How can I prevent my face from getting swollen during sleep?

Sleep standing up. Seriously, this would work.

The more helpful answer?

You are experiencing mild edema. Don’t panic. It’s common and only a a major health threat if it causes hypertension.

Our bodies naturally collect fluid between our cells. Our bodies usually regulate this by bodily movement. Obviously less of this is going on as we sleep.

The fluid is there to dilute and ultimately expel toxins, allergens and excess sodium.

The easiest way to control this effect is by lowering your salt intake. There is a very direct connection between bloating and sodium levels.

Get an allergy test. Many people have mild food allergies and don’t even know it.

Drink more water and take up an exercise that sweats it out. This helps flush your body of the offenders I mentioned above.

@SecondHandStoke Touches on a real possibility that you have have an allergy to something in your bed. If you don’t have one invest in an allergen pillow cover. Also you could eat a stalk of celery before bed time as it is a very effective diuretic…but be forewarned it may make you have to pee during the night. The obvious answer though is to consult your physician on this.

I swell up when I don’t drink enough fluids and eat salty food. Alcohol is a real culprit too. On my child-free weekends, a wine or two extra, watching a movie at night and I wake up looking puffy. Eating a single celery stalk will not help. Celery actually contains sodium and water. I think what @Cruiser was referring to was the idea that celery seed or celery seed oil is marketed for fluid retention. The seeds have been used as a diuretic for centuries. There are no modern studies showing scientific proof, though. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/celery-seed
Coffee, on the other hand, is a well researched and proven diuretic and starting your day with a good strong cup is healthy on all sorts of levels.
Have you started eating or drinking something new? Changed your routine in some way?

@cazzie Actually what I was referring to is celery and specifically celery stalk. Eat a couple and you will see for yourself it will make you pee…A LOT!

Diuretic foods can include the following: beverages containing caffeine and alcohol, which have a diuretic effect, and several other foods including celery, onion, eggplant, asparagus and watermelon are said to have a diuretic effect. In addition, the herbs hawthorn, corn silk, and parsley are used as diuretics in natural medicine. Of these, hawthorn, (crataegus oxycanthus) is the most powerful. ”

Plus celery at 30 mg of sodium per stalk is not considered a high sodium food and in light that it will hardly be the culprit to push you past the RDA of sodium 2,300 mg per day.

When I was a teen it happened to me all the time for a few years, and then it stopped. For the life of me all the usual explanations don’t make sense, because it’s not like I started eating better when it stopped, and underlying health reasons that can cause edema would have killed me by now.

Still, I agree with the basic suggestion that high salt intake can cause you to wake up swollen.

Scarier reasons for being swollen would likely keep you swollen ongoing, not just in the morning.

I frequently use OTC diuretics (Panabrom).

Over the counter ones are not very powerful. A pharmacist told me to take over the recommended dose. (With care, this includes drinking much water, witch actually is the best diuretic there is). One must also be careful to not allow their electrolyte balance to be upset. Drink Gatorade at least. A potassium supplement will help with balance and has a diuretic effect itself.

Know that extreme water consumption is dangerous. It can lower your potassium level to the point your heart will stop.

If you are taking a diuretic regularly, eat half a banana a day and take some multi B vitamins. My grandfather and my mother both had issues and these two things kept them going.