Have you ever crawled into bed, ready to snuggle in for a good night’s sleep, but then the glare from your partner’s bedside lamp, or the streetlight outside your room, made it impossible? Yeah, me too.
I’ll be honest, if my husband’s light is on when I’m trying to go to bed, I struggle a bit to drift into sleep, but I also want him to have his reading time. This was actually really bad when I was pregnant, but for some reason, it never occurred to me to get a sleep mask (or ask him to turn the light off!)
About a year ago, I received a sleep mask to test out, but I wasn’t a fan of how it forced me to keep my eyes closed. Yes, I know that sounds strange, but because it was a flat mask, my eyes felt pinned in place. I thought maybe the sleep mask life just wasn’t for me.
I was willing to try again, though, when I received the Ostrichpillow Eye Mask. I immediately noticed its shape and was excited to try it out, but we’ll get there. First, let’s take a look at how light and sleep quality are related.
Ostrichpillow Eye Mask
Specifications
- Price: $45.
- Color options: Midnight grey, eclipse black, dark night.
- Weight: 1 oz.
- Features: Blink-friendly eye cups, adjustable strap, total blackout technology.
Pros
- Ergonomic design forms to face.
- Easy to adjust.
- Machine washable.
- Total blackout design.
- Very light.
Cons
- Not ideal if you like a weighted mask.
How Light Affects Sleep Quality
According to The National Sleep Foundation, you can use light to help regulate your sleep cycle. In a perfect world, we would get natural light exposure outside for an hour each morning or afternoon, then limit our light exposure starting an hour before bedtime. Both habits will help the body understand the difference between daytime and nighttime and allow for better sleep and more alert waking hours.
Based on a study conducted by Dr. Phyllis Zee and her team at the Center for Circadian and sleep Medicine at Northwestern University, NPR reported that even small amounts of light at night caused elevated heart rates, increased insulin resistance, and suppressed melatonin for these participants compared to those who slept in a mostly dark room. Despite these physiological events, the participants thought they had slept fine. Other studies on the effectiveness of sleep masks show varying results, but overall, it seems that blocking as much light as possible at night is positive for quality of sleep.
The Ostrichpillow Eye Mask: A Closer Look
While I haven’t tried a ton of sleep masks, right out of the box, this one struck me as having a unique design. It’s very practical and functional, which I love. I will say as a caveat, I’ve only worn it through the entire night once or twice — more on that later.
Ergonomic Design
The Ostrichpillow Eye Mask boasts an ergonomic design and claims to contour to any face, and I have to agree. It perfectly forms to my face and doesn’t let in any light. While it looks smooth on the outside, the inside features blink-friendly eye cups, so you can actually open your eyes even with the mask on. This is great for when you’re laying there before sleep and just need to blink.
Adjustable
The thin head strap is adjustable and uses velcro to secure the strap in the right position. This makes it super easy to get it to fit your head just right, or adjust it when you’re in a hotel room with your child who needs it in order to go to sleep.
Total Blackout Layers
The mask has six layers that allow for total blackout, and I can attest to this. I’ve worn it at night with just my husband’s light on, but I’ve also worn it during a mid-day migraine and every now and then during a quick afternoon snooze.
Incredibly Light
Looking at the images, it looks like it could be heavier than it is. Because it’s made of foam and breathable modal fabric, it’s only 1 oz, so it’s really light. Another eye mask I have is weighted, which I think works better for back sleepers, but I’m a side sleeper, so a weighted mask just feels oddly imbalanced. This one is just right.
Machine Washable
I just realized this as I was checking out the specs, but it is also machine washable. I’ll throw it in with my next load, so feel free to ask how it went in the comments!
Multiple Buying Options
I have the midnight grey, but Ostrichpillow also offers eclipse black and dark night. A single eye mask costs $45, but you get a 15% discount when you buy two and a 20% discount when you buy three. If you’re looking for a practical Christmas gift, this might just be it.
Ostrichpillow Eye Mask
Get Sweet Dreams with This Mask
We keep our room really dark, but if my husband’s light is still on when I turn over to go to sleep, I’ll put the eye mask on when I put on my mouth tape. As soon as I hear his light click off, I usually wake up a little and remove the mask. Otherwise, I’ll remove it sometime in the middle of the night. I use a sunrise alarm clock to wake up, and I think I realize deep down that if the mask is on, the alarm clock won’t wake me up. Regardless, this eye mask is a huge help when it comes to winding down and falling asleep.
