What is a Sleep Mask?

Sleep masks also known as eye masks are a natural and affordable way to help us get to sleep faster. Normally, they are made from fabric that is meant to cover both eyes thus keeping all form of light away from your eyes and creating pure darkness.

Eye masks have an elastic strap that comfortably holds the eye mask to the face while unblocking unwanted light from your eyes.

How Can A Sleep Mask Help You With Sleep?

Sleep masks are some of the best tools that you can use to overcome sleep problems while getting restful sleep.

Benefits of Sleep Masks

Cheap

Sleep masks cost less than blackout curtains. Sleep researchers all agree that the darker your room is, the greater your chance of getting better sleep. Without sleep masks, the next better alternative is blackout curtains which is an expensive investment especially when you have large windows in your home. Sleep masks are therefore not only a convenient alternative but also an affordable one. A blackout sleep mask will block out daylight (if you sleep during the day), as well as ambient light during the night.

Better Sleep Quality

The reason why sleep specialists encourage people to use sleep masks to induce darkness is that human beings are naturally diurnal creatures. This means that naturally, human beings are awake during the day and asleep during the night. Our brains are designed to associate darkness with sleep. In fact, our brains produce a hormone known as melatonin when it is dark.

Melatonin controls our wake and sleep cycles.

Scientists have also found out that darkness is associated with reduced wakefulness as well as increased time in REM sleep. This means that humans are more likely to sleep deeply through the night. These benefits have manifested with dark rooms as well as sleep masks.

Help Manage Insomnia

Due to the fact that our brains associate sleep with darkness, a sleep mask can be used to reduce the excitement, anxiety, and stress of our immediate surroundings. With a sleep mask, it is impossible for you to keep looking at any distractions that might be in your room, for instance, your alarm clock.

Safer To Use than Alcohol or Medication

A lot of people who have trouble sleeping self-medicate using either sleeping pills or alcohol. However, you need to be aware that any pharmaceutical assistance comes with side-effects and can be habit-forming. In addition, there’s also a big chance that there’s a real risk that a person might overdose. Alcohol is known to disrupt sleep cycles in addition to having a negative impact on a person’s quality of rest.

Due to the fact that sleep masks trick your brain by inducing darkness without the use of any chemicals, they are low-risk yet just as effective.

Prevent Dry Eyes

If by any chance you happen to centrally cool or heat your home, dry air is blowing on you and filling your room as you sleep. In fact, there is a big chance, that it will stir up pet hair and dust that you did not notice was lying around.

When you use a sleep mask, you have a protective barrier for your eyes that prevents the dry air from your HVAC from reaching them.

Sleep masks offer great relief to people who have nocturnal lagophthalmos. This refers to one’s inability to close their eyes while they sleep.

Human eyes need the lubrication and protection that is offered by eyelids. People who are not able to close their eyes all the way while they sleep end up with extremely dry eyes which may result in permanent damage.

Sleep masks help reduce the suffering of nocturnal lagophthalmos by creating a closed-off environment. If you happen to suffer from this condition, it is recommended that you do not choose breathable sleep masks.

Instead, you should consult with your doctor and get a sealed sleep mask that is designed to deal with eye hydration.

Good For Your Skin

You may never have thought about this but impressions on your pillow can result in the wrinkled skin over time. Actually, if you sleep on your stomach or on your side, any rubbing on your pillowcase as well as any exerted pressure might lead to the breakdown of collagen, meaning you would end up with crow’s feet.

There are a couple of remedies for this:

ou can try learning how to sleep on your back
Get a sleep mask for your delicate’s skin protection

A sleep mask protects you from sleep lines that might have formed on your pillow or pillowcase hence reducing the rate of collagen breakdown on your skin.

Perhaps your immediate concern is not wrinkles but instead acne. Consistently using a sleep mask might result in a breakout. To prevent your acne from breaking out, you should get a sleep mask that is made from breathable and organic materials such as silk or cotton.

In addition, you should make a point of washing it without a fabric softener and a scent-free detergent.

The three most important things when it comes to finding a sleep mask are:

Fabric that is, it should be made from breathable material preferably 100% natural
Darkness – it should cause as much darkness as blackout curtains as this results in better sleep quality
Fit – A fitting sleep mask will not be so loose as to slip off while you sleep or so tight as to cause irritation

Where To Find The Best CPAP Sleep Mask

You can find the best CPAP masks with a simple search online.

There are different types of CPAP sleep masks. They include:

Nasal Masks
Nasal pillow masks also known as nasal cushions
Full-face masks that cover your entire face

If you would like to consult on your CPAP facemasks, you can reach out to Virtuox to find out the best CPAP sleep mask for you.

If you want to know more about how you can clean your CPAP sleep mask see our products page.