Turning sleepy eyes into bright & well-rested eyes.
These days I wear signs of fatigue easily on my face. Dark circles under my eyes, red eyes and paler skin tone can be culprits of lack of sleep. While I can hide the yawning under my mask now, the cues of fatigue are hard to hide in and around the eyes.
Sleep deprivation effects our whole body. It is noticeable with exercise when more effort put forth yields quicker thresholds of exhaustion. Cognitively, we are less quick to make connections, to multitask and overall performance. But cues of fatigue can involve the face and more prominently, affect the eyes.
Red eyes, dark circles under the eyes, puffy eyes, and paleness around the eyelid and under eye area tell those around you your secrets of netflix bingers, night-owl habits and general insomnia.
And while the eyes give cues to your level of sleepiness, aspects of your face do also. Paler skin, an increase in fine wrinkles and lines and droopy corners of the mouth also can be worn by a sleep deprived individual.
But before you throw your hands up and surrender to the sleep-deprived fate of adulting, parenting, student-ing (not a word but it seemed like it would fit) or netflixing, rest assured (pun intended) that there are some solutions to help look bright eyed and well rested.
Red eyes: if staying up late, and staring at a screen sound familiar then red eyes can often be caused by blinking less. In fact, it is fairly common to blink less often when staring at a device or screen, around 60% less! The fix? While its tempting to keep scrolling, the best solution is to put your device away 1-2 hours prior to bedtime. Give your eyes a break from a screen before bedtime. Other solutions includes artificial tears, specifically gel drops at bedtime. Lumify, which is a redness relief drop does a great job at eliminating redness and gets those eyes back to bright and white. Its important to note that red eyes are a symptom of an underlying cause which can range from contact lens wear, infections, allergies and chronic dry eyes. It’s important to visit your eye doctor if the redness presents with other symptoms and persists longer than 24-48 hours.
Dark circles: Darkness under the under eye area is often heightened when lack of sleep is present. As mentioned here, dark circles under the eyes can be related to some factors that can be controlled and others that cannot, like age and genetics. Options to help lessen the dark circles? Cold compresses, using a eye mask, can help constrict blood vessels in the under eye area and lessen darkness. Moisturizes that contain caffeine act in a similar manner to constrict blood vessels. Retinol acts to prevent fine lines, promoting cell turnover thus making skin less thin and improving dark circles. Other ingredients in moisturizers like Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid or skin lightening creams with azelaic acids, also act to lessen dark circles.
Puffy Eyes: Although puffy eyelids can suggest allergies or sinus issues, lack of sleep can be a contributing factor. And sometimes it’s how you sleep that can effect how well rested you look. Elevating your head with a few pillows will help lessen fluid pooling under your eyes. Keeping pillows protected from allergens also can help. Cold compresses, drinking plenty of water and cutting back on salt intake can be a beneficial solution to decrease any puffiness or swelling as well.
And last but not least, the number one solution to tired eyes? Sleep and getting more of it. I know, I know, easier said than done but starting with a few small habits at bedtime can help you doze off quicker and more soundly. Habits like reducing your blue-light exposure at bedtime, limiting caffeine consumption, optimizing bedroom temperature (70 degrees F), limiting external noise and light, consistency with bedtime-waketime and regular physical activity during they day-are all simple ways to help improve the quality and amount of bedtime slumber.
As always, any eye-related symptoms or issues need to be brought up with your primary eyecare provider as each individual’s eye health and history can vary. If you’re experiencing eye-related symptoms, I highly recommended an appointment with your eye doctor to better assess an appropriate treatment plan designed especially for you.
Stay Happy and Healthy!
Dr. Jen Wademan
