Puffy eyes are something that a lot of us experience, especially as we get older. There are many causes for puffy eyes including fatigue, allergies and crying. Another important cause of puffy eyes is how we lie face down on a pillow sometimes when we sleep at night. If you do not lie on your back but on your stomach or your side when sleeping, your propensity for puffy eyes might be greater. The friction of your eyes against the pillow, especially if you toss and turn is a cause. A great relief for avoidance of puffy eyes when you wake from sleeping is to wear an eye mask while sleeping. Aside, from relieving puffy eyes, eye masks also aid in your getting a better night's sleep in general. You will sleep more deeply with all light being blocked out from your eyes and your will wake up feeling more rested.

Additional remedies to puffy eyes include:

1. Placing a chilled gel eye mask on your eyes for up to an hour when the puffiness occurs (this is not the same type of eye mask that you might want to sleep with for 8 hours. That type should be cushioned satin, silk or cotton for example, not gel.)

 A gel mask serves the different purpose of soothing distressed eyes during the day.

Especially if you are someone who can't help but to sleep on the stomach or side as opposed to your back, you definitely would not want to put too much pressure on the gel mask while you are sleeping. It is definitely not the best type of mask to use for sleep time.

2. Eye drops: Some eye drops are quite medicated and should not be used too frequently. It's best to use them for allergies. If puffy eyes are a general, daily problem for you, it is best to use the gentlest type of eye drop possible. Drops of saline solution, that is recommended for rinsing contact lenses before putting them in the eye is good for providing gentle relief for eye irritations that can contribute to puffiness.

3. Chilled cucumber slices- placing one on each eye is an effective and common method for relieving puffiness from the eyes and is a favorite among spa uses.

4. Using a cold, damp cloth on the eyes also works well. Run some cold water from your faucet over the cloth, wring cloth and wait 30sec. before applying to eyes.

5. Other things that have been known to work well are chilled potato slices or chilled kiwi slices. The kiwi can be a bit of a stretch. It can get messy and sticky. The round shape fits well over the eye, but using kiwi shouldn't be much different than using any other water-based fruit (i.e.- cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew). The key ingredient here is water, which brings us to our next remedy.

6. It is very important to remain well hydrated. To prevent puffy eyes, make sure to drink enough water each day. Drinking a full glass of water before getting into bed and another one upon rising, should be part of the regimen of your daily water intake. There has been a lot of debate regarding whether 8 glass of water a day is necessary but you should definitely drink some water whenever your feel thirsty throughout a day. Puffy eyes and swelling of other body parts such as swollen ankles can often be attributed to dehydration. Staying well hydrated is key.

7. Lastly, frequently puffy eyes can negatively affect the elasticity of the eye area and cause wrinkles. Avoiding puffy eyes altogether such as with the sleep mask is important. A good quality under eye cream used after washing the face is also effective for reducing the effects of puffy eyes.