Benefits Of Wearing a Weighted Eye Mask You Never Even Dreamed Of!
Ever heard of a sleep accessory that feels like a warm, comforting hug for your eyes? A weighted eye mask is a simple addition to your sleep routine that can make a big difference – sweet dreams might be just a mask away!
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Weighted eye masks create a cocoon of dreamy darkness, naturally promoting the production of melatonin for a restorative sleep cycle.
A gentle, consistent pressure over your eyes, is known to help reduce anxiety, tension, and even migraines.
Weighted eye masks are not just for sleep – they can protect the delicate skin around your eyes and also function as a trusty travel companion against jet lag.
Did you know?
Eye masks aren't just for a good night's sleep – in the Victorian era, sleep covers for your eyes were made of silk, satin, and lace, and were considered fashionable accessories by ladies of high society!
The world of sleep accessories has seen remarkable innovations – one of these being a weighted eye mask. Much more than a fashion statement, these sleep aids are revolutionizing bedtime rituals. Let’s delve into the restorative benefits of using eye weights while you are sleeping.
What is a Weighted Eye Mask?
A weighted eye mask is an eye mask that is filled with beads or grains to give it a gentle heft. Sometimes also called weighted eye pillows, these products are designed to rest softly against your eyes, providing a subtle yet consistent and relaxing pressure.
Benefits of Weighted Eye Masks
While more research needs to be done to scientifically prove the benefits of weighted sleep therapy, anecdotal evidence indicates that using aids such as weighted blankets or weighted eye masks helps people feel more relaxed and get more restorative sleep.
Let’s take a closer look at the various benefits of wearing a weighted eye mask to bed.
Block Out Light While Sleeping
Have you ever wondered why we sleep better when our surroundings are pitch dark? Research proves this allows the pineal gland in your brain to produce more melatonin (the sleep hormone). This, in turn, helps keep your body’s circadian rhythm in sync, setting you up for maximum productivity and minimum fatigue when you are awake.
Exposure to light in the evening hours before sleep can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm, leading to a restless night. Having an eye patch for sleeping at night helps block out artificial and natural light, resulting in better quality rest.
Increased REM Sleep
Research shows that in addition to elevating melatonin levels, sleep masks can increase REM sleep and result in shortened REM latency. Put simply, this means you fall asleep and reach your deep sleep stage faster.
REM is also the stage in your sleep where most of your dreaming takes place, accounting for about 25% of your sleep time. REM sleep is crucial for a restorative night’s rest. If you often wake up feeling groggy and fatigued, it could be that you are not getting enough of recharging sleep stage. One way to remedy a shortage of REM sleep is to try wearing a weighted eye mask and see if this helps you get a better night’s rest.
Reduced Headaches and Migraines
Another way weighted eye masks can benefit your wellbeing is by helping alleviate headaches or migraines bout 80 percent of people who struggle from migraines are sensitive to light – making the total darkness naturally created by wearing a weighted eye mask a helpful therapeutic tool.
More than blocking our light, weighted eye masks also massage the pressure points between your eyes and on your temples. To maximize this soothing effect, a cooled weighted sleep mask narrows the blood vessels and affects the circulation to the nerves in your brain associated with pain. So if you are regularly falling asleep with a headache, maybe it’s time to try out a cooled, weighted eye mask!
Restorative Rest with Deep Touch Pressure
Weighted eye masks improve sleep quality by harnessing the power of what’s called Deep Touch Pressure (DTP). When an even, gentle pressure is spread over your eyes, this helps melt away tension and eases you into a good night’s rest. Some experts suggest that weighted eye masks provide a similar relaxing effect to that of a weighted blanket, but on a smaller, more concentrated scale.
Helps Reduce Puffiness and Dry Eyes
Weighted eye masks help reduce puffiness and dark circles, the telltale sign that you were up all night!. As weighted eye masks apply physical pressure to the skin under your eyes this can remove excess fluids, as well as constricting blood vessels, to help lessen the appearance of puffiness and dark circles in the morning.
Protects Your Skin While You Sleep
When we toss and turn at night, we're also prone to rubbing the delicate skin around our eye against our pillows.earing a weighted eye mask acts as a protective barrier to avoid any skin damage from the friction
Your skin uses sleep as an opportunity to rejuvenate from the damage it has experienced during the day – that’s porbably why we often hear the phrase “getting your beauty sleep” is. Lack of sleep and high cortisol levels can interfere with healing, contribute to skin barrier disruption, and potentially result in acne breakouts.
Reduce Facial Wrinkles for Smoother Skin
Weighted face pillows can also help reduce the formation of wrinkles. Sleeping on your side or stomach for an extended period of time can result in creased skin, and elongated external pressure can result in facial wrinkles. Changing your natural sleeping position can be hard but wearing a weighted eye masks could be an alternative solution. The eye mask can provide a barrier between your face and your pillow, resulting in less friction on your skin. Be sure to choose an eye mask with a natural, silky fabric.
Improves Your Sleep While You Travel
No matter how much you plan or try to adjust to a new schedule while traveling, uninterrupted sleep is hard to come by on the go, especially if you are traveling to a different time zone. Travel across time zones frequently causes jet lag, disrupting your circadian rhythm.
Another eye pillow benefit is what a wonderful travel companion it makes! Beyond helping you adjust after jet lag, it’s easy to take along and can deliver on-demand stress-relief. Once you bring a weighted eye mask on vacation, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one!
The benefits of sleep masks are far and beyond, ranging from cosmetic benefits to helping with your restorative sleep by blocking out light and improving your physical and mental well-being in the process.
Finding the Right Sleep Mask
Whether you are a frequent traveler, a shift worker or someone who wants better rest, the right weighted sleep mask will definitely help increase the quality and quantity of your sleep. These are the three features we recommend you consider when you are shopping for a weighted eye mask:
Material: Choose a material that suits your lifestyle and health needs. The skin around your eyes is extremely sensitive, so make sure the eye mask does not irritate your skin. We recommend you find a fabric type that is soft and silky smooth to the touch.
Fill: The type of fill you choose impacts how the pressure on your eyes are evenly distributed, so you should make sure to consider the material used to fill the eye mask.
Weight: Most weighted eye masks are about 10 to 16 ounces. For optimal weight distribution, 400 grams or about 14 ounces is a smart choice. But, similar to when you’re choosing a weighted blanket, you may find you like a heavier weight, so best to test it out to determine the best fit for you.
Conclusion
If you’ve wondered whether eye pillows are good for you, now you know they do more than just block out light – they ease away your tensions, reduce anxiety, and even pamper your delicate skin. Whether you're a jet-setter, a night owl, or just someone craving better sleep, a weighted eye mask can be your secret weapon for supercharging your sleep.
