I used this sleep mask to to sleep 7 hours straight after my Night Shifts 

I'd tried sleep gummies, meditation and masks that ended up in a drawer. Then a colleague lent me something I'd already written off, and I realised why I'd been so quick to dismiss it.

Ethan Pollard

Night shift nurse for 5 years.

I'm a night-shift nurse, and for a while my days off followed a routine I couldn't stand.

The first was mostly recovery. The next day depended on how I'd slept. By the last, I'd finally feel like going somewhere or doing something with the kids. Then I'd check the roster and realise I was back in that night.
 

I liked the pay, there were plenty of things about nights that suited me. But I hadn't expected recovering from work to take up so much of the time I wasn't there.

“This is what you signed up for, love. Bad sleep's part of nights." is what my wife tried to re-assure me.

She wasn't being unkind. She was tired of planning around it too.

I'd come home exhausted, shower and get into bed. Sometimes I couldn't switch off. Other times I'd drift off, wake a few hours later and start calculating whether I could squeeze in more sleep.

Outside, everyone else was getting on with their day and making sure I heard it too.

Lost time with family was killing me.

One Sunday, the kids were putting their shoes on while I sat on the edge of the bed.

I'd promised I was coming. I'd been looking forward to it.

“Go with Mum,” I said. “I'll come next time.”

My youngest looked up.

“You said that last time.”

He carried on getting ready. I thought about it for the rest of the afternoon.

Everything I tried let me down.

I'd already tried melatonin, sleep gummies and meditation recordings. Sometimes I felt drowsy quicker, but I still woke feeling drained.

Cheap masks added another problem. One pressed against my eyelids. Another leaked light beside my nose unless I tightened it enough to become uncomfortable.

I'd adjust it, roll over, adjust it again and eventually pull it off.

By then, another sleep mask was about the last thing I wanted someone to recommend.

My colleague offered to let me try his mask and I was not keen at first.

After handover one morning, a colleague asked how I was sleeping.

I told him I was getting tired of spending my days off recovering for my days on.

“Try this blackout audio mask my wife got me,” he said. “I play my white noise through it.”

I told him I've already tried using a sleep mask.

He assured me this one was of higher quality than anything I've tried before, and just to use it for one night.

That took the pressure off. I could find out how it felt without buying another thing I might never use.

What surprised me first was how little adjusting it needed.

It felt light. It sat comfortably around my eyes. I could turn onto my side without immediately wanting to take it off.

Then I connected my phone and put my usual white noise through the speakers.

My mind settled quicker that morning. For once, I wasn't arranging headphones, fixing the mask and checking how much sleep time I had left.

I returned back to work the following night and ask him where his wife found it.

When I asked him, he sent me to SnoozeFlex.

These were the five things that made me reconsider after trying his mask.

1. The only mask I've tried that's actually 100% blackout.

The gap beside my nose had been the thing I couldn't stop noticing with my old masks.

This one fitted around my face more comfortably. When I settled into bed after sunrise, I wasn't repeatedly pressing the fabric down to get the room dark.

That was the first difference I noticed before I'd even turned the audio on.

Why darkness matters for daytime sleep
NIOSH's guidance for night-shift nurses recommends a very dark sleeping environment and suggests an eye mask. It also recommends limiting noise and arranging for family members not to interrupt the sleep period. That supports the practical importance of the environment; it is not a clinical test of this particular mask.
Source: CDC NIOSH, work schedule training for nurses.

2. The most comfortable mask I've ever worn, and it actually stays on all night.

My old masks could feel tolerable when I first put them on. The problem started when I tried to settle into my usual position.

I'd become aware of pressure against my eyes or something awkward between my head and the pillow.

With this mask, there was room around my eyes, and I could adjust the fit without pulling it tight.

I turned onto my side and stayed comfortable.

That sounds like a small thing until you've spent half your bedtime fiddling with something that was supposed to help.

