Best Sleep Masks Australia in 2024 - Block Out Light And Sleep Better At Night
Say goodbye to light and hello to good sleeps with a good sleep mask in your nightly sleep kit arsenal
Best Sleep Masks of 2024
We love sleep. A truly good sleep is better than sex and chocoloate combined. There’s a few simple practices that we have learned to improve our sleep without fail every time we do them - one of those is wearing a good sleep mask to block out as much light as possible to minimise light pollution at bed time. We talk about this and some of the other sleep hygiene practices that benefit sleep in our sleep hygeine article.
The truth is, it is surprisingly hard to find a good quality, comfortable sleep mask that actually works. We have tried and tested roughly 20 different sleep masks over countless nights of experimentation on how to optimise sleep. In this quest to find the best sleep mask Australia, we have sifted through the eye masks that are a waste of money and narrowed it down to a few that are worth the money in 2024. In this article, we will pull apart how we choose the best sleep masks, where to buy masks for sleeping online and why sleep masks improve sleep.
Hack your sleep with this quick pick guide to the top 9 best sleep mask Australia in 2024.
Our Top Picks For Best Sleep Mask
Best Overall: Manta Sleep Blackout Eye Mask
This is true darkness that will put you to sleep. The adjustable eyecup design of the Manta Sleep Mask makes it impossible for any slithers of light to get passed and hit the sensitive eye that relies so heavily on light signalling to sleep. 100% machine washable and made to last with super-soft modal eye cups, breathable cotton velour strap, snag-free micro hook/micro fleece closures and industrial-grade elastics.
Best Blackout: Block Blue Light Deluxe Delta Blackout
Use code GURU for 10% discount
Block Blue Light has custom designed memory foam eye cups that allow you to fully block 100% of light hitting your eyes without obstructing opening and closing of your eyes. Super soft, breathable fabric and adjustable velcro eyepieces with adjustable headband make this the best Australian blackout eye mask for better sleep every night.
Best Side Sleeper: Love Night Shift Side Sleeper Mask
Use code GURU for 10% off at checkout
This is THE sleep mask for side sleepers with a contoured nose area to fit snug on the face, memory foam eye cups to block out 100% of light, contoured eye area to lift the mask away from the eyes for comfort, velcro adjustable strap to hold the memory foam close to the face and super thin headband adjustment for minimising the material around the head at night for those who want a discreet sleep mask you can’t feel. As far as sleep mask reviews, the Lovenightshift sleep mask is probably the most positively reviewed mask for sleeping that we have come across with 1000’s of good customer feedback points.
Best Silk: Ivy’s Selection 22 Homme Silk Eye Mask
100% pure silk inside and out, coloured with non-toxic dyes and is hypoallergenic. Crafting from long fiber 22 momme mulberry silk comes at a premium, but it's worth it for the extra soft, cushioned comfort. The wide elastic fits snugly around your head without squeezing. Ivy's Selection donates part of its profit to plant trees in Australia via the One Tree Planted program. Ivy’s Selection offers a 30 night sleep trial, if you are not satisfied, you can return the product and get a full refund.
Best With Headphones: Musicozy Sleep Headphones Mask
Might sound weird but have you ever tried to wear headphones and an eyemask together? It’s quite difficult but this eye mask solves that issue. Bluetooth sleep mask is made of premium quality memory foam with smooth ice silk lining. Lightweight and Skin-friendly, breathable cool fabric. 1-2 hours charging time for 10 hours playing time to be lulled off to sleep by music integrated into your sleep mask.
Best Comfort: Cabeau Midnight Magic Sleeping Mask
The Cabeau Midnight Magic Sleep Mask is designed to provide a custom fit, which is fully adjustable to your unique facial features + desired level of darkness (from twilight to blackout). Rounded inner liners keep the travel sleep mask from pressing on your eyelids, while its lightweight design is highly portable, comfortable, and looks good on everyone.
Best Cooling: Manta Sleep Cooling Eye Mask
This is a sleep mask that is the best sleep mask for allergy sufferers and people who struggle with puffy eyes and headaches. The cold therapy sleep mask alleviates tension, swelling, pressure and irritation by reducing inflammation in the blood vessels around your eyes and invigorating your delicate eye skin.
