Hi, I'm Ethan Green from NoSleeplesNights.com, and in this video I’m going to be talking about eight
different sleep masks. And yes, in case you're wondering, I am going to wear a sleep mask on
my head throughout the duration of this video! I've bought a wide range of them over the last
year and I’ve been testing them out at home while sleeping and napping. and also while travelling.
I’ve tried flat sleep masks that are good in all sleeping positions, contoured sleep masks that
have space for your eyelids and eyelashes to move, and also cooling and weighted sleep masks that are
designed for relaxation. The thing is, we don't all have the same face shape and factors like the
size of your head and the size and shape of your nose can play a key role in how well a sleep mask
is going to block out light for you or not. So as well as talking about how effective I found them,
I’ll also talk about some of the key details to look out for when choosing one, such as the strap
design, the material used, how bulky they feel, and also how adjustable they are. And hopefully
that will help you identify a sleep mask that's going to work well for you. So with that said,
let's take a look at the first one, which is the one I’m wearing - the Alaska Bear.
The Alaska Bear is currently my personal favorite for one key reason: it has the best balance
between light blocking and being comfortable to use in any sleeping position. It doesn't have
contours, so if you need space for long eyelashes it might not be the one for you. But if you're
not worried about that and you're a side or front sleeper like me, this is a very effective little
sleep mask. So let's take a closer look. When I bought it, it came in a basic plastic wrapper with
a little mesh bag that you can fold the mask tightly into. The mask is made from very soft
mulberry silk on both sides with some light cotton padding. It feels breathable to use, which is good
in hot weather. I tried several other masks that looked just like this one, but none felt as soft.
The stitching is neat and feels robust, but like most sleep masks it's hand wash only to keep it in
good condition. The strap is made from simple nylon elastic, with a thin plastic adjuster.
Many sleep masks have this type of adjuster and I don't find they irritate my skin or snag hair.
The adjustable strap means it will fit head sizes of 15.8 to 27.6 inch circumference. When I lie on
my back, most of the light is blocked out, though some tiny slithers appear around the nose unless
I tighten the strap. But personally I prefer to keep it a bit looser because the light blocking
is more than good enough when I close my eyes. As I said, the main benefit for me is that I can lie
on my side or front and still have excellent light blocking. And importantly, I can change
positions without the mask sliding out of place as much as I find with many contoured sleep masks.
One final plus point is that it's very cheap. You can get it for under 10 pounds in the UK or under
10 dollars in the US. So overall, I think the balance of price, comfort and light blocking, as
well as the flexibility to use it in any sleeping position makes the Alaska Bear a great choice.
Next up we have the Manta. Now, this is one of the more expensive sleep masks I’ve tried,
costing between 30 and 35 pounds or dollars. And it's also one of the biggest sleep masks,
and kind of looks like it belongs more with a superhero outfit than pyjamas. However,
it's also a very effective sleep mask, comfortable to use with soft material, very deep eye sockets,
and superb light blocking. So, let's take a closer look. It comes in a sturdy box that can be
recycled with a mesh carry bag, and conveniently it can be machine washed. What makes the Manta
unique is that the eye cups can be repositioned to match your facial structure. The cups are made
from soft foam with modal fabric on the outside that feels very soft on the skin. At 0.71 inches
deep, they're the biggest eye cavities I’ve seen in a sleep mask. The strap is very sturdy with
reinforced elastic that's much stronger than the thinner nylon straps of many masks, and a micro
hook fastening system on the back that doesn't snag hair like basic velcro does. The company
says it will suit head circumferences between 15 and 20 inches. I really like the Manta if I’m just
having a nap on my back because it blocks out 100% of even the brightest light. I don't need to faff
around to find the perfect position either. I just lie down, put it on and the light's gone. It feels
very comfortable to wear and the foam cups put minimal pressure on my face. If I lie on my side,
I do find some light creeps in around the nose though, which is very common with sleep masks.
A more important issue when you're on your side is that the foam feels a bit lumpy on the side
of your face. It's not uncomfortable, but it is noticeable. And when you lie on your front
it's even more noticeable. Overall, I think the manta sleep mask could be an excellent choice for
people who sleep on their back and need the most space possible for their eyelids or eyelashes.
I think some will be okay with it on their side too, but side or front sleepers are taking a
bit of a risk with this one and a simpler mask with less engineering might be better.
if you'd like a soft sleep mask that's made of cotton rather than silk, the Mavogel, or
Mavogel - not sure about the pronunciation - could be one to try. It also has a bending cartilage
around the nose area which is good for blocking out the slithers of light that tends to creep in.
I bought it for under seven pounds and it came in a well presented cardboard box.
However, the mask itself was inside a fabric bag with a plastic wrapper and an extra carry case.
