Quality sleep is essential for good health. Poor sleep patterns can affect your brain function, mental health, immune function and metabolism. Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of chronic health problems including high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Sleeping helps us to repair and restore our bodies and our brains which will help us to function during the daytime.
When people are suffering from poor sleep, they turn to several sleep aids such as white noise machines, weighted blankets, medication and sleep masks. Sleep masks do not just block out unwanted light, but they are also a natural way to enhance the quality of sleep.
Light plays an important role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle. Darkness prompts the pineal gland to produce melatonin, which is the hormone responsible for sleep, when exposed to light the brain sends a message to influence wakefulness.
What are the Benefits of using a Sleep Mask?
Prevents frequent awakenings, sleep masks provide a consistent environment of darkness which will help to maintain sleep throughout the night.
Sleep masks can reduce Sleep Onset Latency. This is the time it takes to transition from awake to asleep. Many studies have shown that using a sleep mask can help you to fall asleep faster because reduced light exposure is unable to signal the brain to wake.
Sleep masks can help to boost the production of melatonin. By blocking out the light, sleep masks enhance the production of melatonin which leads to better sleep quality.
By protecting the eyes from light sources REM sleep can be enhanced.
How to choose the right sleep mask?
- Choose a sleep mask made from a nontoxic material. Silk is the ideal fabric as silk is comfortable on the skin and will allow your skin to breathe.
- Make sure that the mask fits comfortably and is not too tight.
- Make sure that the mask will block out all the light.