Your eyes are busy and can easily become overworked, fatigued, and sore. Gritty, grouchy eyes can make it nearly impossible to be productive. There are many ways to care for your eye health with items or techniques that are easily accessible. Try a few of these to soothe your exhausted eyes.
Sleep
Inadequate sleep can make it more difficult to focus, increase eye redness and burning, and result in eye strain. Your body has difficulty functioning without enough rest, and your eyes are no exception. Getting a good night’s sleep (8 solid hours) will refresh you and leave you bright-eyed in the morning.
Massage
It may be more enjoyable to have another person perform a massage on you, but rest easy that self-massage will also be effective for improving eye health. Gently massage the bones of your eye socket, tap gently around your eyes, rub your forehead and pressure points, and relax your eye muscles. Coupling this with meditation can further relieve eye fatigue and is good for the rest of your body too.
Warm Compress
Run warm (not hot!) water over a washcloth and wring it out so that it is not dripping but is still fairly moist. Lay down and place the washcloth over your eyes for at least five minutes.
Cool Eye Mask
Many drugstores have a soothing gel eye mask available. Refrigerate (never freeze) and place over your eyes for a minimum of five minutes. As an added bonus, a cooling eye mask can also help reduce puffiness in the eye area.
Teabags
Teabags that have been steeped and allowed to cool are very good for calming unhappy eyes. Chamomile tea is the best type to use for this purpose, but any type of tea will help. After you have made your tea, allow the bag to cool and place a teabag on each eye. Rest for 5-10 minutes and you will be revived.
Cucumber
Another excellent kitchen remedy for improving your eye health is to apply slices of cucumbers over your eyes while you rest. The hydrating and cooling effects of the cucumber brighten tired eyes. Chilling the cucumber slices in the freezer for a short time before application will add to the benefit.
A number of ways to soothe your tired, irritated eyes are no further away than your kitchen. Reach for these natural methods the next time your eyes need a rescue. For further recommendations, consult your Phoenix Eye Doctor.
