In the months before I moved into the first apartment of my own I spent some time on people’s couches living the life of a transient. This was 1990 and my first introduction to the joy of wearing eye masks. I have worn one ever since.
The brand doesn’t matter all that much though I have been enjoying a CVS model of late. They don’t last forever because the elastic always weakens so I have had to replace my fair share of eye masks over time. I currently have a drawer with about five of them. There is also one lurking in both my luggage and my backpack. You never know when you might need a sleep mask.
The odds are that you can improve the quality of the sleep you get on a nightly basis. Our sleep is affected by so many things. Â The next thing I will write about is electronics and how they affect us if we are plugged into them right before going to bed.
Melatonin is the chemical of sleeping. Its production causes drowsiness and prepares the body for sleep. As your eyes begin to register that the light of day is changing, the brain does its thing and starts to produce melatonin that will help you fall asleep. Any light inhibits the production of melatonin which controls your sleep cycles.
Put on an eye mask, shut out the light, and you will likely improve on the quality of your sleep.
Since light affect how much melatonin your body produces the shorter days of the winter months are likely to produce less melatonin in the body. Some researchers see a correlation between this and seasonal affective disorder which plagues so many people. Melatonin levels also lower with age which might explain why people sleep less as they age. Eye masks can definitely help with this.
I have written numerous times about sleeping and how important I think it is for good health and successful ageing. Sleep deprivation as well as sleeping in the wrong positions can have far-ranging effects on the body and mind. The quality of sleep you get while sleeping is equally important.
Eye masks will shut out the light from your world for a few hours each night which could be incredibly beneficial to your body and soul. I highly recommend giving one a try.
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