Drowsy Sleep Mask vs Nodpod: Silk and Weighted Masks

Temple Grandin got the idea for her squeeze machine at a ranch in Arizona, watching cattle wait in a squeeze chute for the vet. Some of the animals seemed to relax the moment pressure was applied to large areas of their bodies. She wondered whether the same thing would settle her own jangled nerves, so she built a padded, V-shaped box lined with thick foam rubber that she could lie inside. The lesson has stuck with me: pressure, spread wide and steady, can be calming.

Nodpod comes from a very similar instinct, at a kitchen table. In 2009, founder Melissa Bamberg was on a cross-country motorhome trip and draped her sweatshirt arm over her eyes to block a parking lot light. She noticed the gentle weight itself was what helped her relax. She sewed the first prototype at home and tried it on her family. She had worked in pharmaceutical sourcing and run a family traffic-control business before that, and she has said she left after her second child. The site launched in 2014, and the brand describes itself as a female-founded sleep-wellness company in California.

The trick is to see the weighted mask as a piece of that story. The Nodpod Weighted Blanket For Your Eyes and its Silk version are the originals, and The Weighted Pod For Your Body extends the idea beyond the face. The rest of the first grid is the other kind of mask: the Therabody SleepMask, Kitsch's Contour Pillow Eye Mask, Drowsy's Eyelash Protecting Mask, Casaluna's Solid Silk Eye Mask and slip's Blockout Sleep Mask. If you like the weight, buy a Nodpod. If not, the Nodpod is not the only door in. If you want to keep going, Drowsy Sleep Masks From Two Brothers Who Could Not Sleep is the one I would read next.

Here is how I would choose between weight and silk: think about how your face feels at 3 a.m. If you wake up hot and restless, silk is the cooler, lighter idea. If you wake up wired and want something to hold you down, the weighted mask is the better bet.

slip is the silk-first brand in this group. Its Pure Silk Sleep Mask is the simple classic, and the Contour Sleep Mask is the shaped one. The Pure Silk Lovely Lashes Contour Sleep Mask is shaped to leave more room over the eyes, so it is the one I would look at if you wear lashes to bed. The same fabric turns up in the Queen/Standard Pure Silk Pillowcase, the Skinny Scrunchies set of six with a pouch, the Large Scrunchies set of three, the Travel Jet Setter Pillow and The Turban. I went deeper on a related idea in Blissy Silk Pillowcases, Masks and Bonnets I Would Sleep In.

A pairing I like: the silk pillowcase with a silk scrunchie in your hair. The mask is the small piece, and the case is the one your face meets every night.

None of these carry Nodpod's weighted pods, so the choice comes down to pressure or plain silk.

What I would skip: a silk mask if you know you kick it off in your sleep. A snugger, weighted one may suit you better.

One rule for a wind-down: pick a sequence, not a pile. A mask, a spray and a bath will each help, but doing all three every night turns rest into a chore. Choose the two you enjoy and repeat them.

Scent is the easiest place to begin. This Works' Deep Sleep Pillow Spray goes on the linen, and the Heavenly Diffuser from the same line does the room. OSEA's Vagus Nerve Pillow Mist is the one I would reach for when the day has been long, and Vitruvi's Sleep Essential Oil Blend suits anyone who already has a diffuser. Vitruvi's Stone Diffuser Sleep Bundle gives you both at once. The Laundress' Beauty Sleep Fabric Spray is for the sheets themselves.

For the bath, Saint Jane's Deep Sleep Magnesium Bath Salts are the easy evening ritual, and Kate McLeod's Sleep Pebble is the small one for anyone who wants the ritual without a full bath. Pair a warm bath with a mask and nothing else on the bedside table.

What I would skip: strong scents if you share a bed with someone who is sensitive to them. A mask is the quieter version of sleep help. I also put together Medicube Collagen Mask and the Overnight Masks I Would Sleep In.

Start with the one thing that wakes you. If it is light, buy a mask. If it is noise, buy earplugs. If it is your neck, buy a pillow. It is a plain rule, and it stops you filling the nightstand with solutions to problems you do not have.

Sound first. Ostrichpillow's Orbit Earplugs are the small, low-effort choice, and Ozlo Sleepbuds are the more serious one for sound. For breathing, Skin Gym's For The Love Of Sleep Mouth Tape and Solaris Laboratories' Functional Mouth Tape are both sold to encourage nasal breathing overnight. I would talk to a doctor before trying mouth tape, especially if you snore or have any trouble breathing. Izipizi's Sleeping Glasses block blue light for reading in bed.

For hair and neck, The Sleepy Tie Medium and The LuxeBonnet from Sleepy Tie are the tie-style mask and the bonnet, and Nurse Jamie's Beauty Bear Memory Foam Pillow is built for the same nighttime routine. Put a pillow and a mask together and you have covered the two things your face touches all night.

What I would skip: mouth tape if your nose is stuffed or you have a cold. Breathing comes first.

I think the mask deserves more credit than it gets. The Sleep Foundation says light is one of the strongest regulators of the body's internal clock, and that closing your eyes is not enough to block it, because circadian effects can happen even through closed eyelids in a lit room. It recommends a mask when you cannot dim the light around you.

So I would buy the one you will actually wear. Weight if you want to feel held, silk if you want it light, and a pod of your own if you are Temple Grandin's kind of person. She built hers with foam rubber. You can build yours with a mask and a dark room.