Sleeping well is one of the most important factors that can positively influence our health and performance. Sleep is a complex biological process during which our bodies rest and process new information to keep us healthy. The functions of our brain remain active even when sleep is a state of unconsciousness.
Generally, when a person is sleeping, he or she goes through a series of stages which can provide them with more rest and energy to carry out their activities the next day.
Humans, depending on their age, need to sleep a specified number of recommended hours so that their lifestyle and health are not adversely affected.
A newborn needs between 16 and 18 hours a day; a child requires between 10 and 12 hours a day, and adolescents and adults between 7 and 10 hours a day. That is because the biological clock of each person changes according to the stage of their life that is passing.
Therefore, it is extremely important for a human being to sleep the number of hours he really needs per day. We must bear in mind that not all people are equal. Some of them have difficulty sleeping either due to a medical condition or personal problems that he or she is having in their life. Similarly, there are people who simply take longer to sleep than others.
All this has prompted scientists to carry out tests and determine the factors for which many people have trouble sleeping and have proposed many ways to fall asleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, your health will be affected. Getting little sleep will create a state of tiredness that can affect your performance, ability to think and work, make bad decisions, and more. In addition, a person who fails to fall asleep can affect their mood the next day. Irritability, depression, anxiety or problems in your relationships with other people are some of the symptoms that you can present.
Eye Mask for Sleeping
One of the most useful creations to improve sleep is the eye mask. It is an accessory used by people to prevent light (natural or artificial) from making us uncomfortable when sleeping.
Many people think that these eye masks are for women. It is a stereotype that has been created over time and is actually a complete mistake. These accessories are very useful for sleeping, especially for those who have trouble falling asleep.
Wearing these masks will help you have a night of quality sleep. Today, not all people get enough sleep either because of their jobs, medical condition, or simply because they stay up late checking social media or watching television.
All these factors result in a complex situation at bedtime. Therefore, an eye mask is a perfect accessory to keep you relaxed and prevent any light that may affect your eyes, even if they are closed.
Benefits of Using an Eye Mask
These accessories are not only useful to block the light during your bedtime. Its use brings with it a series of benefits that will be presented to you to fall asleep properly.
1. Better Sleep
One of the reasons why some people have trouble sleeping is light. It has been scientifically proven that the retina of our eyes has light-sensitive cells. Being exposed to light before sleeping can make it difficult for us to sleep, making us fall asleep much later than usual.
Eye masks are one of the most used accessories to combat this. The light, whether natural or not, tells your body clock if it’s time to sleep or not. When there is a lot of light, our brain suppresses a large amount of melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
In those cases, your brain tells you that it is not yet time to sleep. An eye mask is essential for these cases as it will help you block all light at bedtime.
Scientifically it has been proven that wearing an eye mask helps maintain high levels of melatonin that will help you sleep faster and have better quality deep and uninterrupted sleep.
2. Fight Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that many people suffer. This disorder produces in people the difficulty of falling asleep. It is very common since it is related to poor sleep habits that many people present today. Some of them are anxiety, depression, lack of exercise, illness and distractions.
An eye mask will undoubtedly help you confront this disorder. Absolute darkness will help you have a deep sleep and will allow you to get away from any distraction since even if you open your eyes, you will not be able to see anything.
This situation also occurs in people who have trouble sleeping fast. It is also related to darkness since as we have said before, the absence of light will increase your melatonin levels which will allow you to sleep much faster.
3. Reduce Depression
According to some studies, absolute darkness helps reduce depression. The experiment presented people sleeping without an eye mask which were exposed to more than 5 lux (lux is the unit of measurement that allows determining the amount of lighting and intensity that affects any area). People who slept with an eye mask for sleeping were less likely to have symptoms of depression.
4. Prevention of Signs of Aging on the Skin
One of the causes of wrinkles on the face and the formation of Crow’s feet is sleeping on your stomach or your side. Sleeping on your side or stomach will cause the skin on your face to be pressed against the surface of your pillow or sheet. This pressure can cause collagen breakdown over time, which will cause your wrinkles.
To avoid this, you can use an eye mask that is made of natural materials such as cotton. This accessory will act as a protective layer for that area of your face preventing your collagen from breaking down quickly.