Weighted sleep masks: who needs them and why?

It is becoming increasingly popular to furnish your bed with the latest bedding and beauty accessories. Nowadays they use anatomically smart pillows, weighted blankets, décolletage pillows and eye masks. The range of masks and the trend for them is growing every day. Masks of natural fabrics, synthetic, hypoallergenic, antibacterial and even weighted ones are used. Let's look at the latter in more detail together with facial care cosmetics esthetician Yulia Chuprikova.

Benefits of Weighted Sleep Masks

The peculiarity of the weighted mask is that it is filled with glass microbeads. Thanks to them, the mask creates the effect of gentle pressure on the skin, which promotes an anti-stress effect, relieving eye muscle tension, and deep and restful sleep. Glass granules create a cooling sensation on the skin, this will help soothe the eyes after a hard day at work, prevent swelling and relieve headaches.

Before using the mask, it is recommended to cool it in the refrigerator for greater effect. From the freezer, the mask can overcool the skin, be careful. The mask helps block light, making the accessory ideal for use in any environment, be it the bedroom, a flight, or even during a work break. For general understanding, the comparison is that of a weighted blanket. Its meaning is approximately the same, it creates pressure on the body with a “hug” effect, which reduces stress, evens out breathing, and calms the head.

Who should not use a weighted sleep mask?

A weighted sleep mask is safe, but there are limitations for people with respiratory problems, heart and lung problems, panic attacks and claustrophobia. There may be a feeling of loss of orientation in space, lack of oxygen, due to the feeling of pressure from the mask on the nose.

You need to choose the right mask. You need to pay attention to the material. Natural fabrics, such as bamboo, cotton or silk, are a priority, but synthetics can cause skin diseases.

The density of the fabric should be good; this can be easily checked by looking at the light in the mask. If bright rays penetrate the accessory, the mask may harm your eyes by straining them under the rays of light. Only complete darkness can relieve stress and soothe your eyes.

The elastic band should not put pressure on the head, a convenient option with adjustment to the volume of the head. The eye mask should not cover the nose, otherwise you may wake up at night from a dry throat from breathing through your mouth.

How to replace a sleep mask?

You can find an alternative to a weighted eye mask. The main task of the mask: to create a sound sleep without waking up, calm the head, relieve tension from the eye muscles, create an anti-stress effect, then the following recommendations will replace it:

• close curtains tightly at night;
• relieve tension from the eye muscles with a facial massage. To do this, after washing your face at night, apply the cream around the eyes until completely absorbed along massage lines: from the base of the eyebrow clockwise, from the inner corner along the lower eyelid to the temples, ending with a “finger shower”;
• conduct meditation at night;
• During the day, perform the “Palming” exercise from eye gymnastics. Rub your palms and close your eyes with them. The eyes look into the darkness of the palms. Perform for 1-2 minutes.