Sleep eye masks are really useful
Sleep eye masks (or eye shades) are soft types of shades that are pulled over the eyes to block out light, and in my experience, are useful to induce and maintain sleep. They prove their worth when you are trying to get some sleep during the day, or when there is bright lighting overhead, such as on airline flights.
I’ve been using eye masks for some time now, usually when I wake up too early and the approaching dawn is making it hard to sleep. Wearing an eye mask really does fool my body into believing it is still night, and I’ve managed to squeeze in some valuable sleep time on many occasions. Also, I find that I seem to get more frequent vivid dreams whenever I wear an eye mask.
The principle behind eye masks is that it stops light from shining on the retinas of your eyes, which during waking hours is transmitted to the hypothalamus, which then relays the information to the pineal gland to turn on, or turn off melatonin production. It is likely that wearing an eye mask stimulates melatonin production, or helps it to work better, hence the likelihood for more vivid dreaming.
The link between light, the eyes, the circadian rhythm, and the pineal gland is very strong. So shutting off light to the eyes can probably make the body believe it is still deep in the night. That’s why eye masks come in handy during long airplane flights, to reduce jet lag.
Another use for eye masks is its obvious benefit in relaxing the eyes and reducing eye strain. Enshrouding your eyes in total darkness after working them all day long helps them rest and recuperate. Eye masks work rather similar to palming the eyes, which is one of the practices used to reduce eye strain in the classic Bates Method of improving vision.
So if you’ve been troubled by waking up earlier than you need to, or need some shut eye in a well lit area, try slipping on an eye mask; although they are cheap (a few dollars each) but they might make all the difference between getting some valuable sleep time or none at all. Some versions also come with ear plugs to shut out outside sounds. Short of sleeping in a special chamber, this is the surest thing to shutting out the external world – which is what sleep really accomplishes, at the end of the day.
I have used an eye mask with some success. They do block out light which is critical to falling back to sleep. Sometimes the strap seems too tight and becomes an issue trying to adjust it.
I recently started using an aromatherapy eye pilloe. I use a lavender scented one.
Lavender has been shown to really help to relax and quiet your mind. I did a lot of searching and found a site (A Touch of Satin) that uses only organic lavender buds and organic flax seed. That’s important because if its not organic then pesticides were used for growing. I don’t want to breathe in any harmful chemicals.
The aromatherapy eye pillow is made with a soft and smooth satin material. Just the feel of it on my skin I find to be calming.
If you’re interested their website is http://www.atouchofsatin.com
Eye mask or eye pillow, I guess is just a case of personal preference. I’m sure their are people that like the eye mask. I just prefer the aromatherapy eye pillow. Give it a try.
Very good article about a problem that does affect millions of people.