Why Do I Always Wake Up With Puffy Eyes?

Question:

Every morning I wake up with extremely puffy and droopy eyelids. lf I sleep for more than six hours they are even worse. In addition, the delicate skin around my eye sockets is becoming darker. Is this due to my diet, to stress, or to other lifestyle factors? Sometimes my ankles swell, too. My GP says there is nothing wrong. Please help.

Answer:

This condition is actually a case of the body trying to help itself. To me, the morning puffiness around your eyes and swelling round your ankles suggests that your kidneys are not working as well as they should be. The kidneys have many vital functions, and it is important to heed these signposts of possible ill health.

Here is a summary of what the kidneys do. They regulate the volume and pressure of blood and the concentration of electrolytes (ions), including sodium, potassium and chloride, and the level of calcium in the blood. They also stabilise the pH (acidity) level of blood, conserve valuable nutrients such as glucose, protein and vitamins, and eliminate poisonous nitrogenous wastes instantly, via urea and uric acid. Your kidneys also assist your liver in ridding the system of any toxic chemicals.

When your kidneys don't function properly, the filtration of water carrying waste products from the blood to urine is affected. This results in flooding, which shows up as puffiness in the ankles, eyes, face and fingers. The process goes like this: your cells are tightly packed together in a liquid called extra-cellular fluid, which supplies them with nutrients. It also acts as a rubbish collector, constantly removing waste and toxins from your cells to eliminate them, principally through the kidneys (urine) and also the skin (sweat" sebum or fat excreta), nose or mouth (mucus). It's a very important role, preventing serious problems in which the cells get polluted, poisoned or even die as a result. The same Process is performed for your blood supply by the liver and the gut.

When blood pressure is normal, the filtration power of the kidneys is normal, too. At night, when the circulation is generally sluggish - as your blood  pressure drops and heart-rate is low - the filtration rate also drops and causes the eyes, face and ankles to swell. So in the morning these areas tend to be puff, but when you get up and move around, the circulation improves, the filtration areas tend to be puff, but when You get up and move around, the circulation improves, the filtration becomes better, and the swelling goes down. However, if the kidneys are affected the situation will be worse. In moderate kidney malfunction, only the eyes are puff, but in severe conditions the whole face and the ankles swell. Swelling in the ankles may only indicate problems with blood circulation caused by varicose veins or minor clots in veins, which restrict the passage of blood upwards towards the heart, leading to flooding and swelling.

Dark circles around the eyes are not caused by kidney malfunction - they are due to stress, insomnia or deficiency of vitamins and minerals.

Here are some tips to improve kidney function
Deit
* Drink one glass of fresh honeydew melon juice a day for two months; or eat a slice of melon or juice fresh carrots and celery, preferably organic, and drink one glass every other day for two to three months to cleanse the system.
* Too much protein gives the kidneys more work to do because they have to excrete the by-products of protein metabolism. So eat it sparingly, choosing from fish of any organic eggs and organic chicken or meat, once a week. The less protein you eat the better, but do not cut it out altogether, as some protein is essential.
* Avoid red meat, shell fish, bacon, fried food ‘crisps' rich curries, cheese, mushrooms, excess sugar and sweet foods, excess salt, coffee, processed foods and anything with preservatives. These can all strain the kidneys.
* Drink only two to four units of alcohol a week.

Remedies
* Gokhru tea: two cups daily to help flush the kidneys.
* Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement for two months, such as my one-a-day (Integrated Health Group,) or Biocare One-a-Day multivitamins and minerals.
* Massage Saffron Youth Dew Cream around the eye bones for one month.

Therapy
* Acupuncture is very beneficial for this type of water retention.

Sleep
* It's very important to get a good nights sleep, particularly if you have dark circles under Your eyes. If you have problems sleeping take one tablet at bedtime of Calm Down capsules or Mentat tablets for one month.