Here’s why I now use a sleep mask….and maybe you should too!
Research has shown that even relatively dim light when we sleep – the equivalent of a hallway light – can have surprisingly profound effects on our brain health.
According to Northwestern University’s School of Medicine, light at night signals danger to the brain because the brain isn’t expecting it. That increases the brain’s autonomic “fight-or-flight” system, which makes it harder to go into deep sleep.
But the solution is simple. Get an eye mask. According to the journal Sleep, after just two nights of wearing an eye mask to bed, study subjects showed improvements in learning, reaction time, and the ability to learn new motor skills – like learning a new sport, or an instrument.
All those improvements were linked to an increase in slow-wave sleep – which is the most restorative kind of sleep. And being in near-total darkness, because of an eye mask, promotes that slow-wave sleep! It helps the brain restore and renew itself during rest.
It takes a few nights to get used to the sleep mask but what a difference! Make sure you get one with indentations for your eyes, so the mask is not pressing on your eyelashes. JT.
