I am one of those people who is extremely light sensitive when I try to sleep. The only other person I know who is as sensitive as me is my sister (Hi, Sis!). During one rather comical hotel stay, we tried to darken the room for sleeping. We shoved towels at the bottom of the door, pinned the blackout curtains shut with hair clips, covered every electronic charging light with towels and washcloths, but couldn’t figure out how to cover the smoke detector light. In a darkened room, every little light looks glaringly bright.
Eventually we slept with t-shirts over our eyes. When we woke up the next morning, it looks like the room had been the scene of a late night party with clothes and towels strewn about.
We still laugh about it.
Our sensitivity might be ridiculous but I’m sure there are other people out there who are plagued with the same issues we are, so I thought I would share the twenty year search for the perfect sleep mask.
Types of Masks
In fairness to makers of the various sleep masks I’m going mention, just because they don’t work for me doesn’t mean they aren’t good sleep masks. I’ll try to explain the pros and cons as I see them. There may also be slightly different purposes for styles so I will try to note that as well.
- The flat gel insert mask has a number of drawbacks. First, it’s pretty small and flat. This might work for smaller heads or even children, but I find the light seeps in around the edges for me. The insert is nice if you like a cold compact for a headache or eye strain, but I can’t use it to get to sleep. This is more like a hands free cold compress for me.
- The flat satin-backed mask gets points for its extreme cuteness. I love the idea of these masks but they have essentially the same problem as the gel mask. There is too much light seepage. I have a long nose that isn’t terribly pronounced but I find that it’s enough to get light up the bridge of my nose to my eyes. If I cinch this style down, it ends up digging into my nose. But they are cute, right?!
- The cupped foam mask has been a long standing go-to for a sleep mask. The width of the mask fits most adult faces and the cupped eye wells helps seal out light seepage. They are lightweight foam and fairly comfortable to use. I have one of these in every night stand in the house – for guests and for me! They are a decent solution.
- The Tempur-pedic structured mask is made of the same cushy memory foam as the brand’s pillows. There are built up little dams on the back side to keep the light from coming in from the bottom of the mask when you are lying down. They are extremely comfortable to wear. The only real downside to this is that they can get hot during summer months.
- The silk mask is only really different from the flat cat mask in its material. Silk is supposed to be a better material near your skin for coolness and comfort. Though the shape differs from the other flat masks, it suffers the same issues. Light seepage.
- Finally the buckwheat-filled mask is just a heavier rectangle filled with a grain. This style does not have a head band and can either be placed over your eyes if you don’t move when you sleep or you can just hold it in place for short resting moments throughout the day. I have this type of mask in my yoga bag and I break it out during shivasana. I find the weight of this is comforting. If you want a warm compress for your eyes, often you can microwave this style for a short period of time for slightly warm, moist heat.
As you can see from the back side of the shaped masks, there are different ways to block light and alleviate pressure on the eyes. Both of these work fairly well.
So why, with all of these options at my disposal, was I still looking for a better mask? Because each of these have their drawbacks. The biggest one is, they are not quite comfortable enough to sleep in. And I have to fiddle with them to get the light mostly blocked. The Tempur-pedic mask does the best at fully blocking light, but it’s warm to wear and I find it moves a bit too much if I sleep on my side.
Enter Manta Masks
I stumbled on Manta Sleep while I was looking for a good solution for getting warm, moist heat to my eyes. I bookmarked the page and kept returning to it. Eventually I succumbed and decided I would check them out and review them for you. Boy am I glad I did!
Originally I was only going to order the Manta STEAM Eye Cups (they are branded in the photo as WARM eye cups but they are now called STEAM on their website) but as I started reading about the different options, I decided to just commit to the full review experience.
The interesting thing about the Manta “system” is that the eye cups are separate from the actual mask. The “mask” holds the eye cups in place. The eye cups can be spaced and positioned to the mask using a lightweight velcro hook-and-loop style attachment.
Brilliant! The ultimate in custom fit!!
Manta WARM and COOL Mask
First try was the WARM / STEAM eye cups since that’s what led me to the brand in the first place. You can see the orange cups are filled with a bead material that uses moisture in the air when it is warmed up. Simply pop the orange eye cups in the microwave for 20 secs and then put them on the head band.
Heated bliss.
I had an electric heat eye mask I tried a few years ago but honestly it got TOO hot and started worrying me that it would damage my face.
You can see the black circle on the back is velcro. Simply attach it to the headband in the position that is more comfortable.
The COOL eye cups are the exact opposite but they work with the same mask. You can buy eye cups separately. There are MAX cups for long lashes and sensitive eyes, SILK cups for a more gentle experience, and a variety of different headbands in material and width.
You need to hand wash the cups if they get dirty – but moist heat is good for a number of eye issues so this is a keeper!!
Manta Weighted Mask
I purchased this second mask to round out my review. I honestly didn’t expect to like it as much as I do…but I am purging my other masks in favor of this one.
I’ve been fascinated by weighted blankets and how well they work to overcome my insomnia. I wondered if a weighted mask might produce the same result but be less bulky for travel.
The short answer is yes!
The outer mask strap is comfortably weighted similarly to the buckwheat eye pillow. The extra wide straps are more comfortable and actually block sound near my ears. The eye cups are deep and dark. When I put this on, I see NOTHING. Pitch black. I had my guy test the same pair to confirm he could set it up so they worked for him. He has a different sized head and needs the cups positioned farther apart to produce the same blackout effect. A couple of quick velcro adjustments and he was pleased with the result.
I’ve used this mask for day time naps and to sleep in our urban bedrooms where there is always streetlight glow creeping into the room. I’m asleep within minutes of putting it on and I’ll still be wearing it several hours later when I wake up. I was going to take a picture of what I look like in it – but honestly it’s SO pitch black perfect that I don’t even care!
Often when I do these reviews, I am prepared to be disappointed. This time I’m thrilled to say that my search is done. If anyone ever asks me for a recommendation, this is the only one I’ll tell them to buy.
If you look on the home page of Manta Sleep you can find 10% off for joining the Manta Club. The masks are also sold on Amazon (affiliate link) but I decided to order mine directly from the company. The base price is the same but the company page has the additional % off.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Some of these links are affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I may receive a commission for the sale. It does not cost you anything extra and you are free to use the link or not. Product purchases for review are made with my own money and my opinions are my own. If product is ever provided or the article is sponsored, it will be clearly noted at the top of the page.
