Keep your Eyes Happy and Healthy
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul but more often than not, they are not cared for as they should. Common problems include dark under eye circles or even worse, eye bags. Possible culprits include lack of sleep, genetics and bad lifestyle habits. These include staring at your smartphone, TV or computer for extended periods of time, leading to eye strain. Here are some tips to give your eyes some TLC.
- Get Adequate Sleep
Insufficient sleep can lead to poor blood circulation, causing bluish shadows to appear under your eyes. Getting enough sleep can help significantly with dark eye circles. The National Sleep Foundation in the United States recommends that adults have between 7-9 hours of sleep on a daily basis.
- Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Being outdoors can help with eye health as looking at greenery helps with the recovery from strain. In addition, being away from air-conditioning allows your eyes to regain their natural moisture. Best of all, exercising helps stimulate blood circulation and boosts the skin’s restorative process, brightening the eyes.
- Protect against UV damage
It is a universal truth that UV rays can be extremely harmful to skin. In the case of your eyes, they can cause pigmentation under the eyes. Be sure to protect your eyes by using suitable protection such as sunglasses and/ or a hat. Post sun activity, a cool eye compress also helps with blood circulation.
- Reduce screen time
During the day, many of us are fixated with our smartphones or computer screens, which in turn leads to strained eyes. Make a conscious effort to cut down on the time spent looking at a screen and set aside some time, ideally two hours on a daily basis to go device free. Instead of looking at your electronic device, listen to music, chat with your friends or read in a well-lit room.
- Eat right for eye health
Improve your eye health by introducing more superfoods into your diet. Superfoods is a general term for wonder foods that contain high levels of much-needed vitamins and minerals. Some popular ones include blueberries, grape seeds and marigold.
Blueberries contain the powerful antioxicant anthocyanin which protects eye capillaries, improves blood circulation and helps prevent eye disorders.
Grape seeds contain beneficial compounds such as proanthocyandin to protect against eye ageing, a-linolenic acid to reinforce eye nerve communication and finally, beta-carotene which transforms into Vitamin A within your body.
Not just a flower, marigold contains lutein which absorbs harmful UV rays to protect the retina and prevent eye diseases.
- Massage your eye area
A light massage with your fingertips around your eyes can help ease eye strain. To hasten the process, apply some eye cream or gel on the top and bottom of your eye area, gently smoothing it out from the inner to outer corners of your eyes.
With these easy solutions, taking care of your eyes is a breeze and if done consistently, you are well on your way to brighter, sparkling eyes.