Under-eye puffiness is usually a dead giveaway that you haven’t gotten enough sleep or that you’ve been bawling your eyes out. Fortunately, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about as it happens to the best of us. But despite how common it is, there’s no doubt that it can be bothersome and affect your confidence. If you often find yourself wondering why your eyes are so swollen, read on to find out how to get rid of puffy eyes.
What’s the difference between puffy under-eyes and eye bags?
Puffy under-eyes are not to be confused with eye bags, another common issue around the eye area. Compared to eye bags that are generally caused by aging and genetics, under-eye swelling is commonly due to the accumulation of fluid. Also, while eye bags tend to worsen with age, under-eye puffiness often goes away on its own. Due to gravity, the fluid that has built up under the eye will eventually drain with time.
What causes puffy eyes?
Puffy under-eyes are likely to appear due to the buildup of fluid under the skin, but that’s not the only reason your eyes may look tired. Here’s why you may have under-eye puffiness:
You’ve been crying
Your eyes produce basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears. Basal tears lubricate the surface of the eye with each blink, while reflex tears provide extra protection. These tears are constantly drained out the corners of your eyelids, which is why you don’t notice that they’re there.
However, when you cry with emotion, your lacrimal system (the gland that produces tears) can’t cope with the amount of tears. The overwhelming amount of tears is absorbed by your under-eye tissue, causing the area to appear puffy. In addition, your blood vessels will dilate when you cry, delivering increased blood flow to the area.
You didn’t get enough sleep
If you’ve gotten tired of Googling “why are my eyes puffy in the morning?”, we’re here to answer that. Puffy eyes in the morning may appear when you don’t get a good night’s sleep. This is because poor sleep prompts your body to produce cortisol, a stress hormone that alters your body’s salt balance. As a result, you may retain more water around your under-eye area.
Your diet consists of salty food
A high-salt diet can trigger your body to retain more water. This can cause puffiness all around your body, but it may be more pronounced in your under-eye area since this location tends to be more delicate.