Wirecutter has been researching and testing sleep masks since 2017. For this guide, we did the following:

• We interviewed a sleep medicine specialist and representatives from sleep mask companies. We also read multiple sleep-mask-related scientific studies to learn more about the benefits of wearing sleep masks at night.
• We researched more than 50 sleep masks from a sea of similar models, evaluating customer reviews on Amazon and articles on sleep masks to determine which models to test.
• We tested 14 masks, assessing their ability to block out light, the feel of their materials, the quality of their construction, and their general adjustability for different head and face shapes.

If you need to block out light from your sleep environment, a sleep mask can help. If you already use one (whether a freebie from a long-haul flight or an old bandana), it might be time to upgrade to one of our picks. Airline masks or bedazzled models—think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (video)—are typically not well designed (allowing light to creep in at the edges), or they’re so uncomfortable you may toss it off in the middle of the night.

The overhead lights in our homes, the street lights, and the glow from laptops, phones, and televisions have skyrocketed our average daily exposure to light, said Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep doctor and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Over a third of Americans (PDF) report that outdoor or indoor light disrupts their sleep. Light exposure at night can make it harder to initially fall asleep and can cause you to wake up during the night, disrupting your transitions between your sleep cycles and degrading your overall quality of sleep. Creating a pitch-dark sleep environment can be hard to do, especially if you’re a frequent traveler or night-shift worker. Sleep masks are an affordable way to tackle that problem, and new research has even shown that wearing one at night helps with memory consolidation, the ability to learn, and alertness the next day. Sleep masks don’t cure insomnia (for that, we recommend speaking with your physician), but they should help you get better sleep.

Top pick

Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask

A flat silk mask

A silken exterior material, a flat design, and an adjustable strap make this mask a fit for almost any face, but it puts pressure on the eyes.

Buying Options

$12 $9 from Amazon

(deal on black)

Best for: This mask is suitable for side-, back-, and stomach-sleepers who want a mask that sits flush against their face.

How it feels: This mask is silky smooth and breathable, so it doesn’t get hot when pressed against your skin all night.

Why it’s great

It was popular among all testers, regardless of sleep style. The Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask is comfortable, soft, and lightweight. All of our testers (whether back-, side-, or stomach-sleepers) had something that they liked about this mask, and it performed better than average in every testing consideration, including fit, adjustability, and comfort. If you’ve worn a traditional sleep mask before, this silk-lined style will feel familiar but remarkably more comfortable and softer on your skin.

It’s especially great for stomach-sleepers. Our testers who sleep on their stomach found that the convex sleep masks crumpled when their face made contact with their pillow, impeding their sleep. The Alaska Bear sleep mask, on the other hand, stays flush, even when sandwiched between a pillow and your face. Both sides of the mask design are lined with mulberry silk, which remains breathable even when pressed against the skin.

It fits a range of faces and blocks light well. This silk mask is a good choice if convex sleep masks don’t suit your face or sleep style. The Alaska Bear sleep mask’s flat design fits nearly all face shapes and nose types. Even though this mask doesn’t seal around your face like our more structured picks, all of our testers reported that it did a decent job of blocking out light.

The adjustable strap is barely noticeable. Testers liked that you can adjust the strap with a small plastic buckle that didn’t bother back-sleepers and rarely got tangled in longer or curlier hair. One tester, who tried the Alaska Bear sleep mask in 2020 and again in 2024, said that “the mask stays on really well, as long as you tighten the strap every couple of nights.”

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• This mask may slip off during the night. Some of our testers who preferred a looser and less-snug fit found that the mask slipped around and fell off in the middle of the night. Those testers are likely better suited to a convex cup, anyway.
• The adjustable strap may be too thin for some. A couple of testers noted that the strap felt scratchy against the sensitive skin behind their ears. To fix this problem, they adjusted the strap higher on their head, which made the mask slip off in their sleep.
• It is hand-wash only. Like the Mzoo Sleep Mask and the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, our pick from Alaska Bear is hand-wash only, so you can’t simply throw it in the washing machine to clean it.

Top pick

Mzoo Sleep Mask

A smooth, contoured eye mask

Soft, structured, and contoured, this mask stays on all night and prevents any light from seeping through.

Buying Options

$22 $17 from Amazon

You save $5 (23%)

Best for: This model suits side- and back-sleepers who need a little space between the mask and their eyes.

How it feels: This mask is soft against the skin and roomy around the eyes, and it drops the world into complete darkness the moment you put it on.

Why it’s great

It stays in place all night. Even the side-sleepers on our testing panel, who noted that sleep masks don’t always work with their preferred sleep position, found that this mask stayed on throughout the night. One tester noted that the mask didn’t let light in around the nose bridge, even when they laid on their side.

