The benefits of sleep masks
It should come as no surprise that sleep is one of the main factors of living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Sleep not only helps us to be more productive throughout our work day, but it also supports our immune system, helps to regulate our weight, lowers our risk of serious health concerns, reduces stress, and even helps us to socialise more efficiently.
Seems like a no-brainer that we would be getting our eight hours each night, right? Yet, the majority of us aren’t getting anywhere near the eight hours of recommended deep sleep needed each night, with a study by the Sleep Health Foundation finding that 33-45% of Australian adults are sleeping poorly.
Considering sleep deprivation can have a huge, and in some cases irreversible consequence on our mental and physical health, we think it’s something society needs to seriously start prioritising.
There are many factors that contribute to getting an average night of sleep, but the most prominent factors can be linked back to distractions in our sleeping environment, including light and sound, and our overuse of digital devices throughout the evening. Living in a digital world, we spend countless hours behind a digital device every day. Whether it be for work or play, for the most part we are addicted to our screens. Although at times this can’t be helped, there comes a time where we need to draw a line and find a healthy balance between screen use and down time.
This is particularly crucial when it comes to our sleep cycle. Understandably, we tend to bring our phones into our rooms and continue to scroll our social media till we hit the hay. Without even realising it, the blue light emitted by our screens restrains the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle making it even more difficult to enter a deep state of sleep. Don’t stress, there are various things you can do to counteract this.
Firstly, try not to bring your device into your sleeping environment, or at least try not to look at a screen 30 minutes prior to going to sleep. We understand it’s easier said than done, so another alternative is to use blue light or sleep glasses when using your device in the evening.
Another main concern that interrupts a healthy sleep cycle is distractions within our sleeping space. These can include things like lights, sounds, even certain smells. One way to avoid these is by using sensory deprivation to block out certain distractions, allowing your brain to shut off and drift naturally into a deeper, more restful state of sleep.
The benefits of a sleep mask
The idea of a sleep mask is simply to take away the sense of sight. By having a completely dark room your body allows itself to switch off naturally without any distractions from the outside world. It also enhances your ability to fall into a deeper sleep at a quicker pace. According to various studies, darkness can also help to stimulate the production of melatonin, which is a sleep hormone that allows our body to fall into a more restful state of sleep.
Complete darkness also has the power to enhance our bodies feeling of relaxation, which in turn assists our body and mind to shut off and drift into a deep slumber. Our brains are extremely sensitive to the slightest amount of light, sound, and smell. As soon as our senses become aware of any distractions, our brains immediately start to shut off our bodies production of melatonin, keeping our bodies from getting any sleep. So, if you want a deeper, undisturbed sleep, it’s definitely time to invest in a deep sleep mask.
Baxter Blues Sleep Masks are designed with 100% black out materials, using sensory deprivation to block out all the surrounding light, ridding you of any distractions that might disturb your sleep. They are also made from a delicate fabric, it’s soft on all skin types, and is fitted with deep memory foam internal padding for minimal interference while you catch up on your beauty sleep.
Baxter Blue also has a range of blue light glasses that can also help aid sleep. Our expansive collection of Blue+™ blue light glasses can reduce digital eye strain symptoms and eliminate glare. Besides enhancing your digital viewing, our glasses will help improve the health and well-being of your greatest assets—your eyes, mind, and body.
Here you can also find a Baxter Blue Glasses Review
