17 Best Sleep Masks | The Strategist

Our writers dig deep into the Strategist’s archives to surface the best things we’ve already written about and recommended in a single category. Read more here.

Our writers dig deep into the Strategist’s archives to surface the best things we’ve already written about and recommended in a single category. Read more here.

Whether you’re a restless sleeper, every-day napper, or frequent flier, a sleep mask can ensure you get the deep rest you need to function — and there are a lot to choose from. To help you figure out which sleep mask is right for you, I’ve compiled a list of all the best ones that have appeared on the Strategist, as recommended by sleep experts, frequent travelers, and celebrities plus our own writers and editors. (And as someone who has looked through every single article in our column “What I Can’t Live Without,” I can tell you that sleep masks are one of the most recommended products.) So while you’re considering the mattress and sheets that make up your ideal sleep setup, don’t forget to pick out a sleep mask that will help you focus on sleep and sleep only.

Update on October 23, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.

Slip’s Pure Silk Sleep Mask is our most-often recommended sleep mask by far. It’s no surprise, really: Slip is the maker of one of the most popular silk pillowcases out there (it’s also our pick for the best luxury silk pillowcase). Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla is one fan of the sleep mask, which she says is potentially “the most luxurious sleep mask on the market” thanks to how it’s made. The mask’s momme count — the technical term for the heft and weight of the material — is 22 (the industry average is 19), and it’s made of mulberry silk, which is one of the most coveted types of silk right now. The mask is so good that Pardilla owns four of them. “I never feel better than when I slip (sorry!) one right on after doing my nighttime skin-care routine and calling it an early night,” she says.

Other Slip-mask devotees include designers Tamara Mellon and Karen Walker, co-founder of Away Jen Rubio, Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo, and YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. “The mask makes sure no light keeps me up,” Chamberlain says, adding that it’s great for travel. “I’ve found that when you sleep for 12 hours on a plane, certain materials will dig into your face and leave nasty marks or irritate the skin. This one is so soft, which makes it relaxing, too. It’s breathable, and I don’t break out after.”

If you’re looking for something a little less pricey, consider Alaska Bear’s mulberry-silk eye mask, which first appeared on the Strategist in 2018 when one of our editors at the time purchased it for herself. Since then, we’ve recommended it in our gift guides for both husbands and wives. Like our best less expensive silk pillowcase, this one is made of 19-momme mulberry silk, so it’s plenty silky, just slightly less soft than our top pick. Other draws on this one: an easily adjustable strap, contoured padding to give your eyes some breathing room, and good-enough blackout capabilities. It’s the first sleep mask I ever purchased for myself, and it has worked well for international flights, dorm living, and an average night of sleep.

The Drowsy sleep mask is one of the pricier picks on this list, but its fans swear by it for its adjustable straps, ultrasoftness (this one is 22-momme mulberry silk), and pillowy feel that works for stomach, side, and back sleepers. The Bear star Abby Elliott says, “I had a period where I was wearing another eye mask that was too tight and got ocular headaches from it. This one’s really comfortable, adjustable, and blocks out all light.” Actress and comedian Kate Berlant is even more enamored by it, once telling us, “I worry that my dependence on this thing will alter the course of my life.” Similarly, she praises it for its silky hand feel and ability to block out light.

I’ve been testing out Drowsy’s new eyelash protecting mask, which is even more luxurious than the original because of two added eye cups that give your eyes and eyelashes some extra space. The mask is gloriously pillowy yet still feels secure thanks to the straps, which allow me to adjust the mask’s pressure. It would make a great gift for the girlfriend who has a hard time falling asleep and for boyfriends, too. Mine — once a sleep-mask skeptic — now wears the mask more than I do.

While the Slip sleep mask strikes a nice balance between appearance, comfort, and light-blocking ability, the MZOO sleep mask is most notable for its ability to block out light and its desirable price tag. The mask’s supporters include RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Jinkx Monsoon, our very own beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton, and Frankie Grande, a Times Square resident who put the mask to the ultimate test. “It’s a very bright environment, and light comes in 24 hours a day,” he says. “This really helps me fall asleep at night because it’s comfortable and 100 percent blackout.” He praises the mask’s “little scoops,” which provide space between his eyes and the mask and save his makeup.

