eyes dry and if we cave in to our cravings for salty foods, the salt will cause our body to retain water and we know that water retention equals swelling!
- Thyroid Issue: 💥 People who suffer from Hyperthyroidism can often notice they have puffy eyes and this is because of the fat around their eyes getting thicker.
What Can I do if I have Puffy Eyes?
We don't always need to go out and spend a fortune on expensive creams, lotions and potions when we have so many things in our kitchen that can remedy an array of skin & beauty issues...
You can use freshly cut cucumbers on your puffy eyes, eye-rollers, a cold compress or witch hazel (personally, I find Witch Hazel too harsh).🥒
Or...
You could try cold tea bags on your eyes, it's quite incredible, and what's best is they are cheap!
Most people have black tea bags in their kitchen pantry or tea cupboard and all you have to do is soak them in some hot water for a few minutes, squeeze out excess liquid and pop into the fridge for about 10 minutes until nice and cold.
You then take them out of the fridge, pop over your eyes and relax for 10 minutes. This is a great way to escape your daily grind and an excuse to have a break from social media for a while and even do a meditation? (I Love the Calm app and also guided meditations on YouTube).
Tea bags are great because they contain caffeine and this can help increase blood circulation and the tannins in the tea are supposed to help ease puffiness too! ☕️
I made this little video recently to show you how to do this but mostly to show you the results. I hope you enjoy it! 🙋🏼♀️
When Puffy Eyes May Be More Serious
If you have a more serious health issue that's causing your eyes to swell and look puffy you may need to seek expert medical attention and put away the cucumber slices and tea bags for now...
Orbital Cellulitis
This is an infection deep inside the eyelid tissue and it can spread quickly and be very painful.
If you're feeling pain in your eyelid and it's red, streaked or swollen please seek emergency medical attention as this is a serious infection and should not be taken lightly!
Orbital cellulitis may require antibiotics and if it is really severe, it may require antibiotics administered intravenously.
Graves Disease
This is an endocrine disorder that leads to an overactive thyroid gland. This illness can cause a person's thyroid to mistakenly release cells to attack an infection that isn't there. Antibodies are thus released causing swelling and inflammation.
References:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19899435/puffy-eyes-causes/
https://www.healthline.com/health/swollen-eyes-from-crying#remedies-for-red-eyes
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318219.php
*Disclaimer: the information in this article is intended purely as information and not health advice. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent or cure and one should always seek expert advice from their trusted health practitioner.