Best Scented: Manta Aroma Mask
The Manta Aroma Mask is tailor-made for sensitive sleepers who struggle with stress and sleeplessness with lavender aromatherapy which is scientifically proven to induce whole-body relaxation by stimulating scent receptors in your nose, communicating with your nervous system to deactivate your fight-or-flight response.
Best Budget: Cotton Sleep Eye Mask
This is the best priced sleep mask available for those looking for improving sleep on a budget. This sleep mask features 5 layers of super breathable fabric, including cotton, elastic sponge and modaier, which offers you ultra soft and fresh touch on eyes.
Best on Amazon: Sleepsloth Silk Sleep Padded Eye Mask
One of the most popular sleep masks Amazon with a 3D contoured design for better ergonomics. This sleep mask blocks out light perfectly and has a silicone coating to prevent it from falling off during sleep. The low rebound memory foam increases comfort and breathability.
Why You Should Use An Eye Mask For Better Sleep
Benefits of wearing a sleep mask
What are the benefits of wearing a sleep mask? If it wasn’t already obvious to you, the best sleep masks work by blocking out artificial light from hitting the eyes and messing with sleep signalling. The role that light plays in signalling for sleep (or wakefulness) is something that should be taken very seriously for those who want to sleep better and for those who struggle to get to sleep. We have written about how light affects sleep in some of our other articles and echo the sleep experts in creating good sleep hygiene habits by blackening out the room to get the best chance of telling the body it's time to sleep.
Related Article: We Used Blue Light Blocking Glasses For 3 Months To Hack Sleep
Sleep is a basic need for humans and can help us recover faster, with sleep disorders increasing risk of disease, injury, illness and poor mental health. Since light exposure is the primary external cue for circadian rhythm, it is super important to block out as much light as possible in the sleeping hours, with science showing us real benefits in using masks like the ones mentioned in our best sleep mask Australia list for optimising sleep quality and quantity. On many levels, a blackout sleep eye mask that gives 100% light blocking is beneficial on so many levels for promoting a better sleep that leads to a better daily life.
Read Also: We Used The Mihigh Sauna Blanket Before Bed To Improve Sleep: Review
What To Look For When Buying Best Sleep Mask - How We Choose
Price
For a sleep mask the price range that you can expect is somewhere between $10-$55. The price is a big factor when choosing the best sleep mask. The price also should reflect the quality of the sleep mask in most cases. That is, generally a $10 sleep mask will not be made of the best material, will have minimal design though involved and may not be a fantastic fit for the head, and will have minimal inclusions like eye padding.
For more expensive sleep masks that are priced around the $30-40 mark, you can expect a really good fit, the highest quality material and maybe even eye padding to make the eye mask a full blackout eye mask for blocking out light completely. It is true that the price does not always equate to quality so it is important to look out for other features, strong customer reviews for the sleep mask and other indicators like material used and warranty.
Material and Fabric
Different materials and fabrics attract different prices as a general rule. We know that rarer, more sought after fabrics like quality silk sleep masks attract a higher price as the material is more expensive. In saying this, there are still many well priced silk sleep masks available online, the quality of the silk also differs too.
Other fabrics like 100% cotton can offer a reasonable cheap price but without sacrificing comfort. We know that although cotton is cheaper, some people actually prefer cotton on the face than silk for comfort and breathability which is especially important for sleep.
Cheaper fabrics like polyester make for a lower priced sleep mask but do not expect the same comfort levels when wearing the mask. Polyester is one of the cheaper but most common fabrics used in textiles and it is important to understand that when looking for the best sleep mask you should probably avoid this fabric and opt for something higher quality to have the best sleep experience.
Design
Credit: Manta Sleep
When we talk about the design of the best sleep masks we are talking about both the actual contours and shapes of the sleep mask but also the research, development and design consideration that has gone into the sleep eye mask. Having tested over 20 different sleep masks over countless nights of sleep (or sleeplessness) we have got an eye (pardon the pun) for spotting and feeling sleep masks that have done a solid amount of testing, research and design thought for their products.
