NewsMakers
How your diet could be causing puffy under-eyes – and the foods to avoid
We have all tried the drugstore concoctions and expensive creams to try to eliminate our puffy under eye bags before a work meeting or dinner date – but the only way to help reduce puffiness and dark circles is to understand where it is stemming from.

Whether it’s lack of sleep, stress or environment, your eyes can be sensitive to puffiness and dark circles.
We have all tried the drugstore concoctions and expensive creams to try to eliminate our puffy under eye bags before a work meeting or dinner date – but the only way to help reduce puffiness and dark circles is to understand where it is stemming from.
Roshni Patel, BSC (Hons) MCOptom reveals the truth behind bags under our eyes, the causes of them and some advice on how to help reduce them;
‘Bags under the eyes are commonly associated with a lack of sleep, and appear as mild swelling or puffiness under the eyes, primarily as a result of fluid accumulation. They are predominantly a cosmetic concern and rarely ever are a sign of a serious medical condition.’
‘Though the most recognisable and familiar is a lack of sleep, eye bags can result from a wide variety of different causes’.
1. Fluid retention
Fluid retention can become more of a problem as we age. The skin under the eyelid becomes thinner and can result in puffy eyes.
This can be especially more noticeable in the morning and can be prominent after having a salty meal, which causes greater fluid retention in the body.
2. Allergies
Pollen, dust and pet allergies are a common reason why people suffer with puffy eye bags. If you are not sure which is causing it, you can get an appointment with your GP who may refer you to an allergy clinic. This will help determine the cause and hopefully reduce your exposure to the allergen.
3. Smoking
Smoking can contribute towards puffy eye bags as the nicotine found in cigarettes disrupts sleep patterns. This does not only lead to tiredness but also a build up on fluids as your body has not had a chance to fully rest and restore. Smoking also breaks down skin’s elasticity and collagen production reduces which can cause the skin to look puffy or sag.
4. A hereditary condition
Unfortunately for some, puffy under eyes is not to do with their outside environment but is a hereditary condition. Autoimmune conditions are also known to cause puffy under eyes. If you do have a family history of puffy under eye bags, people do find cold compresses in the morning or before you go out can reduce the appearance temporarily.
5. Sun exposure
Much like when we burn, our bodies are defending our skin from further damage. If your eyes are suffering from too much sun exposure, then the natural response is inflammatory – this is your body’s way of trying to protect your eyes. Sun damage and excess heat commonly cause swelling and puffiness.
6. Eczema
For those living with eczema, the winter air can make puffy eyes considerably worse – this is due to the dry air. Atopic dermatitis can occur, causing irritation around the eyes and eyelid, this can lead to puffiness as the skin’s natural defence mechanism is to protect your eyes.
So, how can we remedy our puffy eye bags?
- Longer and more consistent sleep: lack of rest is the most common reason for eye bags, but sleeping efficiently with regular hours can contribute to a healthier lifestyle in general.
- Use antihistamines: allergies can sometimes result in puffy eyes. By taking antihistamines, you can reduce the effects of the allergy, including puffiness.
- Reduce stress: stress can lead to worse sleep and puffy eyes. Dealing with it with options like exercise and lifestyle decisions can help protect your mental health, and reduce the toll on your body.
- Eat less salt and have more iron-rich food: salt encourages fluid retention in the body and can result in fluid build-up under the eyes. A reduction in salt intake may assist with reducing puffiness. For those that struggle with anemia, eating iron-rich foods may also help to reduce symptoms as they allow the increase of oxygen to reach the tissues in your body and avoid the appearance of dark circles.
- Remember to take your makeup off before bed: After a long day, it’s important to wash your face and remove all makeup before going to sleep. Leaving eye makeup on overnight can irritate your eyes and as a result can increase your chances of infection which can make your eyes become red and puffy.
- Cold or caffeinated compress: caffeine and cold can both help to lessen the appearance of bags under the eyes. A cool green tea bag applied under the eyes may reduce puffiness.
- Reduce your alcohol intake: Dehydration can lead to dark circles under your eyes and bags, so cutting out or reducing your intake of alcohol which contributes to dehydration may help relieve this appearance.
- Use sun cream: sun exposure can accelerate the effects of ageing and ultimately lead to bags under the eyes as the tissues weaken. Use sun cream to protect your body from UV rays.
