where can you buy a comfy sleep mask?

sensing progress

sensing progress

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Tucson, AZ
I tried ones from Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. All of them are stiff and uncomfortable, I think made of polyester. My dad gave me one a while back that he got on an American Airlines international flight. It's made of cotton and very comfy. I'd like to get more like that. The problem is that the elastic band wears out after a couple months so they need to be replaced. Is there a place online that sells good ones?
 
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leela

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I have a silk one from Earth Therapeutics. I think I got it at the natural food store. Very soft and comfy--and there are little pillowy bits on the lower edge to keep the light out better. I've just had a look online and it seems they're making them from silk and cotton now.
 
zoe.a.m.

zoe.a.m.

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Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Try Buckyshades (company name and product I think)! They sell them at our local coop, but I also got a pair online from a sleep store. They sound a lot like what leela describes. I have one velour pair and one silk, though they are the same on the inner part that is against the face. They have some buckwheat fill, or they did, and I've never found them uncomfortable, just soft. It's essential to have the pillowy bits at the bottom like leela said. I'm so used to them now that I can't even fall asleep without them on, it feels like trying to go to sleep with my eyes open! I can not say enough good things about them.
 
urbantravels

urbantravels

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In the fine online tradition of answering a question other than the one asked, I would say that no sleep mask has ever stayed on my face, but I'm ever so happy that I got light-blocking curtains jury-rigged in my bedroom. It suddenly got so dark I had to devise a way to black out the little green "on" light on my iPod speaker thingy, because it suddenly seemed bright as a beacon!

(I have shades which let a lot of light through and there is a really bright exterior light on the neighboring apartment building. As a renter, I had no interest in installing curtain rods, but I was able to get light-blocking curtains and sew super-strong magnets into their hems, so I can "stick" them onto the metal part that runs across the top of the shade mechanism.)
 
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Anika

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U.S.
The sleep mask I have (though I seldom use it), I believe I got at Target or a supermarket - a soft silky material, and velcro fastener in back. It has the soft cushion at the bottom that others have mentioned.

I have a couple of the eye cushions with beads or seeds (I think some use flaxseeds?), but these don't have a headband so aren't suitable except for rest periods flat on my back. I think there's a benefit to having gentle pressure from the weight of the seeds on the eye area. The material is silky. However, I tend to put a facial tissue over it before putting it over my eyes, because it's a pain to wash those little eye pillows, and given the issues I have with my eyes, it's important to have anything touching them clean.

Urban, that's a creative idea to sew magnets into curtain hems! They must be powerful, to hold up light-blocking curtains. We have blinds on our bedroom window too - and it helped when I also put an overlay curtain over them. Actually, it's not a curtain yet, it's a tension shower curtain rod with a nice sheet folded and clipped over them, that fits into the french door opening. Putting hardware into the door inset would have been a pain, and the shower curtain rod was an easy solution I didn't have to hire a handyman to install. Keeping that extra bit of light out does make a difference.
 
sensing progress

sensing progress

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Tucson, AZ
Thanks to all for the suggestions. Actually, I should have said I'm looking for a very simple one like this (that little flap at the bottom is important too, and not all have it):

sleepmask.jpg


You'd think it would be easy to find for sale...
 
urbantravels

urbantravels

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Los Angeles, CA
This is the kind of thing I would look for on etsy.com - I just tried a search and found over 1,000 listings for "sleep mask" in different designs. You might want to pass on the ones with marabou feathers, bows, etc -:Retro tongue: or maybe not - up to you!

But if you find a maker who looks like they do good work, even if you can't find the exact design you want, you could ask for one to be custom made for you to the design you like, and provide the picture. Etsy is great for this kind of thing.

I used to be able to sew, before my hands got so weak and shaky from CFS :( But I did manage to get the strong magnets into my curtain hems - it's not the most attractive sewing job of all time, but it seems to be holding together OK.