So including the Amazon box, that’s five layers, which isn't the most eco-friendly.
The exterior of the mask is cotton and feels soft with cotton filler and a thin sponge layer around
the outside. And that stops it from pressing into your eyes as much as some of the thinner masks do.
It's more breathable than the thicker foam masks, but not as breathable as the thin
silk ones like the Alaska Bear. The strap is elastic, with a standard plastic buckle,
and it will fit head sizes from 19 to 29 inches. The stitching is reasonably good so I imagine it
will last a good length of time, as long as the elastic isn't stretched to its max a lot. Inside
the nose piece there's a thin bendable piece of metal that feels about the width of a paperclip,
but it's more flexible. It means you can bend it over your nose to help block out even more
light and it works pretty well. When I’m on my back I can get nearly 100% light blocking with
the Mavogel if I get the nose cartilage in the right place, and that's good enough for
me when I have my eyes closed too. When I lie on my side or front, the light blocking
can be good too. But I often need to readjust it when I change positions if I’m still awake
otherwise I do notice the light around the nose bouncing off the light grey material. If you have
sinus problems or a sensitive nose you might want to avoid this one because of the way the cartilage
lies against your skin. Otherwise, I think the Mavogel is a good sleep mask if you prefer
flatter designs over contoured ones and would rather have cotton than silk on the exterior.
Next up we have the Medi Grade. Now, this one has a contour design with memory foam that creates
space for the eyelids and eyelashes to move around. But what I like most about it is that the
nose piece is really well designed, and it meant that I could get 100% light blocking on my front,
my side, or my back, which is quite unusual for a sleep mask. However, despite how amazing
the light blocking is, I do have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this one.
My main problem with this one is that even though it's cheap at under 10 pounds or dollars,
it came with loads of bits and pieces that I just didn't use. The recyclable cardboard box and
useful carry case are fine. But the not very good earplugs, the two plastic earplug carry boxes,
carabiner, and a bag with five hair clips felt superfluous, especially for me with my lack of
long hair. As for the mask, I really like the design and the shape though. It molds well to my
face, and the material that sits over the nose is comfortable and very effective. I couldn't
find any information about the exact materials used. It has a soft but slightly synthetic feel
and is less breathable than the silk masks, and it's hand wash only. The strap is a combination
of elastic and velcro and seems robust, but if you have a large head there will be quite a lot
of exposed velcro to potentially get hair caught in. They don't say what head sizes it will fit,
but I guess it's best for medium to larger sizes. With this one, the light blocking for
me was total in all sleep positions. When I’m on my back it's very comfortable to use, although I
do need to tie it fairly tightly to get complete light blocking. It's slightly less comfortable on
your side or front because the memory foam and strap creates bulk on the side of your face.
But overall, if you'd like some shallow contours for your eyes and very effective light blocking,
the Medi Grade sleep mask is one to try. It might not be right though if you don't like Velcro,
bulkier material when you're on your side, or are environmentally conscious.
Next up, we have the Barmy. This is the first of two weighted sleep masks I’ll be discussing.
It weighs 0.8 pounds and you can actually put it in the freezer for a couple of hours before using
it to get a cooling effect. So the combination of cooling and weighted pressure around the eyes is
supposed to provide relaxation and perhaps relief from headaches as well as the light blocking.
However, I don't really suffer from headaches so I can't comment on that point. But what I can
say is that the light blocking with this one is fantastic, so let's take a closer look. The Barmy
costs around 30 dollars in the US and even more if you import it to the UK, and it came in a plastic
Ziplock bag to keep it clean in the freezer. The exterior material is viscose derived from
bamboo on the side that goes over your eyes, and polyester around the front and the strap.
It feels very soft against the skin, but it's not so breathable because of the microfleece material
and all the glass beads on the inside. You can unzip it to remove the inner weighted section
and conveniently machine wash the outside part. I like how the beads are sewn into pockets around
the edges so they put pressure around your eyes but not directly onto them. The strap is part
elastic and part micro hooks, and it's designed to fit head sizes from 21 to 24 inch circumference.
When I lie on my back the light blocking is amazing with this one. It easily blocks out 100%
of the light, with minimal adjusting. However, I found it virtually unusable on my side or front
because it's just too lumpy. I found that the cooling effect lasts for around 20 to 30 minutes,
but after that it starts to warm up because of all the material. So, like many of the bulkier
sleep masks I think it's really good for short naps on your back, and I found the combination of
100% light blocking and cooling to be excellent, but I wouldn't recommend it for longer periods of
sleep. And I also don't think it's good in the seated position because the weight obstructs
nasal breathing. Next up we have the Imak eye pillow. This one is similar to the Barmy in
that it's a weighted sleep mask. It weighs 0.5 pounds instead of 0.8, so it's a bit smaller
and there are a couple of other differences as well. The Imak costs around 15 in the US and
over 20 pounds in the UK, so it's less expensive than the Barmy. It came in a recyclable cardboard
box and the manufacturer says the plastic ergo beads that create the weight can also be recycled.
