The first image that the mirror reflects back to us when we wake up is often quite discouraging: swollen eyes upon waking, a puffy expression, and tangled hair create a visual picture that borders on depressing.
The hair situation can be resolved with a wash and a comb, but for our eyes to de-puff and for us to regain our normal facial expression, it takes a period of time between thirty minutes and an hour.
Why do I wake up with swollen eyes?
This happens for two reasons:
The redistribution of body fluids during sleep
This is a natural phenomenon: when lying down for many hours, body fluids distribute evenly throughout the body, settling in places where they do not when we are standing.
Since the head is the highest part of the body, when we stand, the fluids descend. But when we lie down, they accumulate in the face, hence the unnatural expression of the face upon waking and the bags under the eyes.
Once we sit up, the fluids slowly descend to the lower parts of the body, causing the facial and eye swelling to disappear.
Underlying conditions
Eye swelling can also be the result of an eye infection, an allergy, or an underlying disease that causes it.
Tips to prevent your eyes from swelling when you get out of bed
So, what should you do if you wake up with swollen eyes? Healthy individuals can do nothing but wait: the only solution is to allow that prudent time of between half an hour and an hour to pass, avoiding staying lying down.
However, what can be done is to prevent or minimize the appearance of this unsightly and annoying phenomenon. Let's see how to avoid waking up with swollen eyes:
Get enough sleep
Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. To achieve restorative rest, it is advisable to:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
- Avoid caffeine drinks in the afternoons.
- Not drink too much alcohol before bed.
- Not go to bed right after dinner or exercising.
- One hour before going to sleep, refrain from looking at bright screens.
Optimize body posture and support during sleep
Elevating the head position during sleep is the most effective way to prevent organic fluids from accumulating in the face.
For this, we need:
- An appropriate pillow.
- A firm mattress.
An inadequate pillow and a soft or unevenly firm mattress can cause our head to adopt a relatively lower position than other parts of the body.
To avoid this, at muellesensacados.es we have a wide range of firm mattresses and ergonomic pillows that facilitate proper elevation of the head during nighttime rest.
Watch your eating habits
Certain eating habits increase the tendency to retain fluids, maximizing the problem of swollen eyes upon waking.
Here’s what can be done to prevent excessive fluid retention:
- Avoid alcohol consumption.
- Significantly reduce the amount of salt in our dishes.
- Drink plenty of water or non-sugary isotonic drinks.
Those who follow these tips will avoid swollen eyes upon waking or significantly minimize this natural physical phenomenon, unless the cause of the swelling is an allergy, an eye infection, or an underlying condition.