Best sleep masks, ranked

Key takeaways

• A mask that fits beats a mask that’s expensive. The two things to check are whether light gets in at the nose and whether the mask presses on your eyes or slips off at night.

• Contoured masks suit back and side sleepers; flat masks suit stomach sleepers. Cups that curve away from the eyes leave room to blink, but they can get pushed around when your face is in the pillow.

• Silk is light, cotton washes easily, and foam blocks the most light. Foam also runs warmest.

• Wash it like a pillowcase. If you wear a mask every night, clean it about once a week.

• Masks may do more than block light. In a Cardiff University study, a week of sleeping in a mask improved people’s alertness and learning the next day.

How we ranked these masks

We started with masks that come up again and again in independent reviews, then ranked seven of them on how well they block light, how comfortable they are in different sleeping positions, how they adjust and stay on, how easy they are to clean, and price. Prices are from each maker’s US website, or from Amazon where the maker sells only there, on October 27, 2026. Amazon prices change often.

1. Manta Sleep Mask - A modular mask you can fit to your face

The Manta Sleep Mask costs $39, and it’s one of the masks that comes up most often in recommendations. It’s built differently from most: two separate contoured eye cups that you can slide anywhere along the strap, so each one sits exactly over your eye. That’s how it closes the gaps that let light in at the nose and sides on a one-piece mask.

The cups are covered in modal, a soft fabric made from wood pulp, and the strap is a polycotton band lined with polyester velour, with an elastic section and a hook-and-loop closure. You can machine wash it cold in a mesh bag. Manta offers a 60-day money-back guarantee with free US returns. There are also variants: the PRO ($85) is designed for side sleeping, and there are silk, cooling, kids’, and Bluetooth versions.

What works: Adjustable cups that seal well, room to blink, and a long return window.

What doesn’t: The cups are deep, so some side and stomach sleepers feel them press, the fabric can feel warm, and the hook-and-loop closure wears over time.

Best for: Back sleepers and anyone who’s had trouble with light leaking around a mask.

2. Mzoo Sleep Mask - Contoured foam that stays sealed on your side

Mzoo’s contoured foam masks sell mainly on Amazon, where the 3D Spacious version was $29.99 when we checked (often with a coupon; the original contoured version costs about $16). The ventilated foam is shaped into cups that sit around your eyes rather than on them, and it fastens with an adjustable elastic strap and buckle.

Its shape is its strength. The foam presses lightly around the eye socket and the nose, which keeps light out even when you lie on your side, and the cups keep clear of eyelashes and lash extensions. You can hand wash it or put it in the machine, and because it fits snugly against your skin, it needs washing often.

What works: Blocks light well on your back or side, keeps off your lashes, and costs about $30 or less.

What doesn’t: Some people feel the foam pressing on the bone around the eye or the temples, and it can feel warm.

Best for: Side sleepers, and people with lash extensions.

3. Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask - A light silk mask for under $10

The Alaska Bear silk mask costs about $10 on Amazon. It has silk on both sides around a foam filler and an adjustable strap. Because it’s thin and soft, it sits close to the face, which makes it one of the few masks here that stays comfortable when you sleep on your stomach.

Silk is smooth and breathable, so it feels cool, and it doesn’t pull at skin or hair the way rougher fabrics can. Alaska Bear has updated the design over the years, and the current Amazon listing includes a shaped pad, so check the photos for the version you’re buying. The listing says it’s machine washable.

What works: Very light, comfortable in any position, and cheap enough to keep a spare.

What doesn’t: It can slip off during the night, the strap can feel thin behind the ears, and a thin mask lets more light in at the nose than a contoured one.

Best for: Stomach sleepers, and anyone who wants a light mask on a budget.

4. Mavogel Cotton Sleep Eye Mask - A cotton mask with a bendable nose bridge

The Mavogel cotton mask costs about $9 on Amazon. It’s built in five layers of cotton, foam, and modal, with a soft wire in the nose bridge you can bend to fit the shape of your nose, which is where most masks leak light. It has an adjustable strap and comes in several colors with a travel pouch.

Cotton is breathable and easy to care for, and the mask is light enough for most sleeping positions. It’s shaped a little around the eyes but doesn’t have deep cups.

What works: The bendable nose bridge closes the most common light gap, it breathes well, and it’s very cheap.

What doesn’t: The strap is thinner than the wide bands on pricier masks, and it doesn’t leave as much room for your eyelashes as a cupped mask.

Best for: Back sleepers and people whose masks leak light at the nose.

5. Nodpod Weighted Sleep Mask - Gentle weight instead of a strap

The Nodpod costs $38 and works differently from the rest: there’s no strap at all. It’s a soft, weighted pad, filled with BPA-free plastic beads and weighing about 9 ounces, that you drape across your eyes. One side is jersey cotton and the other is microfiber fleece, and it can go in the washing machine in a garment bag.

The weight is what holds it in place, so nothing pulls at your hair or presses on the back of your head. Without a strap, though, it can slide off if you roll over. Nodpod notes that weighted masks haven’t been studied in people with glaucoma or other conditions affecting eye pressure, and suggests asking a doctor first if that applies to you. It has a 30-day return policy.