It fully blocks light. One tester described this mask as “perfect for a nap in a sunny window.” It fully shuts out all light, whether you’re trying to sleep in broad sun or just need to stifle residual light at night.

Its padded, goggle-like design is especially comfortable. The Mzoo Sleep Mask’s eyecups have a convex gap so your eyes can open and close. That gap is surrounded by a memory foam padding that rests on the perimeter of your eye sockets. The effect is such that you don’t feel like your eyes are being forced closed, but there is a bit of compression near your temples, eyebrows, and cheekbones. Our testers found this sensation soothing. “They feel more like putting on goggles than a sleep mask, but they are sure to get the job done,” one tester said. Another liked how the contour of the eyecup kept the mask from brushing against their eyelashes, which makes it a good choice for people who wear eyelash extensions.

It’s adjustable. This mask is equipped with an adjustable plastic slider that ensures a snug fit for all head sizes and shapes. Only one tester thought that it was still slightly too big even after fastening it as tightly as the strap would allow.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The compression of the memory foam is not for everyone. Of all our testers, only one didn’t like this mask—and they really didn’t like it. They found the contoured memory-foam design applied too much pressure to their orbital bone and eye socket.
• It’s expensive. The Mzoo mask costs about $30, which is a far cry from the free masks handed out on airplanes. However, it’s often on sale for around $20, which is about the same price as our other pick, the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask.
• It’s hand-wash only. Like our other picks, this mask is hand-wash only. Since it presses somewhat tightly against the face, you may need to clean it more often than our other picks.

Top pick

Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask

A lightweight, roomy option

Lightweight and contoured, this mask fits comfortably and blocks light well for a wide variety of face shapes. Its deep eyecups allow your eyes to flutter during sleep.

Buying Options

$20 $14 from Amazon

You save $6 (30%)

Best for: This mask will appeal to side- and back-sleepers who don’t want any added pressure to their eyes.

How it feels: This model is lightweight and roomy, and it rests gently on your face.

Why it’s great

It has a lightweight, barely there feel. The polyester-covered, elastic-band Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask has deep, wide cups that gently sit upon your eyes without applying any pressure (like our pick from Mzoo does). The Nidra sleep mask’s cavernous design leaves ample room for your eyes to move while you sleep, no matter how tightly you adjust its headband.

The design accommodates different face shapes. Spanning temple to temple on most faces, the Nidra mask covers more surface area than all the other sleep masks we tested, and it features a wider nose-bridge shape. This gap slopes gently without being too rigid, so it conforms to many more nose shapes, from narrow and arched noses with bridges to wider, flatter noses without bridges. The adjustable strap, which was redesigned in 2023 from a velcro closure to a plastic slider, secures a snug fit without snagging on hair.

It blocks light well. Because the mask is wide from temple to temple, testers reported that it did a great job keeping them in total darkness. One tester, who self-identified as having a small face and a big nose, found that all other masks let in a little light around the nose bridge, whereas the Nidra sleep mask did not.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The material isn’t as soft as our other picks. A few testers noted that the mask had rougher edges around the eyecups that felt abrasive against their skin and made this mask too uncomfortable to wear all night.
• The mask design is polarizing. The extra-wide eyecups and sloped nose bridge worked for most testers, but not all. One tester noted that the mask didn’t sit flush against their face, and instead dug in at awkward spots and created little pressure points that were distracting throughout the night. Some testers preferred the Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask for its silky material and more-universal fit.
• It’s not for stomach-sleepers (and some side-sleepers). If you sleep face-down, you likely won’t benefit from the Nidra mask’s raised eyecups because half of your face will be pressed against your pillow anyway. Some side-sleepers noticed that the mask tended to pucker out at the sides instead of lying flat.
• It’s hand-wash only. Like our other picks, this mask can’t go in the washing machine.

In evaluating sleep masks, we looked for:

Light-blocking abilities: A good sleep mask blocks out most light, even if the sun is shining directly in your face.

A comfortable feel for all-night wear: Because the mask lies directly on your face, the softer and less noticeable it is, the better. We looked out for breathable materials like silk, which feels gentle against your eyelids yet keeps your face from getting too hot on swampy nights. Masks should also be lightweight (ideally no more than 1.5 ounces) but sturdy enough to hold their shape.

An adjustable strap: The strap should be able to fit heads of all sizes and shapes. Most mask straps rely on Velcro or a plastic fastener to create a snug fit. Our testers typically preferred buckled straps, which were less likely to get tangled in one’s hair.

