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    Best Sleep Masks

    We tried a weighted sleep mask, the popular Lunya and Slip masks, and others to find out which eye mask is best for sleeping

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    from top: Mzoo Sleep Mask, Slip Sleep Mask, Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask
    The best sleeping masks fit comfortably, block out all light, and won't slip off while you sleep.
    Graphic: Consumer Reports, Getty Images, Manufacturers

    If you’re having trouble sleeping, a sleep mask is one of the most cost-effective and safe ways to improve your chances of falling and staying asleep. Even small sources of light, such as from car headlights or a computer screen, can impact your sleep quality, so finding ways to block out that light may have a significant effect on your ability to get a good night’s rest.

    Darkness is incredibly important to getting a healthy night’s sleep, according to Molly Atwood, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine whose research focuses on sleep. That’s because our circadian rhythm, which acts as an internal sleep clock, is regulated by the cycle of darkness and light that we experience every 24 hours.

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    Best Products to Help You Sleep

    “So if it’s light [at night], our brain doesn’t get that message that it’s time to sleep,” she says. “Whether it’s coming from outside or there’s some kind of blue or white light from electronics in your bedroom, sleep masks could be helpful for making sure that your brain is not getting any light signals at night.”

    Of course, you wear a sleep mask only while you’re about to actually go to sleep, so any bright blue or white light exposure in the hours before bedtime could still cause sleep issues. (This is why doctors recommend putting down the phone a couple of hours before going to bed.)

    While you could certainly tie a bandana around your eyes every evening, a sleep mask is better suited to the task. But getting the right one is crucial. A bad sleep mask can put uncomfortable pressure on your eyes, fail at blocking out the light, and slip off during the night. A good one, on the other hand, can become part of a comforting nightly ritual, play a significant part in transforming your sleep quality, and help you feel more energized day to day. 

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    Angela Lashbrook

    Angela Lashbrook is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She has been with CR since 2021 and covers a wide range of topics, but she is particularly interested in anything health- or parenting-related. She lives with her husband, their son, and her dog, a Libra named Gordo.