What works: No strap to pull on hair or press on your head, machine washable, and soothing weight.

What doesn’t: It can slide off when you move, and it isn’t for anyone with eye-pressure conditions without a doctor’s okay.

Best for: Back sleepers who hate straps.

6. Drowsy Silk Sleep Eye Mask - A padded silk mask with a wide band

The Drowsy silk mask costs $85, or $95 for some prints. It’s made from 22 momme mulberry silk (a heavier silk) with thick, cloud-like padding and a shaped cutout for the nose. Instead of a thin elastic strap, it has a wide silk band that fastens with Velcro, so there’s no thin cord or buckle against the back of your head.

The padding helps it block light and makes it feel plush. It’s also bulkier than the other silk masks here. Drowsy suggests hand washing it cold, or a cold delicate machine wash in a mesh bag, and offers 60-day returns.

What works: Soft and well padded, with a wide band and no buckles.

What doesn’t: The price, and the padding may feel bulky if you sleep on your side.

Best for: Anyone who wants a soft, padded silk mask and doesn’t mind paying for it.

7. Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Sleep Mask - Molded foam that blocks light thoroughly

The TEMPUR-Sleep Mask costs $29. It’s filled with TEMPUR material, the memory foam Tempur-Pedic is known for, inside a soft velour cover, and fastens with an elastic strap and hook-and-loop closure. The foam molds to your face and blocks light thoroughly.

The foam has downsides too. The mask is heavier and warmer than the others, and some people find they have to tighten it to keep it in place. You can’t put the foam in water, so it’s spot clean only, and Tempur-Pedic doesn’t accept returns on it.

What works: Molds to your face and blocks light very well.

What doesn’t: Warm and heavy, spot clean only, and no returns.

Best for: People who sleep cool and want a room-dark feel from a mask.

The seven masks side by side

How to choose a sleep mask

Start with how you sleep. Back sleepers can wear almost anything. Side sleepers do best with masks that are slim at the edges or with foam that seals around the eye, and should avoid hard plastic or metal adjusters, which press into the head. Stomach sleepers usually need a thin, flat mask, because deep cups get pushed against the face.

Look at the nose. Most light leaks in where the mask crosses the bridge of your nose. Contoured foam, adjustable cups, or a bendable nose wire all help close that gap.

Decide between cups and flat. Cupped masks leave room to blink and keep off eyelashes and makeup. Flat masks are lighter and lower-profile, but they rest on your eyelids.

Pick a material.

• Silk is light and smooth, and it’s the least likely to tug at skin and hair, but it often needs hand washing.

• Cotton breathes, is often machine washable, and costs little.

• Memory foam blocks the most light and molds to your face, but it’s warmer and harder to clean.

Check the strap. A wide or padded band is more comfortable than a thin elastic, and an adjustable one will fit more head sizes. Hook-and-loop closures adjust easily but can catch hair.

Do sleep masks help you sleep?

They seem to. Light reaching the eyes at night can delay melatonin, the hormone that rises as you get sleepy, and a mask stops that light at the source. In a 2023 Cardiff University study, 94 young adults spent a week sleeping in an eye mask and a week with no light blocked (either no mask, or a mask with holes cut over the eyes). After the nights in a real mask, they did better on a word-pair memory test and reacted faster on an alertness test. They didn’t report sleeping any longer or feeling more alert, so the benefit may be one you don’t notice.

A review of 19 studies found that earplugs and eye masks improved how well people said they slept, mostly in hospital intensive care units, but the evidence on measured sleep was weak.

If you want to darken a whole room instead, for a child or a partner, we look at that in are blackout shades worth it?

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to wear a sleep mask every night?

For most adults, yes, as long as the mask is clean and you can take it off yourself. Wash it regularly, since a dirty mask can irritate your eyes. If you have an eye condition, especially one that affects eye pressure, check with your eye doctor before wearing a weighted or tight mask.

How often should you wash a sleep mask?

About once a week if you wear it every night, as you would a pillowcase. Check the label: silk and foam masks often need hand washing or spot cleaning, and cotton masks can often go in the machine.

Can you wear a sleep mask if you sleep on your side?

Yes. Choose a mask that’s slim at the edges or has soft foam that seals around the eyes, and avoid hard buckles or adjusters at the sides of the strap. A pillow with a little give helps too.

Do sleep masks cause wrinkles?

There’s no good evidence they do. Some dermatologists say a smooth silk mask protects the skin around the eyes from rubbing against the pillow, but no study shows a mask prevents wrinkles. Genes and sun exposure play a far bigger part.

Are contoured or flat sleep masks better?

It depends on how you sleep. Contoured masks leave space for your eyes and lashes and seal well on your back or side. Flat masks are thinner and more comfortable for stomach sleepers.

How long does it take to get used to a sleep mask?

Many people adjust within a few nights. If a mask still feels tight or keeps slipping after a week, try a different shape or strap rather than giving up on masks altogether.