Do Eye Masks Help you Sleep? The Pros and Cons

Whether you’ve been struggling to get to sleep or have been waking up several times in the night, an eye mask might be able to help you. As well as falling into a deeper sleep, eye masks can keep you from waking up too early and help you drift off into a more relaxing slumber.

Still, many are skeptical as to the real benefits of eye masks, thinking that they’ll be more of a hindrance than a help. Here are some facts about how eye masks can help and how to find the right one for you.

Eye masks are great for blocking out any artificial light. Whether you sleep in an urban area or your children prefer to keep a light on at night, an eye mask can help you to block this out, fall into a deeper sleep and stay there.

Having a dark environment to sleep in is essential to sending the right messages to your brain. When we’re exposed to light, this suppresses our melatonin levels, a hormone that is essential for getting to sleep.

Any light that’s present in your environment, whether it be electronics, clocks or streetlights, can also prevent you from falling into a deeper level of sleep. Eye masks act as a shield against artificial light and ensure that your body clock is aligned with the rising and setting of the sun.

If you find that you need a completely dark environment to get to sleep, then it would be worth trying out an eye mask to see if it helps you sleep better. Wearing an eye mask as you sleep has also been linked in some cases to help those with eye conditions such as dry eyes or styes, although this is not medically proven.

If you’ve tried an eye mask already and found it uncomfortable to wear, then it might be worth investing in a slightly different design or type, as there are many out there that could be more suitable for you. Should you find that an eye mask isn’t helping with your sleep at all, consider other elements in your environment that are disturbing you, such as noise, your bed choice or even how warm your pajamas are.

There are a few elements that you need to consider when choosing an eye mask to sleep in:

• Shape: while you might think that all eye masks are flat, some are contoured to better fit the shape of your face and provide you with better light blocking.

• Size: when selecting an eye mask, make sure that you try them on or look at the specifications to make sure that it will cover the whole of your eyes and not let any light seep in.

• Material: from satin to cotton, choosing the right material will make sure your eyes feel comfortable and don’t get irritated while you move in your sleep.

• Weight: just like weighted blankets, there’s the option of weighted eye masks too. Designed to give you extra reassurance as you sleep, there are also lighter versions for people who move around a lot as they dream.

• Temperature: if you suffer from dry eyes and want to give them some extra soothing while you sleep, then choosing a gel compress or eye mask that can be heated up in the microwave or chilled in the freezer will give you extra comfort as you drift off to sleep.

Ultimately, finding the best eye mask is a case of trying on different sizes, shapes and materials until you find the more comfortable option for you. Explore our collection of luxury eye masks here.