1 – Eye Pressure
An important comfort issue is the amount of contact that the sleep mask exerts on the face and particularly the eyes. Some people find the sensation of fabric on the eyes to be comforting while many others find it as a discomforting feeling. When you are traveling, women particularly prefer sleep masks that have hollow spaces for the eyes so as to not smudge their eye makeup.
As a side note here, one characteristic of drifting into a deep restorative sleep is the onset of REM, the Rapid Eye Movement. There are a few people who believe that if a sleep mask touches the eyes and prevents them from movement, that the sleep will not be as refreshing, but at this stage there does not appear to be any hard evidence to support this theory. Therefore, eye pressure or no eye pressure really boils down to the personal preference of the wearers of sleep masks.
2 – Profile
The sleep masks come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, thicknesses, materials and purposes. From the thin throw-away nylon masks that are often given away by the airlines to the huge almost space helmet type of sleep contraptions that incorporate pillows, sound muffling devices and light and music displays. For most of the people, it is a very unusual sensation to have anything placed upon their heads and it often takes some time for some people to getting used to wear them. When you are choosing a sleep mask, consideration must be given to the bulkiness of the mask and whether you it would be comfortable wearing all night long.
3 – Appearance
Although the look of the sleep mask should take a backseat to such considerations as comfort and functionality, it is often the primary motivation in a person’s buying decision. This is not unusual in circumstances in which the person is buying from a picture and does not have the ability to try the mask on before ordering such as the purchases made from mail-order catalogs or on the internet from online stores.
Fortunately, there are a few sleep mask manufacturers who make sleep masks that are both very functional and stylish at the same time, so a person can find a sleep mask that will match his or her bedroom decor or Armani suit.
