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Listening at home⏱️ Estimated reading time: 11 min
On this page: Overview
Key Takeaways
It depends on where the light comes from. Blackout curtains or blinds are better for light coming through the window, because they darken the whole room. A sleep mask is better for light inside the room, such as a partner’s lamp, and for sleeping away from home. For daytime sleep, many people use both.
Rarely on their own. The fabric is seldom the weak point; light creeps round the top, down the sides and through the gap where two curtains meet. A proper fit, curtains that reach past the window frame, a cassette over a roller blind and side rails all help keep those edges dark.
Work on the edges first. Hang your existing curtains higher and wider than the frame, clip the middle shut, add a stick-on blackout blind to the glass, block light under the door with a draught excluder and cover standby lights. A sleep mask then covers whatever still gets through.
Blackout curtains promise a dark room, yet one complaint turns up again and again on sleep forums: the curtains never quite close, and there is always one sliver of light. A sleep mask comes at the problem from the other end, covering your eyes instead of the window. Which gets you darker sleep depends on where the light comes from.
Our short answer is curtains or blinds for window light, a mask for light inside the room, and both when you sleep in daylight. The Sleep Charity says much the same: “Blackout curtains or thick blinds can help block out outside light. If you’re sleeping during the day, an eye mask can be useful too” (The Sleep Charity, melatonin). Our guide to how light affects sleep explains why the brain notices even dim light at night.
At Bollsen, we make hearing protection trusted by 1,000,000+ people, plus a mulberry silk sleep mask. So we have a side in this, and we will still tell you when curtains are the better buy.
Which is better, a sleep mask or blackout curtains?
Blackout curtains and blinds are the better choice for light coming in through the window, because they darken the whole room, while a sleep mask is the better choice for light inside the room and for any bed that is not your own. Neither wins every row of the table below.
| Sleep mask | Blackout curtains or blinds | |
|---|---|---|
| Darkness | Dark at the eyes only; the room stays as it is | Darkens the whole room when they fit well |
| Edge / top leak | Light can get in if the mask shifts or lifts against the pillow | Light creeps over the top, down the sides and through the centre gap; fit matters more than fabric |
| Cost | Deep Sleep Mask £39.95; cheaper masks exist | Budget blackout blinds from around £5 (stick-on) to £20 (rail-mounted); cassettes and side rails usually cost more |
| Renters | No landlord permission needed | Screw-fixed fits best; without drilling, a tension rod or a stick-on blind |
| Travel | Folds into a bag for hotels, trains and flights | Stay at home |
| Partner’s lamp | Covers your eyes while they read | Does nothing for light inside the room |
| Daytime sleep | Covers the light that gets past the window | Keeps most daylight out of the room; best together with a mask |
Read it against your own nights. A street lamp outside? Start at the window. A partner’s reading lamp, a hotel room or a June sunrise before 5am that finds every gap? That is mask territory.
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Life+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsLife+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsMusic SoundPRO★ 4.8 · 514 reviewsWatersafe+★ 4.8 · 684 reviewsLife+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsIs it better to sleep in total darkness?
For most adults a dark room is the simplest setting for sleep, because darkness supports the body’s natural melatonin release, while light in the evening and at night works against it. The Sleep Charity’s advice is to sleep “in a space that’s as dark as possible”.
Light during sleep matters as well as light before it. In a laboratory study of 20 healthy adults, one night sleeping in moderate room light of about 100 lux, compared with dim light of under 3 lux, raised night-time heart rate and was followed by higher insulin resistance the next morning (Mason et al., PNAS 2022). It was one night in a lab and tested no curtain or mask, but it is a fair reason to take stray light seriously.
There is one trade-off. Which?’s blackout blind guide notes that full darkness at dawn can make getting up harder, and suggests opening the blinds straight after you wake to let daylight in. A mask comes off with the alarm; curtains have to be opened, so make that part of your morning.
Do blackout curtains block all light?
Blackout curtains rarely block all light on their own, because the fabric is seldom the weak point; the edges are. Light creeps over the top of the rail, bleeds down the sides of the window and slips through the gap where two curtains meet.
Which?’s guide to buying blackout blinds names the same weak points (Which?, how to buy the best blackout blinds). A roller blind leaves a gap at the top where it rolls, which a cassette covers, and side rails stop light bleeding along the sides; having both blocks the most light but usually costs more. The guide also says curtains are more likely than fitted blinds to let some sunlight creep through, and that a proper fit matters most of all.
