Have you ever donned a sleep mask? I've been using an Air Canada sleep mask (sweet-talked a steward on my last flight home to London); it's not the most luxurious - but I put that mask on and I'm in my own cocoon, ready to fall off the ledge into deep sleep. The feeling is addictive. Because there's nothing better than a good night sleep!
A sleep mask can help us all enjoy a better night's sleep by working with our body's natural circadian rhythms: Here's how:
- Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain which helps to control our sleep and wake cycles
- Normally, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid- to late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours
- However, light affects how much melatonin our body produces
- So if we are exposed to artificial light such as street lights curling around the curtains, or blue and white lighting from electronic devices in the bedroom, our melatonin production is interfered with
- A sleep masks helps block out all these sources of light, telling the photosensitive receptor cells in our eyes that sleep is upon us
So don't wait until your next flight .... invest in a sleep mask and give yourself the gift of a better night's sleep. You've earned it. Night, night!