General Question

mowens's avatar

Why do I always look tired?

Asked by mowens (8403points) February 1st, 2010

No matter how much or how little sleep I get, I always have huge bags under my eyes. Why is this, and how do I make it stop?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

12 Answers

Seek's avatar

Undereye circles are the result of damaged capillaries underneath the very delicate skin of the eye. In short, it’s kind of like a permanent bruise.

Rubbing your eyes makes it worse. Don’t do that. Ever.

Applying ice, cold tea bags, etc. to your eyes for about 15 minutes can help reduce puffiness and inflammation, and we all need to invest in a good concealer. ^_^

MissAnthrope's avatar

But how and why does the puffiness start? One cause, experts say, is the natural aging process. “There is a certain amount of fat naturally in the under-eye area,” Antell says. “It’s held in place by ligaments. As you age, the ligaments get weaker, allowing the fat to push forward, forming that little puffy pillow under your eye.”

As time goes on, the puff gets bigger, he says. Then skin loses elasticity, allowing the formation of those loose wads of skin we call “bags.” How soon that happens, however, depends a lot on how many bags Mom and Dad had—and when their problems began.

“A lot of it has to do with heredity,” Marmur said. “It can be a structural, anatomic, genetic issue that simply causes some people to develop this problem sooner than others.”

But it’s not just heredity. Lifestyle factors matter too. Do you consistently cheat yourself of sleep? Do you eat a lot of salty food snacks and retain a lot of water? Are you getting enough exercise? Marmur tells WebMD all these things can cause bags to form a lot sooner. (Link)

mowens's avatar

I have had them as long as I can remember.

abrooke's avatar

My grandfather had this problem he went to the dr and had it taken care of it ended up being poor circulation. So eating foods that quicken the circulation of blood should get rid of it. Like soybeans, if that doesn’t sound pleasent then maybe look into taking supplements of magnesium and zinc.
Other then that be sure where you sleep at night is comfortable to your likings!!

mowens's avatar

I have never once in my life woken up refreshed. Ever.

Seek's avatar

@mowens

If that’s true, perhaps you should be tested for sleep disorders. Not getting restful sleep can lead to myriad health problems – most of them considerably more serious than a little undereye baggage.

MissAnthrope's avatar

@mowens – I hear ya. The only time I ever felt refreshed on waking was after taking a particular brand of melatonin, which I cannot remember and wish I could because no other brand worked after that.

erichw1504's avatar

I don’t have bags, but I do have a blue tint around my eyes at all times. What could cause that?

erichw1504's avatar

@mowens Dammit, how’d you know?

faye's avatar

I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder years ago. The doctor said I was never getting into the deepest stage of sleep, so he gave me pills and I felt better, never looked back.

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