For Viera-Newton, the mask’s memory-foam material is another plus. “Just as a good memory-foam mattress forms to your body, this memory-foam eye mask forms perfectly to your eyes, sealing them from any outside light,” she writes. “It also happens to be thick, bouncy, and cushiony — so if you happen to sleep on your stomach, like me, it almost feels like resting your face on another mini-pillow.” I’ve tried the mask myself and have to agree: This thing truly blocks out all light and is very comfortable to wear. In my testing, I found it’ll stay in place throughout the night if you adjust the buckle strap to just the right fit.

While the MZOO sleep mask is already a pretty good price, the Myhalos Sleep Mask is even more affordable. We learned about it from comedian Nikki Glaser, who says, “Masks are the No. 1 essential thing in my life.” Not only does she wear them on planes, but she wears them when she sleeps every single night. “I’ve tried every sleep mask. I have hundreds of them; I try new ones all the time. And this one I’ve been committed to for a year now,” she says.

If you’re sensitive to light and willing to spend a bit more on a sleep mask for ultimate darkness, buy this one. It’s from Manta, and it’s one of the most effective masks that I’ve tested so far — even on a bright morning, when I usually wouldn’t be able to sleep in, I could thanks to this mask. And it turns out I’m not the only one who loves it. In 2019, DJ, producer, and designer Steve Aoki recommended it to us, and five years later, he says that he still can’t live without it. “I always carry two with me because I just need to have one,” he says, adding that he owns about 15 to 20 of them. Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie is also a Manta stan and is particularly loyal to the Manta Pro, which is made of softer, more durable, more breathable, and faster-drying material than the original Manta that Aoki is a fan of. The eye cups are larger, too, making this one perfect for those who value breathability.

And if you’re headache-prone or get night sweats, consider a cooling sleep mask like this one. It combines Aoki’s favorite Manta sleep mask with a pair of cooling eye cups that you swap in for the normal eye cups. Just stick the cooling duo in the freezer until a headache strikes (or the AC breaks) and then pop them into the mask. Of course, the cups won’t stay cool all night, but they’ll fend off the heat or the headache as you drift off to sleep. Though I don’t run hot per se, I popped this on while waiting for my bedroom’s inaugural air conditioner to arrive and found it to be a great respite from the heat.

As someone prone to headaches, I resisted sleep masks for most of my life because I found that my head would start to pound if the strap was too tight. Then I discovered that there are a number of effective sleep masks with easily adjustable straps, like the Bucky Eye Mask. We’ve been recommending it since 2016, when Strategist contributor Maureen O’Connor called it a bra for your eyes — not because of its support but because it has two bralike cups that give her eyelashes enough space to breathe. The mask also has a handy Velcro strap that allows you to make it as loose or as tight as you want it.

If you’d rather have no strap at all, check out the Sleep Crown Traveler, which actress and director Natalie Morales says she can’t live without. “I don’t like the pressure most sleep masks put on my face or how when I turn to the side, they move,” she says. “Not only is this made of the softest material, but also it has the appropriate amount of pressure. So it doesn’t feel too heavy, but it also won’t move off if you turn your head. It just immediately lulls me to sleep.” That stability comes from its weight — 12 ounces — which is more than our favorite weighted sleep mask below.

Whether or not you’ve tried a weighted blanket (or even a weighted stuffed animal), you should consider a weighted sleep mask, which Strategist contributor Dana Covit reports offers the same stress-relieving benefits as its blanket counterpart. She describes the nine-ounce Nodpod Weighted Sleep Mask as “a cute caterpillar of a thing: plush with four little segments, each filled with beads. One side is cotton, the other a cozier microfleece.” Like the adjustable options above, this one is also ideal for headache-havers because you can pop it in the freezer to cool the beads inside. Pardilla hangs this mask over her headboard for times when she’s restless and says, “The mask is the only thing that’ll help me go back to sleep at 3 a.m.” Plus she appreciates the adjustable closure: “A small slot on one end pulls through the other end and keeps it wrapped into place — no peeking light, none of that falling underneath your chin when you’re rolling over,” she says. One college student also told me they’ve found it effective when trying to get some shut-eye while their roommate is in their dorm room. (If you’d still like the skin benefits of a silk mask, though, you’ll want to check out Nodpod’s new weighted silk one.)

