For what reasons do eyelids swell in the morning?

Swelling of the eyelids in the morning is a very common occurrence. Almost every person has encountered it. It is caused by various reasons. The swelling usually goes away within a few hours. If your eyelids swell constantly and it does not go away within 24 hours, you should consult a doctor.

This condition causes stagnation of fluid and is accompanied by symptoms such as redness of the skin around the eyes, the sensation of a foreign body in the eye, pain when touched, and watery eyes. Sometimes it is difficult to open your eyes, the discomfort does not go away throughout the day. There are many factors that cause swelling of the eyelids. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups:

• short-term;
• associated with internal pathologies of the body.

The nature of the appearance of edema

Edema is the accumulation of fluid in cells or intercellular space. Usually, water penetrates into the tissues from the blood, but does not have time to be eliminated naturally, which provokes stagnation. But in some cases, swelling caused by lymph retention or circulatory disorders is mistaken for puffiness.

Liquid is retained due to malfunctions in the functioning of the urinary system responsible for excreting water and problems with urination or due to a violation of the water-salt balance: salt is designed to retain moisture, but if normal volumes are exceeded, stagnation occurs.

The mechanism for the development of swelling may be based on inflammation: when exposed to pathogenic stimuli (damage, microorganisms), protective reactions are triggered, which should neutralize negative factors. The acidity of the environment increases, blood rushes to the focus, fluid pressure in the tissues increases, proteins are actively broken down, and salts begin to dissociate. As a result, swelling develops, and not only due to water retention.

Interesting! In women, edema occurs more often than in men, which is due to the characteristics of blood flow and the functioning of the body.

Mmm, probiotics!

Probiotics do not directly affect the lymphatic system, but they help our digestion and cleansing of the intestines, which ultimately has a beneficial effect on the state of our lymph. Eating probiotics does not cancel the habit of eating healthy; rather, it is a good support for our digestion during periods of stress, fun feasts and weakened immunity. It’s best to take a course of probiotics purchased at a pharmacy - store-bought yoghurts with beneficial bacteria in them won’t do any good.

Symptoms

Swelling manifests itself in the form of an increase in the volume of soft tissues, swelling, puffiness, and swelling. When pressing on the swollen area, a dent forms in the skin. Fabrics feel less elastic to the touch.

The localization of swelling is determined by the physiological characteristics of the human body. Water accumulates in the limbs due to the laws of physics, falling under the force of gravity. In addition, it is harder for the body to remove water from distant areas of the body. The face swells due to the structure of the tissues, and the lower and upper eyelids are more often affected: the tissues are quite loose, almost devoid of elastic fibers, containing a small amount of fat and penetrated by capillaries. Water trapped in the structure comes out of small vessels.

Swelling occurs in the morning, and there are explanations for this. Firstly, during sleep a person is in a static horizontal position and does not move, which provokes stagnation of fluid. Secondly, at night all processes occurring in the body slow down, including the removal of water, blood circulation and lymph flow.

Swelling can spread throughout almost the entire body, be localized in one part, or be more pronounced on one side: left or right. Usually the fingers, feet and eyes (eyelids) swell more.

Allergy

An allergic reaction can also cause swelling. The next morning you can see severe swelling on the face if something with allergenic properties was taken before bed. This could be any medicine, food, drink. Allergies can also occur to feather pillows.

There may also be a more severe allergic edema; it is also called Quincke's edema. It is developing rapidly. Most often, such swelling can be caused by insect bites or a burn received in contact with some plant, for example, with the same hogweed. Allergic swelling can also be a reaction to taking certain medications, foods or cosmetics. As a rule, with Quincke's edema, swelling of the upper body, eyelids, ears, nose, lips, eyes is observed, and a rash on the skin, the so-called urticaria, also appears.

