Puffy eyes can be caused by many factors. These include fluid retention, stress, allergies, hormone changes, and other factors as well. When we cry, it is often accompanied by swollen eyes. The body reacts to emotions and causes more blood to flow through the eyes. This leads to swelling. Also the production of too many emotional tears can strain the eyes. Also, we get puffy eyes after sleeping. This can be caused by different factors such as too much sodium in a diet causing water retention, tossing and turning and not getting enough sleep, excessive drinking of alcohol, and others as well. We have the thinnest skin around our eyes. It's the area that's most influenced by the flow of fluids. A dinner heavy with salty food or a night of crying while watching a tearjerker movie can also cause morning-after puffiness. The reason is osmosis. Water always travels from areas in the body where there's low salt concentration to tissues where there's more salt. That principle holds true whether the salt comes from tears or from soy sauce.

Puffy Eyes—Treatments and Home Remedies

For normal puffy eyes that are not caused by other eye conditions, there are many ways to get rid of puffy eyes. The following is a list of what to do for treating puffy eyes:
  • Wash face with ice cold water
  • Limit sodium intake (processed foods have too much)
  • Drink plenty of water to clean out your system
  • Place two slices of cool cucumber or cold spoons on the eyes for several minutes
  • Moisten two tea bags in cold water, chill in frig. Place them over closed eyelids for several minutes
  • For allergies and puffy eyes, find out the item causing the allergic reaction and minimize its use.
  • Healing-Scents has two different types of allergy relief:
    • Allergy Relief Oil
    • Respiratory Ailments Herbal Vitamins
Be wary of over-the-counter and prescription products. Our body can get dependent on those chemicals. Many allergies can be caused by the chemicals in commercial products.
  • Cream for puffy eyes - Try our soothing Forever Young Face Cream, which can be applied to the eyes

Irrigating the nasal cavity with a neti pot—a device that looks like a small teapot—can help relieve fluid buildup caused by allergies, sinus congestion, or a cold.

  • Switch your sleep position.

Your sleep position may be contributing to under-eye bags. Thanks to gravity, sleeping on your side or stomach can encourage fluids to collect under your eyes. If you're a side sleeper, you may notice a heavier bag on the side you sleep on. Patients who wake up with puffy eyes to sleep on their back and add an extra pillow under their head. Changing your sleep position takes some getting used to. The earlier you start changing your sleep position, the better, because after a few years under-eye bags can became permanent.

  • Other everyday bad habits.

Rubbing your eyes frequently, going to bed with makeup on, and excessive drinking, can contribute to under-eye bags, too. Sleeping in eye makeup can irritate your eyes, causing fluids to pool. Heavy alcohol drinking causes dehydration. That weakens the delicate skin around the eyes, making it more likely to sink into a pouch.

  • Stop using commercial products.

Getting away from the toxic chemicals will help your body become healthier and less toxic.

Eye bags are very common, and are usually not related to your health. But if your bags appear suddenly and you're not suffering from allergies, a sinus infection, or a cold —and they don't ease up when you try the lifestyle steps mentioned above start a whole-body cleanse and consider going to a naturopath.