Nothing pressing on my eyes. I could even blink with it on.

3. Built-in speakers settled my mind. No more separate headphones.

I already liked listening to white noise to sleep. What I didn't like was trying to sleep with separate headphones.

The mask's built-in speakers meant I could play my usual audio from my phone while lying comfortably on the pillow. I could also adjust where the speakers sat.

The street outside still carried on. The mask wasn't making the whole house silent.

But I preferred settling down with that steady sound instead of lying there listening for the next interruption.

Small research note
Sound masking has been studied in noisy sleeping environments. One small study involving ten adults found improvements in certain sleep measures with white noise. Broader reviews, however, find mixed results and weak overall evidence, so this is a personal preference to try, not a guaranteed sleep effect.
Sources: a small study of ten adults (PubMed 34049045) and a systematic review (PubMed 33007706).

See how the blackout audio mask works →

4. I replaced a drawer full of sleep fixes with one thing.

Before, it was blackout curtains, earbuds, a white noise app and a mask I kept fixing.
Now it's one thing. Put it on, press play, done.

Having the darkness and my chosen audio together made the routine simpler.

I put the mask on, adjusted it, started my sound and left my phone alone.

I still needed to make time for sleep and ask the family not to disturb me. But there was less to fiddle with once I got into bed.

5. I got to borrow mine for a night. You have 60 days to decide if you want to keep yours.

What sold me was trying it without buying another thing I'd never use.

I could try it against my own pillow, in my usual position, with my own audio.

By the time I'd woken up after my first use. I knew I wanted one of my own.

You get the same. Wear it for 60 days. If it doesn't help you sleep, full refund.

My wife noticed the difference in the passenger seat.

After a week with my own, my sleep was more consistent.

My wife noticed I wasn't falling asleep in the passenger seat every time we took the kids out.

I noticed I wanted to make plans again.

When someone asked what we should do on my day off, I could think about where we might go instead of immediately wondering whether I'd have the energy.

We went out for lunch one weekend. The kids argued about what they wanted to do afterwards. My wife and I talked while they made up their minds.

It was an ordinary afternoon.

I was glad I felt up to being there.

I still work nights, and we still plan around my sleep. But I don't look at every day off as another recovery day before the next shift.

That was why I asked my colleague for the link.

And it's why I'd tell someone else on my roster to have a look, especially if uncomfortable masks and separate headphones have put them off before.

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I was sceptical too. With a 60-day guarantee, there's nothing to lose.

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✓ Free tracked shipping

✓ 60-day money-back guarantee

Wear it for 60 days. If it doesn't help you sleep, you get a full refund.

What other night workers say

★★★★★ 4.8 out of 5 from 1,217 reviews

★★★★★

“I work nights so sleeping during the day is always a battle. This actually helped me sleep through the whole day for once.”

Myles, UK

★★★★★

“As a fulltime nightclub manager my sleeping pattern is all over the place, this mask has been a game changer for getting home at 6am and sleeping through the day, super comfy too!”

Riley

★★★★★

“Working nights and getting home at sunrise, the mask blocks out light so I can sleep comfortably.”

Tommy, AU

★★★★★

“Didn't think I could use one have had it for 3 months worth every cent when doing night shift. The design lets you blink without eyelashes hitting material”

Patrick Fraser

★★★★★

“I love mine! As a trucker, who's in a sleeper while my co driver is driving, the speakers cut the noise, and all daylight stays out! I'll buy another one in the future!”

Jamie Dean Rufener

★★★★★

“Have one of these, fantastic for sleeping during the day”

Chris Wilkins

★★★★★

“these are brilliant and do the same job as $200 stuff”

Shaun Direen

★★★★★

“The SnoozeSound Pro was my last hope and it actually worked.”

Nur, AU

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This page is published by SnoozeFlex. Results vary from person to person. This product is not a medical device and isn't intended to diagnose or treat any sleep condition. Statistic source: CDC, MMWR 2012.