The most dangerous thing with Quincke's edema is laryngeal edema. At the same time, the patient suddenly turns pale, his breathing is difficult. In such cases, you cannot hesitate for a minute; you must urgently call a doctor, because swelling may increase or spread to the mucous membrane of the trachea. This in turn causes suffocation and can lead to the death of the patient.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to warn young mothers, so as not to provoke this terrible disease: do not give exotic fruits to young children, they often cause very severe food allergies. Genetically, our body is not adapted to eating overseas delicacies, so we need to be very careful with them.

Factors that provoke swelling in the morning

Why does a person swell in the morning? The following factors may contribute to this:

• Improper drinking regime. When drinking large volumes of water late in the evening, it does not have time to be eliminated in a timely manner, stagnating overnight and manifesting itself as swelling in the morning. But swelling also develops when there is a lack of fluid: the body goes into conservation mode and begins to store moisture, preventing it from leaving.
• Errors in nutrition - abuse of salty foods. Salt promotes water retention, especially if it enters the body in significant volumes and mainly in the afternoon.
• Premenstrual syndrome in women (PMS). Swelling is triggered by hormonal changes: increased concentrations of estrogen cause the accumulation of sodium salts and, accordingly, fluid. And as progesterone levels decrease, the removal of sodium and moisture slows down.
• Pregnancy. During gestation, the volume of blood required to supply oxygen and nourish the fetus and placenta increases. Fluid is also retained, which is necessary to prevent dehydration. In pregnant women, swelling intensifies towards the last stages, but after childbirth it goes away on its own.
• Physiological edema in infants is normal and is caused by the peculiarities of the functioning of the body in the first months of life (increased sensitivity of tissues to moisture), as well as the passage of the child through the birth canal and compression of tissues during childbirth.
• Stress. During stressful situations, the body synthesizes cortisol, which disrupts the reabsorption of fluid into the kidney tubules and also retains sodium ions. Such changes provoke disruptions in the water-salt balance.
• Alcohol. Alcohol disrupts blood circulation and metabolism (including salt metabolism), changes blood pressure, and fluid comes out of it through the vessels, stagnating in the tissues. When abusing alcoholic beverages after drinking, a person wakes up in the morning swollen and feels unwell.
• Improperly organized sleeping area. When the head is lowered and the limbs hang down, blood and fluid stagnate in these parts of the body, and swelling is observed in the morning. The symptom is provoked by an overly soft, low or hard pillow, or an uncomfortable mattress.
• Taking certain medications: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs: aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen), blood pressure-lowering medications, steroid hormones.
• Overweight. Fat cells retain moisture, which is why obese people are prone to swelling. Another reason is circulatory disorders caused by heavy loads placed on the heart and blood vessels and due to weight gain.
• Strict long-term diets. By depriving oneself of certain substances that should be supplied with food, a person disrupts metabolism and water-salt balance.
• Long sleep. If you get up late, blood and water will stagnate due to prolonged static body position.

Pathological causes

If swelling develops in the morning, the causes may be pathological:

