Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My eyes feel as bad as they look. Just purple, black, red sometimes and I'm always sleepy, unexcited, etc. I'm not looking for answers from anyone, but just wondering if any Paleos out there have plump, full faces without puffy, dark eye bags and a look of exhaustion?

flag	asked Dec 8 2011 at 1:54 Henry S 1,221●4●14

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I think diet is important here but the highest priority for me is sleep. Overall stress levels matter too I'd say. After my first maybe six months of eating paleo all the time someone actually said to me, why don't you ever have bags under your eyes? That really made me smile. – ben61820 Dec 8 2011 at 2:25

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Look at the pics of AHS. Lots of paleos with nice eyes there. I think you are not getting enough sleep, have a cold, are stressed out, or have a nutritional deficiency or allergy. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 8 2011 at 3:02

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I actually think that bags under eyes has probably little to do with sleep -- and more to do with hormones & nutrition/allergy. – Patrik♦ Dec 8 2011 at 18:44

leaky capillaries... eat more salt/potassium – Edward J. Edmonds Dec 8 2011 at 22:13

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No, what the heck? Why would I have eye bags? Reading your answers, it sounds like you have pretty bad adrenal fatigue. Get some real salt and start adding lots of it to your food. I only had eye bags once, at the worst time of my life. At that time I was barely getting 4 hours of sleep a night, was extremely dehydrated, and was very malnourished because I kept vomiting for months. – a mesmerizing trickster Dec 8 2011 at 23:06

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Nance · Answer 1 · 2011-12-08 02:26:33Z UTC

Henry, I'm going to answer based on the assumption that you haven't been on this lifestyle too long. If that's incorrect, I apologize and you should clarify.

If you're still in the first 3 months, you are adjusting to a moderate-to-drastic change in what you're eating and we all vary in how we react. Some people feel fabulous a month in and others have to experiment to find the right version of ancestral eating.

My first thoughts:

this could be because you are not yet comfortably switching back and forth between burning what you just ate and releasing stored fat for burning; each morning, make sure you eat good fatty meat or whatever protein/fat combo you eat
How many carbs are you eating? If you went from SAD to very-low-carb, try adjusting to more and/or fewer carbs for a few days each and see what happens
Were you eating dairy before, and did you stop or continue? If you weren't and you started, you might be intolerant
Were you eating nuts before, and did you stop or continue? Same as dairy
Some people find they are accidentally getting gluten in seasonings, sauces or supplements.
Are you also breaking a caffeine habit? That alone might account for your fatigue and you might consider whether you want to stay off or have a cup in the morning while you adjust to all the other changes

Over the next month or two, you should feel much better but many people feel better within a month so something's not quite right for you yet.

Renee · Answer 2 · 2011-12-08 01:57:58Z UTC

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Do you have just the look of exhaustion, or are you actually exhausted? Sounds like the latter. How much sleep are you getting? I don't have eye bags, but I aim for 9 hours a night.

answered Dec 8 2011 at 1:57

Renee
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I sleep like 14 hours a day – Henry S Dec 8 2011 at 22:03

Paul Whiteley · Answer 3 · 2011-12-08 21:41:08Z UTC

Sleep might be one thing, but have you ever thought about sulphate (sulfate) issues? Some very interesting data quite a few years back coming out of autism and migraine research suggestive that low levels of circulating sulphate (and high urinary sulphate) might impair the ability to metabolise compounds like bilirubin and biliverdin: http://questioning-answers.blogspot.com/2011/03/forgotten-research-sulphation-and.html Just a thought.

MarcelaTizo · Answer 4 · 2011-12-08 09:23:11Z UTC

I had very dark circles under my eyes when my depression was in full swing and my cortisol levels where really high. Breathing exercises and daily meditation made it go away. I still get them from time to time, but I associate it with having a "restless mind / worried" sort of day.

g. · Answer 5 · 2011-12-08 05:21:56Z UTC

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hey charlie

no, my face is not puffy. my eyes are not purple, black or red; there are no 'bags'.

have you been tested for allergies?
sometimes allergies==> inflammation==> cytokines==> mental probs.

what ever happened with the adrenal stuff? do you still have a doctor? have you ever tried going to an acupuncturist? (yeah, i know...$$)

answered Dec 8 2011 at 5:21

g.
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	grenadine, who are you? Give me your email or something. – Henry S Dec 8 2011 at 19:54
	this here's all i've got for ya, dood. – g. Dec 9 2011 at 21:30
	^..hey charlie? Can you explain that please? bra!, though you may be a chick – Henry S Dec 10 2011 at 4:03
	(chick) i was just calling you out on being charlie. i always recognize your posts, even tho you get banned all the time and change your name. i joined paleohacks around same you did..well maybe you had already been posting under other names, i dunno. But i remember that question you posted - as charlie - about depression and soooo many ppl reached out to you - the compassion here @PH was impressive. Unfortch that hasn't helped you, and i honestly don't know what will. Like i said - imo, the next steps for you are allergy tests and/or acupuncture. And maybe the adrenals..? cont--> – g. Dec 10 2011 at 7:25
	but oh yeah, you aren't asking for advice. well, good luck anyway. it sucks to be tired and angry all the time. i hope you can find a way back to the light. – g. Dec 10 2011 at 7:26

Albert · Answer 6 · 2011-12-08 11:53:40Z UTC

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Same here -- paleo for 11 months, no bags and lots more energy than I used to have on SAD.

Hate to ask, but have you considered sleep apnea? Reason is you mention being constantly sleepy during the day. Sounds like you're not getting enough quality sleep.

answered Dec 8 2011 at 11:53

Albert
1,947●2●11

well, I feel like I get the best sleep in the afternoon with a 2-4 hour nap, and taht during night, I'm maybe not fully asleep, though I feel pretty knocked out at night though – Henry S Dec 8 2011 at 19:55

coprophagous · Answer 7 · 2011-12-09 01:32:08Z UTC

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i find that getting some natural sunshine reduces the dark eye circles. so far its the only thing i have done that gets visable results. im not going to speculate on the medical reason for why it works.

answered Dec 9 2011 at 1:32

coprophagous
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coffeeandcream · Answer 8 · 2011-12-09 10:08:38Z UTC

I have under eye bags AND very dark circles. I hate it. Sometimes it is so bad that people comment on it. Like last week my mother in law said to me: "Gosh, you look so tired" "No, that´s what you call getting old" I replied. "No, I mean around your eyes" she continued. "Exactly" I said. And there I had thought I had looked particularly good that day until she so tactfully pointed out that I did not. But I don´t blame her. Come January, people invariably think I am getting sick.

Tyler · Answer 9 · 2011-12-09 22:17:27Z UTC

Are you fatigued? Cortisol/hormonal issues? Do you have allergies?

Here's another shotgun approach: How's your vitamin intake? Vitamin D? Sunlight? Omega-3s? Also, try supplementing with K2 MK-4. Or eat lots of grass-fed butter or (I believe) pastured egg yolks.

Check this post: http://freetheanimal.com/2011/11/unifying-nutrition-osteoporosis-and-atherosclerosis-may-be-linked-vitamin-k2.html

And if you do do this, report back and let us know how it goes.

Best of luck.

Annabella · Answer 10 · 2011-12-10 21:57:49Z UTC

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My eyes tend to swell when I consumed salt or drank alcohol. When this is the case I drink extra water and green or nettle tea the next day. Dark circles are less visible when you have a tan.

answered Dec 10 2011 at 21:57

Annabella
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any Paleo’s out there that don’t have bags under their eyes?

10 Answers