Renting makes fit harder. Which? prefers screw-fixed blinds and is wary of adhesive no-drill ones, suggesting a tension rod for curtains where you cannot drill. A mask needs no landlord’s permission.
When a mask wins
A sleep mask wins whenever the light is inside the room or the room is not yours: a partner reading with the lamp on, a landing light under the door, a hotel room whose curtains never meet, a night train or a plane cabin. Curtains can do nothing about any of those.
It is also the cheap experiment. Which? suggests giving a mask a go before investing in a full set of blinds.
Our Deep Sleep Mask is made from natural mulberry silk with no cotton, and is designed for total darkness wherever you sleep. It has an adjustable Velcro strap that won’t pull your hair, washes at 30 °C, folds for travel, comes in one size and three colours (Navy Blue, Rose Quartz and Triple Black) and costs £39.95.
The downsides are real. Some people never get used to anything on their face, and a mask can shift when your cheek presses into the pillow, letting light in at the edges. Our guide on why some sleep masks still let light in looks at fit and seal. If you have tried and still dislike wearing one, a cheap stick-on blind may suit you better.
When are blackout curtains the better choice?
Blackout curtains and blinds are the better choice when most of the light comes through the window and you want the whole room dark without wearing anything. Nothing touches your face or slips off at 3am.
They darken the room for everyone in it, which helps if you share a bed with someone who would never wear a mask.
They also handle heat, which a mask never will. Blackout blinds can cut solar heat gain on summer days, and Which? notes that reflective or thermal linings reflect more heat than dark colours. Heavy lined curtains keep some warmth in on a cold night, too. If a bright LED street lamp shines straight into the bedroom, ask your council whether a shield can be fitted.
How can you make a bedroom darker without new curtains?
Start with the edges, where most light gets in. Most of these cost little and suit a rented home.
- Raise and widen the rail. Hang the curtains higher and wider than the frame so the fabric overlaps the wall. A pelmet or wrap-around rail closes the gap above.
- Close the middle. Clip or peg the curtains together where they meet.
- Add a stick-on blind. Budget stick-on blackout blinds start at around £5 and darken the glass behind your curtains.
- Seal the sides for summer. Low-tack tape or Velcro strips along a blind’s sides stop light bleeding round it. Renting? Test a hidden spot first.
- Block the door. A draught excluder keeps landing light out.
- Cover standby lights. Switch off, cover or turn away chargers, TVs and clocks.
- Move the bed. If a beam of light falls across your pillow, shift the bed out of it.
- Wear a mask for what is left. A sleep mask covers whatever none of the above can reach.
Do you need both for daytime sleep?
For daytime sleep, most people get the darkest result from blackout curtains or blinds plus a sleep mask, because the window covering keeps most daylight out and the mask covers what still gets round it. The Health and Safety Executive advises shift workers to “use heavy curtains, blackout blinds or eye shades to darken the bedroom” (HSE, hints and tips for shift-workers).
In practice that means sealed edges, a mask on and a cool bedroom, which HSE also recommends. Daytime brings noise as well, and HSE suggests earplugs or white noise if it is too noisy to sleep. Our guide to earplugs for shift workers covers that sound half of a daytime sleep setup.
For light and sound in one box, the Deep Sleep Duo pairs our silk mask with reusable earplugs. Our guide to choosing a sleep mask for shift workers walks through the whole routine, from the journey home to the alarm.
When should you speak to a GP about sleep?
A darker room is one part of good sleep habits, not an answer to every bad night. The NHS lists curtains, blinds, an eye mask or ear plugs as ways to keep a bedroom dark and quiet, and advises speaking to a GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped (NHS, insomnia).
Still wondering whether a mask is worth trying? Our evidence guide on do sleep masks work sets out what the studies measured, and what they did not.
The Deep Sleep Mask comes with free UK delivery over £35 and our 40-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it alongside the curtains you already have.
His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
At BOLLSEN, he develops data-driven marketing campaigns, writes SEO-focused articles, and manages communication channels that connect customers with practical knowledge about hearing protection. His work ensures that BOLLSEN’s message—prioritizing health, performance, and sustainability reaches a global audience in an engaging and trustworthy way.
Passionate about writing since childhood, Timotej combines creativity with a strong analytical approach, continuously testing new ideas in digital marketing, performance advertising, and social media. He believes in learning through innovation and collaboration, balancing leadership with openness to new perspectives.
Beyond his professional role, Timotej is committed to a healthy lifestyle and finds inspiration in fitness, sports, and quality time with friends. His personal passion for well-being aligns with BOLLSEN’s core values, making his work not only a career but also a cause he deeply believes in.