• Diabetes. Swelling is caused by several reasons: damage to blood vessels, circulatory and water-salt metabolism disorders, changes in the structure and functioning of the kidneys.
• Varicose veins With this disease, the veins pathologically expand and lose tone, which leads to stagnation of blood in them and swelling of the legs.
• Thyroid diseases. With hypothyroidism, the concentration of hormones synthesized by the organ decreases, which disrupts metabolic processes: protein metabolism changes, negatively affecting the pressure in the blood vessels. Water partially leaves the blood through the vascular walls, remaining in the tissues. Pathologies of the thyroid gland are characterized by signs: changes in body weight and appetite, constant fatigue and weakness, pale skin, fatigue.
• Diseases and tumors of the kidneys, which are responsible for filtering blood and removing water from the body. In pathologies, they cannot cope with their functions, fluid stagnates in the tissues, which causes swelling of the extremities, a decrease in the frequency of urination, darkening of urine, lower back pain, and an increase in body temperature.
• Liver diseases, such as cirrhosis. This organ is responsible for filtering the blood, neutralizing toxic substances and producing some lipids, enzymes and proteins. For example, the liver synthesizes albumin, which circulates in the blood and maintains normal oncotic pressure inside the vessels. When the latter decreases, blood leaves the vessels through the walls, penetrating into the tissues. Liver pathologies are accompanied by pain and distension in the right hypochondrium, yellowing of the skin, digestive disorders, and weight loss.
• Allergy. If allergic swelling occurs in the morning, it may be caused by a reaction to plants in the bedroom, bed linen, pajamas, or powder used to wash things. The allergy is accompanied by swelling, itching and redness of the tissues, watery eyes and sneezing, and a sore throat.
• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. With hypertension, after heart attacks, with ischemia and heart failure, the myocardium functions worse, which provokes disturbances in the outflow of blood from the veins: it stagnates in the extremities (especially in the legs) and causes swelling. The situation is aggravated by the increased permeability of the vascular walls, through which fluid escapes from the bloodstream.
• Hormonal imbalances, especially in women. When the balance of certain hormones changes, the water-salt balance suffers.
• Injuries. A bruise received the day before will cause swelling located at the site of mechanical impact.
• Colds that develop against a background of reduced immunity. With ARVI, the nose often gets stuffy after sleep, and the face swells.

How to quickly get rid of swelling in the morning

How to look fresh, cheerful and without swelling in the morning? The following emergency measures help quickly:

1. A contrast shower accelerates blood circulation, helps relieve swelling and feel better.
2. Rub your feet, palms and ears. Firstly, this will mechanically trigger the removal of fluid, and secondly, in these zones there are biologically active points responsible for the functioning of the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
3. Do exercises and get active. This way you will “accelerate” the blood, force the fluid to leave the tissues and begin to be naturally eliminated from the body.
4. Massage of problem areas. You can do it with your hands, a special mitten or a brush. The procedure will help improve blood circulation and ensure the outflow of water from cells and intercellular space.
5. To get rid of morning swelling, breathe deeply. This will saturate your blood and tissues with oxygen and significantly improve blood circulation.
6. Drink a cup of strong coffee. This drink has a diuretic effect and is a natural diuretic that stimulates urination. But don’t overuse it: if you drink a lot of coffee and often during the day, you can disrupt your heart rhythm.
7. You can remove facial swelling by rubbing with ice cubes.

Fashionable diets

Many girls are addicted to so-called protein-free diets. Wanting to have a good figure, they deliberately do not eat meat, eggs, legumes, milk, cottage cheese... But such restrictions are dangerous, although at first the person will feel good. He will indeed lose weight, but not due to fat, but due to loss of muscle mass.

If you stay on this diet for several weeks, you may experience anemia, disruption of the heart, the development of edema, the appearance of excessive fatigue... By the way, self-respecting nutritionists do not prescribe protein-free diets to anyone.

Treatment

In case of edema associated with exposure to unfavorable factors, it is enough to eliminate them. Review your drinking regime and nutrition, organize your sleeping place correctly, avoid stress and do not abuse alcohol, do not follow strict diets and normalize your weight.

If swelling in the morning is frequent or occurs constantly and is accompanied by alarming signs, then the doctor, after the diagnosis, will prescribe treatment, which may include directions:

1. For kidney disease, diuretics are often prescribed to stimulate fluid excretion. Diuretics force you to urinate, and if taken uncontrolled, cause frequent bladder emptying and urinary incontinence.
2. If the body begins to swell greatly due to allergies, antihistamines will help, stopping unwanted reactions. The sooner you take them, the better. Also limit and prevent contact with allergens.
3. To get rid of morning swelling, consider your diet. Protein products and freshly squeezed juices normalize the water-salt balance, which are best squeezed from celery, tomatoes and cucumbers, berries (lingonberries, raspberries and strawberries) and drunk in the afternoon 3-4 hours before bedtime. And limit the consumption of salty, sweet, pickled and fatty foods.
4. Vitamins, probiotics. They normalize metabolism, saturate tissues with nutrients, maintain water-salt balance, and improve food processing processes.
5. It is beneficial to increase your level of physical activity while living a sedentary lifestyle.
6. Swelling can go away with the use of folk remedies - decoctions of lingonberry leaves, bearberry, birch buds, orthosiphon staminate.
7. In case of severe edema, follow the drinking regime: drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day (60 ml per kilogram of body weight, if the kidneys are healthy) and try not to drink large amounts of liquid before bed.
8. Since swelling can be associated with disorders of blood circulation and lymph outflow, hardware procedures that normalize the movement of lymphatic fluid and blood through the vessels are effective: darsonvalization, electrical stimulation, lymphatic drainage.

Important! Self-medication is not only ineffective, but also dangerous: therapy should be prescribed by a specialist after studying the examination results.

For dessert - massage and sauna

Both lymphatic drainage and any other body massage help release toxins and stimulate lymph circulation. Therefore, it is worth adding a massage procedure to your next trip to the cinema on the weekend. Going to the sauna and actively sweating also speeds up the elimination of toxins and helps keep our lymphatic system healthy.

We already understand why swelling occurs in the morning and how to prevent it, but what can we do to eliminate it?

There are many ways to do this:

1. If the causes of morning swelling lie in allergies, then you need to take antihistamines (Zodak, Fenkarol);
2. You should make masks with a cooling effect, which narrow the capillaries of the skin, as a result of which you can quickly relieve swelling. To do this, use a towel soaked in cold water, special silicone masks, which are applied after exposure in the refrigerator;
3. You can relieve puffiness by wiping your face with pieces of ice in the morning. This can be ordinary ice, but a better effect can be achieved if you use ice from decoctions of medicinal herbs: parsley, dill, chamomile;
4. Masks made from potatoes, cucumber, cut into slices, will also quickly help relieve morning swelling;
5. A canvas bag with crushed buckwheat and boiled for 2 minutes will help relieve swelling. After cooling the cereal, this bag should be applied to the problem area;
6. Tea bags on the eye area, as well as gauze soaked in cold tea, will quickly relieve puffiness;
7. If swelling occurs periodically, you can use herbal decoctions internally, thereby improving renal filtration;
8. Fluid leaves the body faster if you eat citrus fruits, coffee, sour apples;

If the causes of edema lie in diseases of the internal organs, then self-medication is unacceptable! It is necessary to urgently contact your doctor and use clinical tests to determine why this is happening. Adequate treatment of the underlying pathology will relieve the symptom of swelling.

Series of messages “Doctor's Advice”:
Part 1 - Diseases and their treatment! Part 2 - Medical encyclopedia! (about everything) ... Part 21 - Our teeth - myths and truth Part 22 - What to eat if you have high blood pressure: 8 life-saving nutrition rules Part 23 - Swelling in the morning: causes, prevention, elimination Part 24 - Scientists have found the main cause obesity! Part 25 - Doctors named the most useless drugs for ARVI

Prevention

To prevent swelling that occurs in the morning, follow these rules:

• If you start to gain weight, limit yourself in food and try to avoid flour, sweets, fatty and fried foods. And in order not to gain weight after losing weight, you should always eat right.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle by following a daily routine and maintaining a balance of rest and wakefulness.
• Strengthen your immune system, toughen up.
• Complete routine examinations on time and consult a doctor if your health worsens.
• Be responsible when choosing pajamas and organizing your sleeping area.
• Eat more fresh vegetables, citrus fruits, herbs and berries.
• Play sports or at least do morning exercises every day.

Eliminating swelling that occurs in the morning is quite difficult, but its removal is possible if you find out and eliminate the causes and follow the rules. Good health to you, and may every morning be good and pleasant!