The magnets idea came from my sister, who is a Museum Professional and thus knows how useful small strong magnets are - they use them all the time to display paper works without damaging them. Gaussboys.com is the source for super strong magnets - these are WAY stronger than your typical refrigerator magnets. (Though before I sewed them in, I had a lot of fun throwing them across my apartment at my fridge and listening to the THWACK!)
 
sensing progress

sensing progress

Senior Member
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Location
Tucson, AZ
urbantravels said:
The magnets idea came from my sister, who is a Museum Professional and thus knows how useful small strong magnets are - they use them all the time to display paper works without damaging them. Gaussboys.com is the source for super strong magnets - these are WAY stronger than your typical refrigerator magnets. (Though before I sewed them in, I had a lot of fun throwing them across my apartment at my fridge and listening to the THWACK!)
Click to expand...

Oooh, that sounds fun, will have to check out that site for magnets. I used to have some super strong ones that I would do pranks with: would have one in a dark colored glass (not visible) on the kitchen table, and would then make the glass move around with the other magnet under the table. Fun way to mess with guests =)
 
serenity

serenity

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571
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Austin
just to share a little trick i learned, the most comfortable sleep mask i've ever found is a pillowcase. mine happens to be silk i think, maybe even fake - but you can get any kind you want. i find it more comfortable than an actual mask as i could never stand the strap on the back of my head. :)
i just roll it up or bunch it or fold it or do whatever i need to get the right shape. been using it for years.
 
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Anika

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148
Location
U.S.
Pillowcases very handy

serenity said:
just to share a little trick i learned, the most comfortable sleep mask i've ever found is a pillowcase. mine happens to be silk i think, maybe even fake - but you can get any kind you want. i find it more comfortable than an actual mask as i could never stand the strap on the back of my head. :)
i just roll it up or bunch it or fold it or do whatever i need to get the right shape. been using it for years.
Click to expand...

I love the idea of pillowcases - though if you're rolling around in your sleep, I think a fastened sleep mask might work better. I'll have to remember that one.

I keep old pillowcases near my hot and cold packs, and stick the hot or cold pack in one before I use it. It helps keep the pack cleaner, and by rolling the pillowcase over a couple of times, it can keep it from feeling too hot or cold at first.

I've also seen some workmen use a pillowcase, maybe with some type of headband to hold it in place, over their head and neck in hot weather, sort of like a sheik. Some protection from the sun, and keeping sweat out of their eyes, I guess.
 
serenity

serenity

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Austin
it works really well for me, maybe i dont' roll in my sleep? i'm not sure i think maybe i don't - i think ? sleep is such a mystery to me, i used to sleep very lightly & would have said that i was aware of it every time i rolled over even tho i do often. but i've been on sleep meds lately & sleep more soundly, & still have no trouble with my pillowcase. :)
maybe i am just so used to it that it's become 2nd nature to me to move it with me - i'm not sure.
i just know it's a trick that works like a charm for me :)

oh another trick for use of pillowcases - great for cats. if you need to give one a pill, a pillowcase or a rolled up towel can be a lifesaver :) or if you need to move your cats really quickly, say in an emergency, if your carrier isnt' handy - throw em in a pillowcase :)
 
L

leela

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3,290
sensing progress said:
Thanks to all for the suggestions. Actually, I should have said I'm looking for a very simple one like this (that little flap at the bottom is important too, and not all have it):



You'd think it would be easy to find for sale...
Click to expand...

Hey Sensing,

The earth therapeutics one I linked to upthread is really simple, and costs six bucks including shipping. I admit to alternating between it
and the pillowcase idea depending on the sensitivity levels of my head, which sometimes are such that even the nice adjustable strap on the eye mask
is just too much <sigh>
Of course those are the phases where even my feather pillow feels like a rock, so we won't blame the eye mask!
 
SickOfSickness

SickOfSickness

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US
I have this one, which a friend recommended to me about 10 years ago. http://www.dreamessentials.com/a_mask_infinity.aspx My other friend also loved this mask. You can probably find it cheaper at a different site, that's just the first one that came up in google.

I also have a Tempurpedic brand one, which I'm sure is not cheap. I've had it for a year or so. Hard to say which I like better, they have different pros and cons.

I think it's worth $$ for a good one. The best ones are 100% light blocking and last for years.
 
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