Too much television, computer, reading, dry weather, lack of sleep or a hangover are few of the reasons you could wake up with bloodshot eyes.

Splashing cold water in your eyes directly helps a lot. Use an eye cup or cup your hand and keep blinking in the water. Now immediately use warm water and do the same. Keep alternating between hot and cold water for a few more times.

If you wear contact lenses, give your eyes some rest for the day. Even if you have the best contact lenses, which allow the eyes to get enough oxygen, it is still not the same as having nothing on and letting your eyes breathe freely. Wear your spectacles for that day and keep splashing your eyes with cold and hot water through out the day.

If you have the time, freeze some used tea bags, lie down, shut your eyes and use the tea bags as eye pads. Stay still for about 15 minutes. Tea has a lot of natural anti oxidant qualities and helps soothe red eyes.

Alternately, try cutting cucumber slices and use in the same way as tea bags. If you have rose water at home, soak some cotton in it and put in the freezer and use these as eye pads. Rose water is calming and soothing and will also help puffy eyes. If you are in office and any of the above luxuries are not possible, take some ice in some tissue paper and cold compress your eyes. Keep rolling the ice over eyes, stay still for a few seconds and roll again.

Try getting your hands on some over the counter eye drops which can help soothe the redness.

If your red eyes are the result of a hangover, along with the strong coffee, make sure to drink lots of water. Alcohol has already dehydrated you and the coffee is going to make it worse. So go ahead and drink the morning after! But a different kind of a drink and that is water, about 2 to 3 liters is what you will need.

If it’s the dry weather that’s causing the redness, use some lubricating eye drops and cover your eyes with protective eye gear like sunglasses, if it is evening try wearing some which are lightly tinted. If you wear contact lenses, make sure the lubricating eye drops are safe to be used with contact lenses.

If all of the above don’t help you, go see your doctor and seek some medical advice.