- Include retinol cream in your everyday skin routine – Retinal is a cream that’s been used to tackle acne, aging, psoriasis and even certain cancers, and is an ingredient that is related to vitamin A. Retinal can help tackle eye bags as when applied to the skin it can improve collagen deficiency. It is typically applied as a cream gel or liquid form and is applied once a day.
- Stay hydrated – dehydration can be a significant factor to experiencing under-eye bags. It’s important we are keeping our water levels replenished each day, with experts recommending drinking around 13 cups of fluids a day for men and 9 for women.
For more information, head to Lenstore at https://www.lenstore.co.uk/eyecare/bags-under-your-eyes.
NewsMakers
5 Tips to upgrade your sleep
Sleep contributes to better brain function, memory, concentration and lower stress. According to the National Institutes of Health, most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night to achieve maximum health benefits.

Good sleep isn’t just about waking up feeling rested and ready for the day. Quality sleep, and plenty of it, is important for your overall health. While you sleep, your body naturally recharges itself, which puts you at lower risk for cardiovascular problems and chronic conditions like diabetes, as well as improving your immune system.
Sleep also contributes to better brain function, memory, concentration and lower stress. According to the National Institutes of Health, most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night to achieve maximum health benefits.
If you’re falling short of the recommended amount of sleep, you may be able to make some adjustments that help you reap the health benefits of better rest. Learn what you can do to improve your sleep with these tips from the experts in safer, healthier sleep at Naturepedic.
Reduce Light Exposure
Your body’s natural circadian rhythms are closely aligned with light and dark. When your body senses light, it sends signals to your brain that it’s time to be awake. Light also suppresses your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone linked to sleep. Cutting back on bright lights and avoiding devices at least an hour before bed can tell your body it’s time to wind down, and sleeping in a dark room promotes better rest.
Invest in the Right Mattress
Your mattress plays a major role in your comfort through the night, so making sure it fits your needs is an important step toward getting better rest. Take control of your comfort with a quality mattress such as Naturepedic’s EOS (Ergonomic Organic Sleep) mattress, which is handcrafted and made without polyurethane foam, formaldehyde, flame retardants or fiberglass. The breathable layers of certified organic cotton, wool and GOTS-approved latex ensure better temperature regulation while naturally contouring the body. An added feature is the ability to customize each side of the bed by opening the zippers and adjusting the layered components for the perfect comfort combination.
Find the Right Sheets
Sheets that are too stiff, scratchy or otherwise unpleasant make it nearly impossible to settle in for a good night’s rest. Higher thread counts tend to be softer, higher quality sheets. However, you may need to experiment to find which material suits you best.
Set a Comfortable Temperature
When you’re too hot or cold, your mind tends to focus on those sensations rather than allowing you to slip into a slumber. Set your thermostat at a comfortable temperature, adding fans or adjusting the layers of bedding as necessary to achieve the perfect level of cozy comfort.
Use a Sound Machine
If you’re a light sleeper, noise can wreak havoc on your rest. Many people find sound machines offer two key benefits: They provide a soothing sound, such as rain or ocean waves, that allows you to relax and ease into slumber and constant background noise, so additional sounds are less disruptive.
Find more solutions for achieving better sleep at Naturepedic.com.
NewsMakers
What you should know about IBD
Two common conditions are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They’re often confused for one another, but these are actually two different GI disorders.

It may not be something you like to talk about, but if you have gastrointestinal (GI) problems, your symptoms may be far more common than you think. According to data from the American Gastroenterological Association, 60-70 million people living in the United States have gut health concerns.
Two common conditions are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They’re often confused for one another, but these are actually two different GI disorders.
IBS is a syndrome; it is defined by a group of symptoms, does not cause inflammation and rarely requires hospitalization or surgery. IBD, on the other hand, is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that cause chronic inflammation of your GI tract.
