Three hours of sleep because someone had nightmares, then teething, then decided 4 AM was party time. Now you’ve got to show up somewhere looking like a functioning adult instead of a zombie who survives on coffee and determination.

Here’s what helps when you need to look awake but feel like you got hit by a truck.

Sleep deprivation hits your face harder than you’d expect. Not just dark circles—your whole face swells differently when you’re exhausted. Blood circulation slows down, lymphatic drainage gets sluggish, and stress hormones make everything worse.

Add dehydration from forgetting to drink water, and whatever stress-eating happens at night. Your face basically becomes a map of every terrible night you’ve had lately.

The puffy eyes thing is not just about being tired. It’s fluid retention, inflammation from stress, and your body basically giving up on normal functions. Makes sense when you think about what we put ourselves through. Those “get eight hours of sleep” beauty tips? Completely useless for anyone with small children.

Cold water on your face for 30 seconds genuinely helps. Not just splashing—hold your face under cold running water until it feels uncomfortable.

This triggers something called the diving response. Your blood vessels constrict, which reduces puffiness and makes you look more awake almost immediately. Plus the shock wakes up your nervous system. Follow up by pressing a cold, damp washcloth over your closed eyes for another minute.

Usually skeptical about beauty gadgets, but some tools work when you’re desperate. Tools like help move stuck fluid around your face, which reduces that bloated morning look.

The technique involves scraping a smooth stone tool across your skin to promote lymphatic drainage. Do this on damp skin or with a little oil. Start at your jawline and scrape upward toward your ears. Then from the center of your face outward. Takes maybe three minutes and makes a noticeable difference in how defined your features look.

When you have literally five minutes to look human before leaving the house:

Whole face puffiness needs a different approach than just tired eyes. The key to involves understanding what causes facial swelling and inflammation in the first place.

Sleep position matters more than you’d think. Sleeping flat makes fluid pool in your face overnight. Try propping up with an extra pillow, even if it feels weird at first.

Salt intake affects facial puffiness big time. That late-night sleeve of crackers or takeout dinner shows up on your face the next morning. Not saying avoid all salt, but notice the connection.

Hydration helps counterintuitively. When you’re dehydrated, your body holds onto whatever water it can find, including in your face. Drinking more water helps flush everything out.

Green tea bags pressed on closed eyes for five minutes reduce puffiness better than cucumber slices. The caffeine constricts blood vessels while the cool temperature reduces swelling.

Some foods make tired faces look worse.

Few things help prevent looking completely destroyed, even when sleep stays impossible.

Silk pillowcases sound fancy but they’re worth it. Less friction means less morning puffiness and your hair won’t look like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket.

Rub your face for a couple minutes before bed. Doesn’t matter what you use—leftover moisturizer, whatever oil is handy. Just move everything upward from the middle of your face out toward your ears.

Your face might look decent but the rest of you is screaming “help me.” Here are some tricks for when everything else is falling apart.

Hair looks like you stuck your finger in a light socket? Dry shampoo at the roots, scrunch it around, then twist everything back into a messy bun. Looks intentional instead of “haven’t showered since Tuesday.” Don’t have dry shampoo? Baby powder works if you really work it in—learned this during a particularly rough week.

Dark clothes hide everything. Stains, wrinkles, general disaster evidence. Patterns are even better because they camouflage whatever happened between getting dressed and leaving the house. Keep one clean, wrinkle-free shirt hidden somewhere for true emergencies.

Talk slower when you’re exhausted. Fast, high-pitched chatter makes you sound unhinged. Taking a second before answering makes you seem more together, even when your brain feels like scrambled eggs.

Fix one tiny thing before going anywhere. Smooth your hair, put on lip balm, tuck in your shirt. Something small that makes you feel slightly more human. Changes how you move through the world, and people pick up on that energy way more than whether you look tired.

Sometimes you’ll look like hell no matter what you try. Happens to everyone.

Sunglasses are still the MVP tired-mom accessory. Cover everything while looking vaguely put-together.

Confidence matters more than perfect skin. People notice how you carry yourself more than whether you have slight puffiness around your eyes.