I'm seriously thinking about these... lately I've been waking up much earlier than I'd like, and sometimes have a lot of trouble getting back to sleep. I'm naturally a night owl and so this means I'm always waking up tired.

My bedroom gets full sun in the morning, and though I have curtains, they're the regular type that allow maybe 50-75% of the light through. (I've also tried using a sleep mask, but I find that either it'll be off my face by the time I wake up, or I'll wake with a huge sinus headache, I think from the pressure it puts on my face...)

The weird thing is that I find I can't get to sleep in total darkness (at the least, I need the TV on), but I'm pretty sure it's at least partly the sun that's waking me up so early, since if I wake and put on the sleep mask, it seems to help me get back to sleep...

Anyone have experience with these and care to share?

TiA

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2023 06:41PM by PeterB.

My middle son -- who had some sleep issues -- has them. They work wonders, but be aware that you'll need a way to attach them to the walls (light bleed).

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We have a blackout cellular shade in our bedroom, behind the curtain. It is very effective. We got it for my wife's third-shift recovery sleep. I actually prefer to wake up to some sunlight, and tend to oversleep in the dark room.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2023 07:24PM by Acer.

IKEA used to have some reasonably priced ones.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

block light AND sound

I didn't use this one but something similar, at work. Works great.

[www.moondreamwebstore.com]

Yes, I have them but don't use half in thr room, primarily because it will mess with your circadian rhythms. This is a big deal over time and something you should consider. Although in the short term, it may be beneficial.

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Hurts like a bastid...

Black out curtains can be great for helping reduce in-coming heat.

They are not really hard to install to keep 95% or more of the light out.

I do second the view that you should make sure they can open and close easily. You only want them to keep light out at night. Let the daylight shine during the day, or you will become even more of a vampire than you already self-ascribe.

OK, thanks everyone.

Some points I forgot to mention:

1) Noise is not really a problem, since, as I say, I can't get to sleep without it.

2) I'm not really home much during the day ... so I don't think that'd be much of an issue.

3) I'm not sure if what I should do is replace my current curtains, or simply put something behind them to block the light. I have curtain rods and the current curtains I have are of the grommet type, but I could also possibly use the pocket type. I love my current curtains in terms of appearance, but they simply don't block enough light.

4) What really kills me is waking up at 4AM, not easily being able to get back to sleep, or getting back then waking up again at 5, again at 6, etc. I seem to have developed this problem originally when corona hit, which almost certainly messed with things because of the inherent anxiety that occurred at the time, then I noticed the problem becoming worse as time went on. I know some of it might be normal aging, that people need less sleep as they age, and/or they tend to wake up earlier as a result of decreasing melatonin production. I'd thought that I could use either Unisom or melatonin to help, and they have helped to an extent... the Unisom knocks me out, but then I might still groggily wake up during the night, and the melatonin I've found can sometimes help but gives me very crazy dreams. So... I am thinking it really is the light, because I've noticed that it's getting light in my room as early as 5AM, and if I use the eye mask, I'm easily sleeping through the bright light in the morning.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

My solution is to have some light come through; I block the windows that face the east with the opaque blinds, but leave raised up those on the adjacent side windows that simply let in the daylight (and not direct sun). I still sleep through the daylight, but I know exactly what you are talking about in terms of erratic sleep patterns.

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Hurts like a bastid...

Another vote for the blackout cellular shades. For us, the trick was measuring them very precisely so there the least possible space for light to slip through. Measure at the top and the bottom, especially in an older house-we have some windows that differ by .5 inch. We went with the narrower of the top or bottom.

I use both, the curtains and the cellular shades in different rooms where I have projectors. They both work well and both can bleed some light on the side if not installed in a way to prevent it.

We’ve used them for years and like them. We’re not really in the bedroom during the day, so they sometimes remain closed for days at a time.

4:00AM was my usual time to get up to go to work so no need for black-out curtains and I usually still get up at that time even though I’ve been retired for 14 years. However, now I get to take a nap.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2023 12:03PM by Speedy.

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Speedy


4:00AM was my usual time to get up to go to work so no need for black-out curtains and I usually still get up at that time even though I’ve been retired for 14 years. However, now I get to take a nap.

What about your better half?

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gadje

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Speedy


4:00AM was my usual time to get up to go to work so no need for black-out curtains and I usually still get up at that time even though I’ve been retired for 14 years. However, now I get to take a nap.

What about your better half?

She could sleep in another three hours. The morning light doesn’t bother her.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.