Hi mike_sweden.
I used to have the issue all the time. I'm not sure how I specifically reduced it but here's my general notes:
This is what I do outside of the POIS days/week:
(1) Sleep quality:
- I need a good sleep of at least 7 to 8 hours;
- Eating a smaller dinner or eating an early dinner lets me sleep longer;
- Exercise during the day helps me sleep deeper and wake up with more energy. Must be at least 10 minutes of high intensity heart/cardio such as a jog or sprint or weights;
- I wear an eye mask all night to black out all light for the whole 8 hours;
(2) Food:
- I keep to a low-FODMAP diet including gluten free (as per my other post);
- In particular avoiding onions and high-fructose sugars has lessened puffiness & watery eyes in the mornings;
(3) Low dose caffeine
- Even though I'm highly sensitive to coffee, I still need low levels of caffeine to regulate my mental clarity for work.
- I've found that incrementally dosing on 70% dark chocolate works best. It's easy to monitor and carry around.
- (if interested, try 'Lindt Excellence' blocks. The one without milk. Ingredients are just cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla);
- My dose range is about 10-15 grams of this brand's chocolate. However I suspect everyone's different. I've had mixed results with other formulas of Lindt and other brands. Decaffeinated coffee also works well but its harder to manage the dosage.
(4) Heat/moisture
- I avoid washing my face, particularly eye areas, with hot water. Either very quick rinse or use cold water.
- In the mornings I apply an water based (and I think oil-free) moisturizer to my face including eye area.
All those points above are effective when not experiencing POIS.
So, if experiencing POIS... I usually wear sunglasses if I need to leave home (driving, walking outside). If meeting someone I'll try to pick a darker spot indoors like a cafe with low lighting. Or just go for a walk so we're not facing each other.
Also, while I haven't purposely tried it, I believe some relief can come from a glass of red wine. So maybe if you're talking at a dinner that might come in handy. But for early in the morning maybe try my incremental low-dose caffeine trick.
Hope that helps!
