The role of eye masks in sleep routines

Tired of tossing and turning at night? Or unable to fall asleep as quickly as you’d like to? Well, there could be a couple of reasons disturbing your sleep cycle, but we know just the thing to help you. The secret to a better night’s sleep might just be eye masks - darker nights leading to brighter mornings!

People go to great lengths to get the most out of their beauty sleep, and sleep masks are just the first step. They’re more than just a fashion statement and have a load of benefits if used properly. Their main aim is to block any ambient light in your room, so as to help you sleep better. Read on to know how that works.

You might've heard the term circadian rhythm being thrown around when people talk about their sleeping schedules, but what actually is that? Think about it as your internal body clock. There are a variety of factors that affect the circadian rhythm, which in turn affect what time we sleep and wake up. One of the influencing factors is the amount of light in our surroundings.

When there is light coming in from different sources, our circadian rhythm takes it as a signal to keep the body awake. This leads to the suppression of melatonin - the sleep inducing hormone.
When it’s dark, the body produces more melatonin and gets us feeling sleepy and ready for bed. This is exactly why we’re told to stay away from gadgets and screen an hour before bed.

Now let’s get into the many benefits of using a night eye cover while sleeping

#1 Blocks distractions

Sleep masks are great in providing a disruption free sleeping environment, specially by blocking out light. They sit over our eyes and allow us total darkness even during the day time. The lack of light and other stimuli helps our mind get ready to sleep. If you’re someone who finds even the slightest of light a problem while sleeping, they’re a great option - and wayy cheaper than an alternative like blackout curtains.

Eye masks also act as a barrier between us and technology. Once we put on the eye masks, the compulsion to keep checking our phone is made harder, and this can go a long way in maintaining a proper sleep schedule.

#2 Less friction

Often using cotton sheets and pillow covers leads to dehydrated skin as the fabric absorbs moisture. The wear and tear against the fabric is also more, which may lead to wrinkles and collagen breakdown. Eye masks act as a protective layer between you and your pillow. Your skin is less to be disturbed with a softer fabric like silk.

Sleep masks also help reduce puffy eyes and dark circles. Getting a good night’s sleep is directly beneficial to combat puffiness and darkness. Some top of the line eye masks even have cooling gel as a lining in the mask to keep your eyes extra calm and relaxed while you sleep.

#3 Travel companion

If you’re constantly on the go, travelling for work or otherwise, chances are you can do with a little more sleep and rest. Whether it's in a bus, plane or a cab, eye masks are the perfect companion. They’re easy to carry and make the perfect sleep environment ready.

They’re handy to carry on a trip where you don’t know what the sleeping arrangement is. Rather than disrupt your sleep and make yourself cranky, it’s better to block out the light and screen to get a restful sleep.

While you’re shopping for an eye mask, be mindful about a couple of things. You might want to double check how it fits and what the material is. An ideal eye mask should block light from all angles, and adjust itself according to your face. It should also be made from a soft fabric and not be too tight.
Most eye masks are made of silk because of how smooth the fabric is. Silk eye masks additionally prevent the hair from getting too frizzy and don’t leave the face’s skin dehydrated overnight. Our recommendation is this Mulberry Silk Eye Mask, it’s breathable & travel-friendly, making it perfect for uninterrupted sleep!

Apart from this we have a few additional tips to help you get that beauty sleep going

• Keep the gadgets at bay: the thing that’s most responsible for disrupting your peaceful sleep is probably electronic devices - they’re known to emit blue light which is linked to suppressing melatonin in the body and keeping us awake.
  
  If you’re in the habit of checking all your social media or binge watching netflix before going to bed - it’s probably a good idea to stop. These activities keep our mind engaged and make it tough for us to fall asleep. To minimize all distractions, we recommended putting your phones and laptops away, an hour or two before going to bed.
• Aromatherapy: A common go-to for people who have trouble sleeping, aromatherapy has been used for years to help with relaxation. You can consider getting an oil diffuser and using essential oils like lavender or peppermint, which are known to calm the body and soothe the mind.
• Limit caffeine: While caffeine might help reduce our dark circles, it doesn’t do much to help us get a good night’s rest. Coffee, tea and other sources of caffeine can make it harder to fall asleep on time.
  Cutting back on caffeine or setting an early time for your last cup of coffee will help with this interference. You can also opt in for soothing non-caffeinated tea blends or warm milk before going to bed. These beverages soothe the body and promote deeper sleep.

Hope this helps and you’re able to get the most of your beauty sleep!