Two independent studies have come to the same conclusion: sleep with a mask improves the alertness and the memory the next day. Two important “skills” to drive or to study or work, for example.
Each person has a different sensitivity to light, when it comes to sleep. Many people can rest in broad daylight, while others need darkness total.
The light sensitive people usually sleep with a mask that blocks any focus from a lamp, a window, or simply ambient light.
So far the masks were valued as a simple tool for block the light while Do you sleepbut now science has found secondary benefits very important.
A mask to improve alertness and memory
According to Science Alert, several institutions in the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom carried out two independent experiments, which reached the same conclusion.
In the first test, 89 adults between the ages of 18 and 15 wore a mask while sleeping for a week, before moving on to the next week without it or with a mask with holes in it, to account for any effect of the discomfort of wearing a mask.
All of them assured that the mask did not cause them discomfort during the night nor did they sleep less than normal.
The last two days of each week the subjects carried out word pairing testswhich measures the state of memory form, and reaction time tests. in both tests they performed better the week in which they took mask.
In a different experiment, 33 adults between the ages of 18 and 35 wore a face mask with sensors to measure light intensity upon awakening, and a biometric bracelet to measure your brain activity.
They slept alternate nights with a mask, and with a mask with holes that let light through. Again, they performed better in both memory test and reaction time. In addition, the biometric bracelet detected that the nights they wore the mask, they spent longer slow wave sleepwhich is associated with memory enhancement.
These results show that it is worth sleeping with a mask on, even if you are not bothered by the lightbecause this total darkness improves alertnessand reinforces memory during the next day.