My sister has fallen asleep to the dulcet tones of Law & Order every night for years. I myself am partial to the sound of rain at bedtime. A friend, meanwhile, swears by sleepcasts. One gadget that could work for all of us – and may work well for you too – is a Bluetooth sleep mask.
If you like to listen to something as you nod off, earbuds specially designed for sleep are certainly an option. But some people (like my sister, who has a newborn) don’t want to block out all noise, which earbuds tend to do. Others just don’t like the feeling of having something jammed in their ear canals all night, especially if they sleep on their side or stomach.
Enter Bluetooth sleep masks, which not only let you stream audio, they also block out light. I’ve reported on postpartum sleep, drunk sleep and vacation sleep, and I’ve tested hundreds of consumer products – including reviewing 32 sleep masks to find the best in the US. This time around, I spent weeks sleeping in some of the highest-rated, most feature-packed Bluetooth masks on the market. If total darkness is your only aim, there’s no reason to buy a Bluetooth mask. But if you want the best of both worlds, here’s what you need to know.
For a Bluetooth sleep mask FAQ, scroll down to after my recommendations.
The best Bluetooth sleep mask:
Manta SOUND Sleep Mask
Manta
Sound Sleep Mask
$159
Priced on the higher end, this mask is thoughtfully designed and effective. It may look bulky, with chunky eye cups, but I could actually barely feel them, even with one side of my face smooshed into my memory foam pillow, and they seal out light completely without putting pressure on the eyes. The mask shuts itself off after 30 minutes of no audio to preserve battery life, and it won’t disrupt your sleep with an audible notification if the battery does get low.
Why we love it: It’s highly customizable to fit your face: Slidable tabs on either side of the strap make it easy to adjust the position of the speakers, and you can also adjust the position of the eye cups. An optional over-the-head elastic strap lets you position the earphones directly over your eardrums without the mask sliding down around your neck. When I slept in the Manta, I went to bed listening to white noise and woke up seven hours later with the mask still firmly in place.
It’s a shame that … The controls, over the bridge of your nose, are a little tricky to locate once you have the mask on. And users report that the Velcro strap can lose its stickiness over time (though Manta does offer a six-month warranty).
Weight: 3.8 oz.
Type: Contoured, with soft foam eye cups.
Battery life: 24 hours.
Material: 100% modal outside, 75% nylon/25% spandex inside (head strap); 56% Tactel/27% polyester/17% spandex inside, 100% polyester outside (eye cups).
Care: Machine-washable after you remove the electrical components.
Suitable for: Back, side, and stomach sleepers.
Manta
Sound Sleep Mask
$159
The runner-up Bluetooth sleep mask:
Snoozeband Silk Sleep Mask With Headphones
Snoozeband
Silk Sleep Mask With Headphones
$129
This flat Bluetooth mask has a sleep timer you can set for 60 or 120 minutes. And while it can stream audio from your device, it also comes with 10 built-in sleep sounds – including ocean waves, rain, and white noise – making it ideal for those who prefer to keep their phone out of the bedroom altogether (or who, like me, dread the prospect of getting frazzled right before bed over a device potentially refusing to pair). I tend to find flat masks a little claustrophobic. But because this one was so soft and has an adjustable strap I could leave a little loose, I was able to fall asleep in it just fine.
It’s a shame that … to adjust the felt-wrapped speakers, I had to unzip the top of the mask and root around inside for them, then Velcro them back into place.
Weight: 3.1 oz.
Type: Flat and pillowy.
Battery life: 20 hours.
Material: Silk.
Care: Remove control unit and headphones, hand-wash mask in cold water.
Suitable for: Back, side, and stomach sleepers.
Snoozeband
Silk Sleep Mask With Headphones
$129
Bluetooth sleep masks that didn’t make the final cut
SleepPhones Wireless
In theory, you can slip this headband with built-in Bluetooth earphones over your eyes so it doubles as a sleep mask. In reality, the band isn’t large enough to block out light. If you already own a sleep mask – especially one you love – you could layer it over this headband, which is more affordable than the other two masks we tested.
SleepPhones Effortless
Sleephones
Effortless
$149.95
The Effortless is just the Wireless but with a wireless charger (confusing nomenclature, we know).
Sleephones
Effortless
$149.95
What else to know about Bluetooth sleep masks
How do Bluetooth sleep masks work?
Bluetooth sleep masks have three main components: a fabric eye mask that keeps light out; thin speakers that sit over your ear;, and a rechargeable Bluetooth receiver that connects to your phone or tablet so you can play podcasts, music, guided meditations, or white noise.
Can they actually help me sleep better?
Any exposure to light can cause your body to suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. So if your room isn’t pitch black, a sleep mask can improve the duration and quality of your sleep. As for the audio component, there’s some evidence that white noise can help “dampen” the sharp sound of, say, a dog barking or a car alarm going off, though research does not suggest it improves sleep in and of itself. Anecdotally, many people say that listening to something soothing at bedtime helps them wind down – in fact, a 2022 survey found that 46% of adults listen to music, podcasts or the radio when going to sleep.
Do I actually need a Bluetooth mask, or will a plain old sleep mask do fine?
It depends. If you want to block just light and not sound, or you don’t like to listen to anything in bed, a regular sleep mask makes the most sense. Otherwise, you have some options. You could combine a regular sleep mask and sleep earbuds, which are smaller and flatter than regular earbuds. But some people dislike the feeling of sleeping with something in their ears, and side sleepers in particular may struggle with the slight pressure of a pillow pushing the earbud into their ear. If you fall into that camp – or if your sleep environment is quiet and you want to stream audio for the sake of streaming audio, not to cover up the sound of something else – wearing a Bluetooth sleep mask is an effective, comfortable way to do that while also ensuring pitch-darkness.
Could I just use my existing non-Bluetooth mask with a pair of headphones I already own?
If you already own a pair of sleep headphones, or even just a pair of regular headphones, and a sleep mask that you like, give it a go!
Can I put my device in Airplane mode while using a Bluetooth sleep mask?
Yes. In fact, most manufacturers recommend that. After you’ve connected to Bluetooth and paired your mask and your device, you download what you want to listen to onto your device, put your phone in airplane mode, and then start streaming your audio. This way you won’t hear notifications (though you can still hear your phone alarm, if you set one).
Is there a way to turn Bluetooth sleep masks off after a certain amount of time?
Some masks have built-in timers, while others require you to use the dedicated timer function built into apps like Spotify or Calm.
Will the sound coming out of the speakers wake up my partner?
Even on the highest volume, none of the masks were loud enough to be heard by my husband, whose head was on a pillow a couple feet away from mine. And I couldn’t find a single report online of someone’s Bluetooth mask bothering their partner (though I did see posts from users who credited their Bluetooth mask with saving their relationship by covering up the sound of their partner snoring).
Is it difficult to wash Bluetooth eye masks?
Not really. Ideally you should wash any sleep mask after two or three uses, or at least as often as you wash your pillowcases. Most care instructions say to remove all the electrical components, then hand-wash the mask in cold water and hang it to dry completely. Which is to say that you’ll likely want more than one Bluetooth sleep mask if you plan on wearing it every night.
Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
