Are Your Eyes Tired?

A stressful lifestyle is the paramount reason for tired looking eyes. Staring all day at a computer screen at work is the major cause for tired eyes these days. This condition of 'tired eyes' is characterized by puffiness around the eyes, along with heaviness in the eyes and head. People with tired eyes feel their eyelids weigh a ton, even when they are not sleepy. Increasing demands at the workplace and at home have resulted in people experiencing tired eyes at an even more frequent rate. Today's jet-set age causes people to be on the run throughout the day. The yoke on the shoulders of people has spearheaded the condition of tired eyes. All the hidden stress, fatigue, tension, pressure bottled up within the mind surfaces through the eyes.

Tired Eyes Causes

There are scores of reasons which cause tired eyes in people. However, some common reasons causing strain to the eyes are as follows:

Inadequate Sleep: Stress at the workplace or at home and a noisy sleeping environment can result in inadequate sleep at night. Lack of adequate sleep causes the eyes to become heavy and puffy. Dark circles are also seen to develop.

Staring at the Computer Screen: Some folks don't wish to waste even a split second at work, even if it means they stop blinking. Staring continuously at the screen with minimal blinking and excessive squinting can cause stress to one's eyes. Sitting and staring at the television screen for hours can also strain the eyes.

Reading Long Hours: Bookworms love reading and they will make sure they read much more than their bodies can handle. The desire to finish a book may result in fast reading, without taking breaks. This can result in fatigued eyes. Excess reading without contact lenses or glasses and continuous reading in dim light can also cause strain to the eyes.

Diet: Decreased water intake and overindulgence in salt-based junk food items like burgers, pizzas, etc. play a role in puffy tired eyes as well. These junk food items do not furnish the body with the required essential nutrients, thereby conducing to vitamin deficiencies. Lack of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin K result in tired eyes.

Heredity and Physiology: Genetics can also be a reason for puffiness, swelling or discoloration of the eyes. Age causes thinning and sagging of the eye muscles.

Other contributors to the haggard appearance of the eyes are cigarette smoking, environmental pollution, inadequate supply of oxygen to the cornea, allergy and conjunctivitis.

Tired Eyes Symptoms

• Burning sensation
• Watery eyes
• Heaviness in eyes
• Redness of the eyes
• Dry eyes
• Blurred or double vision
• Itchiness in the eyes
• Irritation in the eyes
• Sore eyes
• Increased sensitivity to light.

Tired Eyes Treatment

Though this condition is not fatal, it is stressful for the overall health of the body, and tired eyes symptoms must not be ignored, but treated. If not treated on time, the condition can aggravate and result in double or blurred vision. Here are some ways to alleviate the tired eye condition.

Eye Exercise
Every hour during your day at work, take a minute to relax your eyes. Look away from your computer screen and roll your eyes in both directions. Try and blink more often. Look around the room or close your eyes for a minute if you want and then resume working. Diligently following this every hour will help reduce overall stress on your eyes, and you won't feel so tired after work.

Tea Home Remedy
Caffeine present in the tea helps soothe tired eyes. Make a cup of hot black tea and pour it into a glass. Hold the glass close to your eyes, such that the vapors from the tea reach your eyes. You can also use tea bags to soothe your ailing eyes. Dip two black tea bags in a cup of hot water and once the warmth is bearable place the warm tea bags onto your eyes. This will reduce the puffiness and also make you feel fresh. In summer, you can chill the tea bags in the refrigerator and then apply the cold tea bags on one's eyes.

Milk Home Remedy
If you don't happen to have tea or tea bags, then just pour out a small cup of cold milk from the refrigerator. Dip two cotton balls into the cold milk and place it over your tired eyes. Keep a small face towel with you, to wipe any milk dripping down the sides of your face.

Warm Water Home Remedy
If you don't have either tea bags or milk at home, you need not worry. You can try the warm water compress. Just boil some water in a kettle and once it has cooled down enough, such that you can dip your hand in the water without scalding it, dip a face towel into the water. Squeeze excess water and place it over your eyes. You will definitely find relief.

Cucumber Home Remedy
It's not for no reason that cucumbers are placed during a facial at beauty salons. Cucumbers have cooling properties and are also capable of reducing blood vessel size, thereby reducing puffiness. You can benefit from this treatment at home as well. Just slice a cucumber and place one slice on each eye. Lie down on the couch and relax. Once the cucumber slice attains body temperature, replace with a fresh slice. This remedy will reduce puffiness.

Cold Spoon Home Remedy
Who thought a steel spoon could come in handy, for relieving tired eyes! Place 2 spoons in the freezer and take them out once they are cold. The cold spoons are to be placed under the eyes to reduce the puffiness of the eyes. Make sure not to freeze the spoons.

Cold Water Remedy
If your eyes feel extremely tired at work, go to the washroom and wash your face with cool tap water. The cold water will help alleviate the tired feeling. Do this every hour during work and you will find relief.

Egg White Home Remedy
Separate the egg white from the yolk and beat up the egg white. Apply this egg white on the eyelids using a cotton ball and relax for 10 minutes. Rinse with tepid water.

Rosewater Home Remedy
Rosewater is known for its oodles of skin benefits. Dunking two cotton balls in rosewater solution and then placing them over your eyes can help alleviate the strain to the eyes. If you wish to prepare rosewater at home, just put some dried rose petals in a sterilized jar and pour hot water on top of it. Let it stay overnight. Next morning strain and use. Refrigeration will help preserve the rosewater for about a month.

The above remedies help treat tired eyes. But it is still important to eliminate the causes of tired eyes. If inadequate sleep is what is causing the eyes to be tired, then one should try getting more sleep. One can make use of ear plugs and eye masks for sound sleep. A change of routine can help reduce the environmental stress. Since work cannot be avoided, it is advisable to invest in a polarized monitor filter for the computer, which will reduce the reflections, thereby reducing the stress on the eyes. It is also advisable to take short breaks while working with the computer. If diet is the cause, then one can take vitamin supplements to counter such problems. Hope this article was helpful and informative!