A good example of this is a comparison between the Manta Blackout Sleep Mask and the cheaper budget option on our best sleep mask Australia list. The Manta Blackout mask offers an insanely comfortable fit with adjustable head straps and quality hook and loop straps to fit to any head. The design also features padded eye cups that are velcro backed and can be shifting along the eye mask to adjust to any eye placement. This is a well thought out, quality mask. Comparing this to the Cotton Sleep Eye Mask which is the budget option on our best sleep mask Australia picks, the budget option has a much less padded fabric, not as cosy a fit and generally less comfort levels with no eye pads. What works for one person may not work for another though, so we encourage you to do your own research and you may need some trial and error before you find the best sleep mask for you.
Reviews
Customer reviews are one of our favourite ways to check the quality and validity of a sleep mask and any other product or service for that matter. If you look at the Manta Sleep Mask reviews you will notice that among the 1000’s of reviews you can spot the common theme is customer satisfaction and good reviews. If there were patterns of poor quality and bad customer service or themes of the sleep mask being uncomfortable or something of the sort, avoid it and look for a sleep mask with good reviews.
Warranty and returns
We always say that you can judge the quality of a product, be it a sleep mask or massage gun, based on the confidence that the manufacturer has in it. When a brand offers a solid warranty beyond the standard 12 month policy it shows that they have trust in the quality of their own product and that should give you greater trust to buy. Most of the warranty on sleep masks that we have tested are 12 months but there are a select few that offer an extended warranty and these are the ones to go for when choosing the best sleep mask Australia.
FAQ’s
1. Can sleep masks cause headaches?
A sleep mask can cause a headache if it is fitted too tightly around the head during sleep. By placing a sleep mask around the head too tightly you can restrict blood flow to the head and cause headaches.
2. Are there sleep masks for side and belly sleepers?
The best sleep mask for side sleepers is the Aldukise Side Sleeper sleep mask or the Manta Blackout Sleep Mask. The reason for this is that both of these masks feature super soft memory foam filling for the eye and temple to avoid pressure on the temples when side sleeping. The thin design of the straps on both sides makes it minimally noticeable on the head during sleep while the nose bridge of the eye mask holds the sleep mask in place perfectly so it does not move around as much as you naturally move your head during sleep. Both of these best sleep masks also feature wide and deep eye pockets which mean that you can not feel the eye mask as much on the eye lashes which minimises disturbance and maximises comfort.
3. What if the sleep mask falls off during the night?
If your sleep mask falls off your head during sleep it is no real issue. It may mean that you could tighten up your sleep mask around your head a little more. If you are wearing a cheaper sleep mask or a silk mask which is a material that has a greater chance of sliding, you may need to consider a cotton mask that also has a better fastening strap and eye pockets like the Manta Blackout Eye Mask.
4. Can you use a sleep mask during the day?
Sleep masks are actually ideal for shift workers and those who need to sleep during the day because they work through the night. Because we know that light exposure plays such a huge role in encouraging sleepiness, we encourage a sleep mask for those looking to block out as much light pollution at night but also those who need it most for making the day turn into night. For the best possible solution to sleeping during the day it is essential that you choose the best blackout sleep mask - the Manta Sleep Mask. We have reviewed this sleep mask extensively for its blackout qualities.
See our full Manta Blackout Sleep Mask review here
5. Are there any negatives to using sleep masks?
Although sleep masks can be extremely beneficial for improving sleep by blocking out light pollution that can restrict your ability to fall asleep, for some very sensitive people a sleep mask on the head can actually make things even worse. If light is an issue but you also can’t bear to have a sleep mask wrapped around your head, it may be better to invest in some good blackout blinds or curtains for the bedroom instead. We would also recommend a good sleep supplement and perhaps focussing on some other sleep hygiene factors that may contribute to you getting a better sleep and falling asleep faster.
Final Word On Best Sleep Mask Australia
If you made it to the end, we think you are in store for a good nights sleep. The aim of this article was to make the task of sifting through the rubbish and finding the best sleep mask for you to use one of many simple practices aimed at getting you to fall asleep fast and improve sleep overall so that you can experience all of the amazing downstream effects of quality rest and optimal recovery. The overall best sleep mask we have come across is definitely the Manta Blackout Sleep mask with is super comfortable eye pads, soft head band and full eye blackout coverage, an easy winner.
We have measured again and again the benefits of wearing a sleep mask at night by tracking our sleep data using wearable sleep trackers and the evidence is unmistakable.