The disease is more common than you may realize; a study led by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation found nearly 1 in 100 people living in the U.S. have IBD. The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Understanding IBD Symptoms
Because it poses serious health risks and can cause permanent damage to your intestines, it’s important to be aware of what IBD is and recognize the symptoms. Your primary care doctor or gastroenterologist can help if you have concerns about these symptoms:
- Intense, crampy pain that doesn’t go away in a day or two or has been present on and off for weeks or longer
- A notable change in bowel movement frequency, whether more or less often
- Frequent diarrhea over several weeks, or loose stools multiple times a day
- Frequent constipation, or constipation alternating with diarrhea
- Urgency on a regular basis or inability to hold back the bowel movement before reaching the bathroom
- Blood with bowel movements
- Mucus in your stool regularly or paired with pain or other symptoms
- Always feeling as though you aren’t fully emptying your bowels
Other symptoms that may have a variety of causes but need extra attention especially if you notice them along with any of the symptoms above include pain outside of the gut, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. In addition, children with IBD may have delays in growth and the onset of puberty.
Diagnosing IBD
No single test can confirm a Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis diagnosis. Your medical history and information obtained from diagnostic testing can exclude other potential causes of your symptoms, since gastrointestinal symptoms are common and can have a variety of causes.
Your first tests will likely include blood and stool laboratory tests. Further testing could include imaging studies of your gastrointestinal tract or a look inside your GI tract through an endoscope.
Identifying Treatment Options
Once an IBD diagnosis is confirmed, you can partner with your doctor to manage your disease. Treatment plans are highly personalized, as what works for one person may not for another. Medication and managing your diet and nutrition are two common treatment recommendations. In some cases, surgery can help improve your quality of life.
Clinical trials may also be an option for treating your IBD. Through clinical trials, researchers find new ways to improve treatments and quality of life. In fact, clinical trials represent the final stages of a long and careful research process to make new and improved treatment options for patients available.
However, an important part of clinical trials for IBD is patient participation. Without the enrollment of patients in clinical trials, new treatment options for IBD can be delayed or never become available.
Equally important to this process is having a diverse representation of patients that considers race, age or other categories. This helps researchers develop treatments that meet the needs of a vast IBD patient community.
If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, ask your doctor to help you find a trial that is right for you, and visit crohnscolitisfoundation.org to learn more about IBD and treatment options, including clinical trials.
NewsMakers
Unlocking the science of sleep: How rest enhances language learning
Getting eight hours of sleep every night helps the brain to store and learn a new language.

Sleep is critical for all sorts of reasons, but a team of international scientists has discovered a new incentive for getting eight hours of sleep every night: it helps the brain to store and learn a new language.
A study led by the University of South Australia (UniSA) and published in the Journal of Neuroscience has revealed that the coordination of two electrical events in the sleeping brain significantly improves our ability to remember new words and complex grammatical rules.
In an experiment with 35 native English-speaking adults, researchers tracked the brain activity of participants learning a miniature language called Mini Pinyin that is based on Mandarin but with similar grammatical rules to English.
Half of the participants learned Mini Pinyin in the morning and then returned in the evening to have their memory tested. The other half learned Mini Pinyin in the evening and then slept in the laboratory overnight while their brain activity was recorded. Researchers tested their progress in the morning.
Those who slept performed significantly better compared to those who remained awake.
Lead researcher Dr Zachariah Cross, who did his PhD at UniSA but is now based at Northwestern University in Chicago, says sleep-based improvements were linked to the coupling of slow oscillations and sleep spindles – brainwave patterns that synchronise during NREM sleep.
“This coupling likely reflects the transfer of learned information from the hippocampus to the cortex, enhancing long-term memory storage,” Dr Cross says.
“Post-sleep neural activity showed unique patterns of theta oscillations associated with cognitive control and memory consolidation, suggesting a strong link between sleep-induced brainwave co-ordination and learning outcomes.”
UniSA researcher Dr Scott Coussens says the study underscores the importance of sleep in learning complex linguistic rules.
“By demonstrating how specific neural processes during sleep support memory consolidation, we provide a new perspective on how sleep disruption impacts language learning,” Dr Coussens says. “Sleep is not just restful; it’s an active, transformative state for the brain.”
The findings could also potentially inform treatments for individuals with language-related impairments, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and aphasia, who experience greater sleep disturbances than other adults.
Research on both animals and humans shows that slow oscillations improve neural plasticity – the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to experiences and injury.
“From this perspective, slow oscillations could be increased via methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation to accelerate aphasia-based speech and language therapy,” Dr Cross says.
In future, the researchers plan to explore how sleep and wake dynamics influence the learning of other complex cognitive tasks.
“Understanding how the brain works during sleep has implications beyond language learning. It could revolutionize how we approach education, rehabilitation, and cognitive training.”
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