When I received the nodpod weighted eye mask for review, I was more than a little skeptical. It didn’t look like it could possibly be comfortable. Wouldn’t having something weighted on my eyelids disrupt my sleep or feel somehow claustrophobic? And the fact that the weighted sections wrapped around not just my eyes but also my ears seemed impractical—wouldn’t that get in the way of sleeping on my side? So imagine my surprise when this eye mask became the single most essential addition to my (already obsessive and gadget-ridden) sleep hygiene.

No one product has done more to help me fall asleep and stay asleep than the nodpod, so much so that I now always travel with it wherever I go. Using polyethylene beads, nodpod molds to the contours of your face, creating a custom, light-blocking effect that’s much more effective than the dozens of eye masks I’ve tried over the years.

But it’s not just that it blocks light better than other eye masks — it also really does help me fall asleep. Also important to me, the nodpod is washer/dryer safe and doesn’t break down over time the way I’ve found other eye masks have. While you can’t microwave the nodpod for some added heat therapy, you can put it in the freezer or fridge. I sometimes use it for a headache or lying down meditations as well.

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