If you suffer from clinical insomnia, you’ll likely need more than an eye mask. If you’re like me and simply clamoring for one additional hour of sleep but wake up with the morning light, give an eye mask a try.

I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something. Some of the gimmicks that I’ve made fun of without mercy in the past are somehow finding their way into my environment. Worse yet, they’re proving to serve a purpose.

I have a vivid memory (a few months back) of a colleague of mine proposing using a light up, light down sleep mask of some sort. Now, this particular model had flashes and scents and other bells and whistles, giving it a truly absurd feel. I laughed at him and likely said something smug about how the company’s marketing model works. Their model, it turns out, is actually derived from simple science. We sleep better and are healthier in the dark. From thenakedlabel.com:

Sleeping in darkness helps produce the naturally occurring hormone, melatonin, in our body. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant hormone that is useful in preventing cancer and other conditions in the body. Any light exposure such as a small amount of light that filters in through the curtains and hits your skin can interrupt the hormone production, causing a decrease in melatonin levels. This in turn can affect sleep and interfere with the body’s normal process in a good quality sleep.

Fine, so I was unreasonably skeptical. Certainly not unusual until I experience the positive benefits of a product or theory myself. For a while now, I’ve been working towards the longest possible sleep. My bedroom is glorious, but it’s bright. I have no curtains and sunlight beams through my giant windows at 5:49am (this morning). I’ve been getting out of bed just before 7:00am to start making breakfast and get my young men off to school. That’s a delta of 71 minutes. I want those minutes. I will have those minutes.

This morning, I woke up with the light, and I put my black pillowcase over my eyes. I crashed quickly until 6:55am. Right, I don’t need a mask per se, but I’m going to bite the bullet and use one so that I don’t have to tie anything and get it bunched up or…whatever. Something simple is likely the right play. From dreamessentials.com:

Eye masks are designed to keep all incoming light away from your eyes and to induce a state of pure darkness.

An eye mask, also called a sleeping mask, is a device typically made from fabric that is intended to cover both eyes, the device has an elasticated strap that holds the mask onto your head. Place the mask over your eyes to induce a state of darkness or block unwanted light.

I can get with a simple product like that, as long as I can fit my cucumber slices underneath. Damn. What am I becoming?

Strong, flexible mind,

Kap