I used to be a never-napper. Even when I was dead tired, I couldn’t seem to get any shut-eye in the middle of the day. Historically, nighttime sleep has been difficult for me too, especially after having a baby in 2017.
In my quest for better sleep, I’ve tried earplugs, melatonin, prescription sleep aids, a white-noise machine, bamboo pajamas and multiple pillows. Then, several months ago, I tested two dozen sleep masks for the Filter US. Four months later, our best overall sleep mask, the Mzoo Luxury Sleep Mask, is still hanging from my headboard.
With the Mzoo strapped to my face, I can finally nap for the first time in my life. And I wear it every night, too. Here’s why.
Mzoo Luxury Sleep Mask
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A total blackout
The Mzoo’s main selling point is that it doesn’t give me what I think of as “facial claustrophobia”. Most masks either sit uncomfortably flush against your eyelids, or have foam eye cups so firm you feel like you’re wearing swimming goggles to bed. Neither is pleasant.
The Mzoo manages to deliver total darkness with zero pressure on your eyelids or your orbital bones. Here’s how: it’s padded with memory foam that surrounds the eye sockets. This means I can blink freely while wearing it, or take a siesta in mascara without waking up with raccoon eyes. And because the foam is the perfect amount of squishy, I can sleep on my side and even my stomach without it digging into my face.
When I wake up, the mask is consistently in the exact position I placed it the night before, not on my forehead or buried under my duvet. The wide elastic strap is adjustable, and after I dialed in the fit the first time by sliding the flat plastic buckle, I haven’t had to tinker with it again.
No worse for wear
I now wear my Mzoo every night, not just for naps; research shows that sleeping with even a small amount of light could adversely affect your health. Though I’ve had it for only a few months, it’s frequently recommended on the r/BuyItForLife subreddit thread.
I’m not particularly easy on it, but – despite the material not being all that luxurious, particularly for a mask with “luxury” in its name – it’s holding up well. Every night I subject it to copious amounts of Vaseline (which I slather on my under-eyes when I go to bed to lock in moisture), and I’ve thrown it in the washing machine a few times (defying the hand-wash-only care instructions). So far, it’s no worse for the wear.
Getting better nighttime sleep – and being able to nap when I don’t – has been a huge relief. A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to California. I didn’t attempt to snooze during the day while I was there, but I did manage to sleep in on my sister’s couch directly under a large window with very sheer curtains. It was only possible thanks to the Mzoo mask.
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Juno DeMelo is a health and wellness journalist and obsessive consumer. As a former magazine editor, she has overseen many best-of roundups. And as an early-morning Crossfitter and parent of a young child, she is chronically sleep-deprived. She began religiously reading the Tightwad Gazette newsletter beginning at age nine and has been very carefully considering her purchases ever since.
