Sleep is one of those things everyone needs. It is also something that often eludes me. While there are many factors that contribute to a sleepless night, one of the ones that is often ignored is light. I am an extremely light sleeper and it took me a really long time to realize that one of the things that woke me up a lot during the night was the shifting lights in the bedroom.
A neighbor turns on or off a porchlight, a passing cat triggers an overly sensitive security light, a car drives past the house and headlights roll past the windows. A million things can happen in the night to shift the light around and once i realized that the shifting of the light in the room, even if it was for a short time, was one of the things that was waking me up, or at least a contributing factor, I began to look into eye masks.
I am actually amazed at the variety of eye masks out there. You wouldn’t think that there would be so much variation, but there is and I have discovered some preferences and a list of things that I think make the perfect eye mask. Admittedly, that list is always adapting as I find new masks with new features.
So when Mountrax asked if they could sent one of their heated eye masks to me to try out and review I was all for it. The Mountrax Heated Eyemask is a 3D Design and made for total black out. It has smart IC for save warm Eye compress to help relieve sinuses and puffiness and it even has a small pocket for a scent tab if you are looking for a full sensory experience. The Mountrax Heated Eye mask retails for $29.99.
So let’s take a look at the eye mask. The first thing i always look at with eye masks is the strap. I know it sounds strange but I have found one of the key features of a good eye mask is an adjustable strap. Many of the eye masks I have tried have just an elastic band holding them in place. Some of the elastics have been very nicely covered in silk or satin, but the truth is that if you sleep in them every night then that elastic is going to loosen. To continue to consistently use an eye mask for any length of time the strap needs to be adjustable. This not only has an easy to adjust strap but it is a wide strap. The wider the strap the more comfortable it is to wear. There isn’t a thin line of pressure on your head and you don’t feel a ridge where your head presses against the pillow. So the strap get’s two thumbs up.
The mask itself is a soft material that feels nice against the skin. It is filled with low rebound memory foam so it is light against the skin as well, so there is nothing heavy pressing against the face. This is my first 3D face mask and I have to say I am in love. I may never go back to the flat masks. The way the 3D works is that the foam ridge aligns with your brow and your lower orbital bone. there is then a concave space above your eyes. Which means nothing is pressing against your eyelids. You can blink with abandon and not feel like your eyes are trapped in a closed position.
For me this means that if I hear a sound in the middle of the night, I can open my eyes to listen, but still be in the darkness of the mask as my ears try to determine what the sound was. Usually it is the heater clicking on or some other identifiable noise that once my brain realizes what it is I can let it go. Because I don’t have to lift up the mask to open my eyes and thus expose myself to the light and shadow of the room, I find it much easier to slide back into sleep.
As far as black out goes, this design really works for me. The memory foam contours to my face well and hugs my face gently while still blacking out all light from my eyes. It is quite honestly the best black out mask I have ever tried with regards to light blockage. I was worried at first because the materials are so light weight but it does a really good job.
The heating element has a port where it can be attached to a USB port to turn on. I like that if I don’t want it to heat I can easily ignore the port and just use it as a mask. The Heating element runs horizontally through the center of the mask. Because it is a 3D mask even though the hearting strip is over the eyes, it isn’t pressed against them. It sort of heats up the chamber where your eyes are, using the warmed air to heat your eyes rather than directly heating them with the element, which I like. Also because of the design you can use it when you have makeup on. It doesn’t press against the eyes so there is just a small touch up where it was pressed across your nose when you have finished with it.
For me, the heating element was better used when I was awake than asleep. I think that might be because I sleep on my side. Also the port for the heating element is on the left and my night stand (and USP ports) are all on my right hand side. So it was a bit of a challenge to use when sleeping. However for a little allergy relief it was fantastic. I settled myself in a comfortable chair and put the mask on for a ten minute break when my allergies were acting up and it really helped relieve some of that sinus pressure. I tend to prefer a lot more non drug sinus assistance and this fit the bill perfectly. The pressure was relieved and my headache lessened. I did have to keep a box of tissues handy as it did sort of start the faucet running so to speak, but the reliving of the pressure was well worth it.
There is a scent port on the front of the mask located close to the nose. It fits a little tablet inside. It does nothing when on it’s own but once you turn the heating element on it releases the scent of the tablet. The one that came with my mask was Sage and it was a pleasantly herbily aroma. I personally like sage. I keep a pot of it and cook with it often. while i found it pleasant i could see it being really handy for scent based therapies like allergy and cold relief. My babydoll did try the mask and the heated element with the scent tab in. He is currently getting over a very bad sinus infection and he really wanted to keep the mask for himself. (I suspect we will be ordering a second one for his use). His comment was to ask if they had menthol scented tablets.
While I do not care for menthol, he adores the scent and I can see how it would be quite helpful with a sinus or a cold.
For me, I think the scent tab is nice but probably not something I would use a lot. I like the idea, I just don’t think I would use it. I would definitely use the heating element when I needed headache relief or relief from congestion or puffy eyes. For me a ten minute break to sit and let the heat work it’s magic did wonders when I needed it.
First and foremost it is a wonderful sleeping mask. The band is snug but not too tight and flat enough that it is not noticeable when the head hits the pillow. It conforms to the face well with the memory foam. the 3D design lets my eyes blink when the need to and open if necessary, thus promoting a more natural sort of sleep for me. Although I have to say they had me at blackout design. Th9is mask sits so perfectly that it blocks out all light providing a truly dark space in which to sleep. The other attributes are fine and actually quite nifty, but that lack out design and comfortable wear make this perfect for helping a light sleeper like me not wake up due to shifting lights in the room. I will be using this Mountrax Heated Eye Mask for a long time to come.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 