Most people who give up on a sleep mask do not give up because it failed to block the light at bedtime. They give up because of what happens at 3am. The mask has ridden up, light is coming in under the nose, the strap is pulling at their hair, or it simply feels like wearing something on their face. By morning it is on the pillow.
A good sleep mask is mostly about those hours, not the first five minutes. Five things decide it.
Where the light gets in
A flat mask lies across the face like a strip of fabric. It covers the eyes well enough, but where it crosses the bridge of the nose it lifts away, and that gap at the bottom edge is where morning light reaches you. It gets worse on your side, because the pillow pushes one edge of the mask up.
A mask with a contoured nose bridge follows the face there instead of bridging over it, so it closes the gap a flat mask leaves. If you wake to light, look at the bottom edge of the mask you have now before anything else.
Weight on the eyes
Some masks press directly on the eyelids. A little pressure can feel settling at first, but over a full night it becomes something you notice, and for many people it is the reason the mask comes off.
Look for a mask whose fill holds its weight around the eyes rather than on them. The Deep Rest Sleep Mask uses layered fill for this, so it rests on the face around the eyes with no pressure on the lids or lashes.
How it feels against the face
This is the part people underestimate. A sleep mask is the only thing you wear on your face for seven or eight hours, and if the fabric feels stiff or scratchy, you will take it off half asleep without ever deciding to. It should be soft enough that you stop noticing it.
We made the Deep Rest Sleep Mask to feel soft and enveloping, closer to a cloud around the eyes than a strip of fabric across them.
Cooling or warming
Temperature matters more than most people expect. A mask that feels warm on a summer night is the first thing you pull off, and a cool one can feel unwelcome in winter. One answer is to keep two masks. The other is a reversible one.
The Deep Rest Sleep Mask has a cooling side and a warming side. The cool side is a nylon and spandex shell, the warm side a polyester and spandex shell. Turn it over when the weather does.
A strap you can adjust in the dark
Buckles and hooks are hard to adjust by feel, and anything that tears open is loud at 3am. The strap should be something you can loosen or tighten with your eyes closed.
Ours holds to itself anywhere along its length, with no hooks and no buckles, so you can adjust it in the dark without waking the person next to you.
Frequently asked questions
Can side sleepers wear a sleep mask?
Yes, though the mask matters more for side sleepers, because the pillow presses against one edge. A contoured nose bridge helps it stay sealed. The Deep Rest Sleep Mask is made to hold its seal whether you sleep on your back or your side.
Should a sleep mask touch your eyes?
It should not rest its weight on them. A well made mask sits on the face around the eyes, so there is no pressure on the lids or lashes.
Is a cooling sleep mask better?
It depends on the season and on you. Warm sleepers often want a cool fabric most of the year, and many people want warmth in winter. A reversible mask lets you choose each night.
What is the Deep Rest Sleep Mask made of?
The cool side shell is 88.2% nylon and 11.8% spandex. The warm side shell is 90% polyester and 10% spandex. The fill is a silk blend layer, 10% silk and 90% polyester, plus a 100% polyester layer. It comes in Honeydew Green, a very pale apple green, in one size, and costs $38.