There's also a simple plastic bag to keep it clean when cooling it in the freezer. I couldn't find a
listing of the exact material, which seems to be a common theme with these sleep masks. But I believe
the exterior material is cotton and it feels very soft on the skin, which is good. There are some
indentations for the eyes and there's a bit more space for eyelids to move around than the Barmy.
The stitching on the inside of the pockets is a bit untidy though, which is a shame,
but I like how they've kept the beads around the edges to provide the pressure around the
eyes and not directly onto them. The strap is my biggest concern with this mask. It's very thin
elastic with no adjuster, but on the plus side it will stretch to fit any head size I think.
Having said that, if you have a larger head the constant stretching is going to stress the elastic
eventually. On my back, I found that the light blocking is excellent. With a bit of adjusting
to find the right position, I can get 100% light blocking, which is great. And on my side I could
also adjust it to get 100% light blocking, which surprised me. It's comfortable on your side too
because you can carefully position it to not have any lumps under your face. On my front though,
it's completely unusable because you really feel those lumps. When you've cooled it, I found the
cooling effect lasts for around 20 minutes on average, which is nice for a nap but that's about
it. So on balance, if the strap were better I’d choose the Imak over the Barmy because I prefer
the material, the eye cavities are deeper, and it costs less, but that flimsy strap is a real
concern. So if you only plan on using it from time to time when having a nap or for headache
relief perhaps you might like it, but as a nightly sleep mask I’m not convinced it's the best choice.
This is the jersey slumber. It looks very similar to the Alaska Bear. It has the same flat design,
it's made from silk, apparently, and it also has a slider buckle. However,
the overall quality of the design just didn't strike me as being as good as the Alaska Bear.
They say the material is 100% mulberry silk. Although it does feel soft, it's not as smooth or
breathable as the Alaska Bear so I’m not entirely convinced about the quality of the silk. They
say you can machine wash it cold though, which is good. The stitching around the edges seems robust
and it has a similar strap design to the Alaska Bear, combining elastic and the slider buckle.
The maximum circumference is smaller though and although they don't list the head sizes it will
fit, I imagine it would be somewhere in the 16 to 24 inch range. Oddly, the mask seems to have been
cut larger on one side. When lying on my back, for me, it was one of the least effective at blocking
light. Quite a lot of light came in around the nose, which may be because of my face shape,
but the lack of an adjustable nose piece means I just couldn't get a better fit. On my side,
I could get better light blocking and with my eyes closed the light didn't disturb me at all.
Unexpectedly, it was actually really good when lying on my front. I was able to get
100% light blocking with some adjusting. It was very comfortable too. So on balance, this might
be a good option for front sleepers who'd like a flat sleep mask that doesn't feel lumpy. But I
think I’d still go with the Alaska Bear because of the overall quality. However, it's worth
considering if you'd like to try more than one to see which one fits your facial features best.
And finally, we come to the Bedtime Bliss. Now, this is another contoured sleep mask. The pockets
aren't as deep as the Manta but they are deeper than the Medi Grade. This isn't one I’ve had the
most success with myself though, and I think the lack of flexibility around the nose area
means it's one that either will or won't suit your face shape. The Bedtime Bliss isn't expensive,
costing under 10 pounds in the UK, and it came in a recyclable box with a tiny carry bag you
can roll it tightly into. Unfortunately, it also looks and feels quite cheaply made compared to
the previous sleep masks. It looks like the edges have been sealed with heat rather than stitched
and the strap also has minimal stitching to hold it in place, so I’m not sure it's as robust as it
could be. They don't list the materials used, but it feels synthetic and not as soft as the previous
masks. The elastic strap has quite thick velcro and it creates a lump you feel on the back of your
head. It's hand wash only as well and I wouldn't recommend testing it in a washing machine.
On my back, the position I find sleep masks most effective usually, I’d say it only blocked out 80%
of the light and even with my eyes closed I could still feel the light coming through.
On my side and front, it was a similar story, but at least it was relatively comfortable to
use on my side or front because the material is quite thin on the side of the face.
So on balance, this might be one to consider if your plan is to try a wide range of contoured
sleep masks to find the right one for your face shape. But if you're trying to get it right first
time, I think there are higher quality and more effective sleep masks that are equally low cost.
And that's it for my review of the sleep masks. I hope that you found this video useful.
If you did and you're interested in buying any of them then you can find a link in the description
below to do so. And please also subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more videos
and future reviews. Thanks for watching, this is Ethan from No Sleepless Nights.