The Scientific Reasons Why you Should be Using a Sleeping Mask
We all know how important it is to get a good night’s sleep. Without giving your body some time to rest and recharge, you’ll be less alert, your ability to think and process information will be impaired and it can throw off your entire mood. But that’s only in the short-term. In the long-term, chronic sleep deprivation can play a role in increasing your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.
If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, using a sleep mask like the Sleep Monkey Luxury Sleep Mask or their silk version with cooling insert could really help. In fact, here’s why sleep experts say you should be using sleeping masks.
Our bodies were designed to sleep in complete darkness
As day shifts to night and the brightness of the day subsides, it’s the cue from our eyes to our brain to release melatonin aka ‘the Dracula hormone’ because it only comes out at night. If it’s too bright or there’s a lot of blue light dominated illuminating going on, the body will delay releasing melatonin. When melatonin isn’t being released, you’ll fall asleep much later than you want to. That’s where sleep masks come in. According to Science, a sleeping mask is a “tool” for better sleep as it’s designed to block out all light at night.
Sleep masks help to balance out your hormones
Studies show that people who sleep without a sleeping mask produce significantly lower levels of cortisol and melatonin, the hormones that help regulate your sleep pattern. This means that people who use sleep masks are less likely to wake up throughout the night, and are more likely to get better quality sleep overall.
Sleep masks will keep you in REM longer
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep usually occurs after 90 minutes of you falling asleep. It’s an important part of your sleep cycle because it stimulates the areas of your brain that are responsible for learning and retaining memories. It’s also the point in your sleep cycle where you dream. According to the National Sleep Foundation, people who use sleep masks not only had elevated melatonin levels, but they were also in REM sleep longer.