The YFONG weighted eye mask weighs less than the Nodpod mask and consequently comes with a lower price tag. The quarter-pound mask is a favorite of Brat Pack star Rob Lowe, who, like Aoki, owns quite a few. “I keep them everywhere: in my car, in my backpack, in my bedside table,” he says. As someone with “really long eyelashes,” he doesn’t like it when his sleep masks crowd his eyes. This one has plenty of space without sacrificing on weight: “The beads that they have around the nose area just makes it sit on your face in a very comfy way. It’s got the right weight to it,” he says.

Anyone who has attempted to take a nap during a long flight understands the struggle of waking up to the cabin lights. While most of the masks on this list are ideal for travel, this one stands out because of its place on the “Strategist Travel 100,” our list of carefully chosen, obsessively vetted essentials for all kinds of trips. Author Georgia Clark first enlightened us to the Lewis N. Clark Comfort Eye Masks after trying out a dozen masks. Like many other masks on this list, it “promises and delivers total darkness, superior comfort, and customizable straps,” she writes. “What really separates the Lewis N. Clark is the rib of padding along the bow-shaped bottom edge. Most sleeping masks let in the light in the gap under your eyes, but this mask blocks out all of those early-morning rays.” Since it comes in a pack of two, it’ll also make a great wedding-anniversary gift (or second-wedding-anniversary gift) for the couple who loves to travel or sleep in.

For the sleeper who curls up on their side, consider this silky sleep mask that comes recommended by actress (and side sleeper) Kathryn Hahn. “A regular eye mask just has an elastic band around your head, but this one is cushioned all the way around, so it’s supercomfortable when I’m lying on my side,” she says. “It feels like heaven or like I’m in one of those sensory-deprivation tanks.” Entrepreneur Camila Alves McConaughey also praises the mask for its ability to block light. Although she previously didn’t wear sleep masks because of their elastic band, she likes that this one is “really thick, and it doesn’t have that elastic that goes around your ears.” This mask also made our “Strategist Sleep 100.”

For the ultimate tune out, consider this sleep mask that has Bluetooth speakers inside to block out sound and light at the same time. “When you travel a lot, you need a way of shutting down so that you can guarantee that you get enough sleep no matter what time zone you’re in,” celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas says about the mask. “This was a complete game changer for me. ​​There are Bluetooth speakers where your ears go, so they cancel out all the background noise of wherever you are, whether you’re in a hotel or on an airplane.” While she tunes in to her nighttime-meditation playlist, you could also play your favorite podcast or sleep song.

While I named the Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask the best less expensive sleep mask above, this option is best for those who want to upgrade their silk quality. I’ve tested the Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Eye Mask, Alaska Bear sleep mask, and Drowsy sleep mask and can confidently say that Brooklinen’s mask is noticeably softer than the Alaska Bear sleep mask and almost as soft as the Drowsy sleep mask. Given the price difference between each of these masks, the Brooklinen one is the perfectly good middle option. Actress Myha’la Herrold is also a fan and says, “I need it pitch black, so I always sleep with this on. There’s also something about the slight pressure on my face that is quite comforting.” While working on this story, I have tested many sleep masks, but this is the one I always come back to. It’s soft, slightly larger than the Slip mask, and loose enough that it doesn’t give me headaches despite not having an adjustable strap. Not to mention that it’s the perfect size to throw in my carry-on before a flight.

If you find silk to be too slippery but still want a “silky”-soft sleeping experience, Ettitude’s sateen sleep mask is your answer. It’s simple, constructed with neither an adjustable strap nor the eye cups that some of our upgrade picks have. The sustainable bamboo fabric (which is the same as our favorite set of cooling bamboo sheets are made from) feels undeniably luxurious. Journalist SuChin Pak first told us about the mask and says all of Ettitude’s sateen “feels like the most luxurious silk.”

For the cashmere heads, I’m including this impossibly luxurious eye mask that Strategist contributor Bridget Arsenault had in her “Compulsive Shopping” article about sleep masks. “This is so cozy against my face,” she writes. “But it’s a bit thicker, almost doughlike, making it even more plush and well cushioned — like resting a big marshmallow over my eyes.”

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