Convex eyecups: Sleep masks that offer some space between your eyelids and the mask give your eyes room to move or flutter. Most testers found this type of design more comfortable than flat-style masks that felt heavy on their eyelids and lashes. If you don’t like that sensation or tend to fall asleep with your makeup still on, a convex, cup-style sleep mask is the way to go.

Versatile design: Sleep masks should suit a variety of face and nose shapes. We disqualified any options that bunched up on more-pronounced noses or let in too much light on flatter ones.

Durable and washable: Nightly wear causes unsavory levels of skin oils and eye gunk to build up on the underside of the mask. We considered masks that could stand up to frequent machine- or hand-washing.

In our most recent round of testing in 2024, we considered six masks and assessed their quality and versatility before sending them to a group of eight panelists to try at home. Each tester slept with each mask for at least one night and evaluated their performance based on comfort, ability to block out light, and whether or not they stayed on all night.

If you know you want a sleep mask for traveling or sitting upright: Consider the Manta Sleep Mask, which features two removable doughnut-shaped eyecups that you can Velcro onto the mask for a more precise fit. We found its eyecups, however, pressed uncomfortably against the face while our testers were sleeping on their side or stomach. The soft fabric of the mask felt less breathable than the foam or silk of our picks, and the material was uncomfortable in warm weather.

If you have a larger head: The Bucky 40 Blinks Sleep Mask is almost indistinguishable from the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, save for a slightly stiffer foam build and a wider Velcro strap. Its accommodating strap offers a marginally better fit for larger heads than that of our pick from Nidra, though this also means the Bucky sleep mask’s strap forms a more noticeable bump behind your head. The mask’s V-shaped cutout, which is meant to go around the nose, is a little stiff and less malleable than that of the Nidra sleep mask. But if you have a larger head and prefer a mask with eyecups, the Bucky sleep mask may be a better choice.

We tested two other masks from Alaska Bear. The Alaska Bear 2-Strap Natural Silk Sleep Mask is a flat design like the one we recommend, but with the addition of a second strap and a flap of silk that can cover your nose. The double strap was hard to adjust, especially while half-asleep in the middle of the night. The nose baffle, meanwhile, barely prevented light from leaking in.

The Alaska Bear Memory Foam Sleep Mask is made of plush memory foam with indentations around the eyes, which initially seemed like a good compromise between flat and contoured masks. Our testers found that the mask blocked all visible light and was very comfortable to wear while they were sitting up—but when they slept on their stomach or side, the plush sides of the mask compressed uncomfortably.

The BeeVines Silk Sleep Mask (pack of two) is a flat, silk sleep mask. Although the material itself was soft against the skin, most testers didn’t like this mask—it’s small, doesn’t block light very well, and the adjustable plastic slider strap was too thin and pinched the skin behind their ears.

No one found the Bedtime Bliss Sleep Mask particularly comfortable during testing. Although it seems to be the spitting image of the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, its smaller size and sharper nose contour make it less comfortable to wear.

The Brooklinen Mulberry Silk Eyemask was the softest mask we’ve tested, and it felt luxurious to the touch. But, many testers, even those with small faces, noted that it felt too tight, and it slipped off in the middle of the night.

The Freshme Cotton Sleep Mask wraps around your head and is made from 95% cotton and 5% spandex. Testers really liked the immersive experience of this mask, but the cotton can get hot. This mask would be a great option for sleeping on planes, trains, and buses, but wearing it all night might have you waking up in sweats.

Slip’s Sleep Mask is a fancy-looking mask that arrives in an even fancier case. The mask felt impressively smooth to the touch, but it has a scrunchie-like band instead of adjustable buckles or Velcro, and it felt much too small even for those with small heads.

The makers of the PrettyCare 3D Sleep Mask (pack of two) boast about the mask’s “large eye cavities” in its Amazon description, but we found that the mask had shallow cups. Our initial testers found the mask uncomfortable, and no one picked it as a favorite.

The Earth Therapeutics R.E.M Sleep Eye Mask is similar to the old, Velcro version of the Nidra sleep mask and has large convex eyecups and a gentle nose bridge. But the polyurethane foam and polyester material feels cheap and itchy against the skin.

Designed for travel, the Trtl Glimpse Sleep Mask has a fabric flap that you can pull up to “take a peek” without taking the mask off and letting in bright light. It’s a fun feature, but the entire mask was rather bulky, and it slipped easily.

Similar to the Trtl sleep mask, the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Sleep Mask had heat and fit issues. A bouffant of velour-like memory foam, the mask felt heavy and needed to be tightened too much to prevent slipping. And the fabric made it too hot for comfort.

Sabrina Imbler wrote a previous version of this article, first published in 2017. This article was edited by Christina Colizza and Courtney Schley.