If you’re like me, the last two weeks have been exhausting. From late nights watching the World Series to election coverage nail biters, the bags under my eyes have reached a whole new level. Though these events serve as a nice excuse for the situation under my eyes, if I am being honest I have puffy eyes more often than not. As much as I would like to blame it on an exciting social life, I finally decided it to look into what really causes those bags and what to do to keep your honest coworker from saying, “You look…tired… today.”

What causes bags under your eyes?

Under eye bags are caused by bulging of the fat pads that surround our eyes. These fat pockets are there to protect the bone and the structure of the face. According to the Mayo Clinic, as you age the tissue structures and muscles supporting your eyelids weaken, resulting in the skin starting to sag and those fat pockets moving below your eyes. Though this does have to do with age, as we know all too well sometimes 26 can feel like 56, and the following are factors that most commonly lead to an increase chance of swollenness in those fat pads:

• Changes in weather, like hot, humid days
• Eating salty foods (just like bloating around your stomach, your eyes bags can also bloat)
• Not getting enough sleep – when you’re sleep deprived, skin tissue can become drier and you can see through the skim more easily
• Allergies that cause inflammation and swelling
• Heredity – yep, you can blame this on your mom too.

What can be done to prevent under eye bags?

First, it is important to identify which of the above common factors is causing your condition. If your mom or dad have puffy eyes, sorry, but you’ll have to learn to live with it. Remember that most of the time no one else will notice and confidence is more important than anything. For the other causes, see below for some suggestions from All About Vision to give you a fresh, rejuvenated look:

• Drink a lot of water on hot days to avoid dehydration
• Reduce the amount of salt in your diet, and eat potassium-rich foods to eliminate excess fluids in your body
• Get plenty of sleep and rest – create a goal to turn off your mobile device and relax before bed to make the most of your sleep
• Use eye drops to minimize irritation from allergies

How to manage and minimize bags?

We all know that sometimes getting enough sleep, no matter how bad we want it, is just not possible. In that case, try these classic and fun tips to look thirty, flirty and thriving:

• Put cucumber slices or chilled tea bags over your eyes, or use cute gel eye masks
• Splash cold water on your face
• Apply an ice pack under your eyes (also good when swollen eyes come from a good cry)
• Use anti-aging cream to keep your under eyes hydrated

Though I really don’t like looking exhausted with puffy eyes, I am looking forward to having an excuse to pamper myself with some relaxation time. It hasn’t been tested yet, but I’m going to bet having someone feeding you grapes while putting cucumber slices on your eyes would expedite the soothing process. Keep me updated if you find anyone to fill that need!