Best for: This mask is suitable for side-, back-, and stomach-sleepers who want a mask that sits flush against their face.
How it feels: This mask is silky smooth and breathable, so it doesn’t get hot when pressed against your skin all night.
Why it’s great
It was popular among all testers, regardless of sleep style. The Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask is comfortable, soft, and lightweight. All of our testers (whether back-, side-, or stomach-sleepers) had something that they liked about this mask, and it performed better than average in every testing consideration, including fit, adjustability, and comfort. If you’ve worn a traditional sleep mask before, this silk-lined style will feel familiar but remarkably more comfortable and softer on your skin.
It’s especially great for stomach-sleepers. Our testers who sleep on their stomach found that the convex sleep masks crumpled when their face made contact with their pillow, impeding their sleep. The Alaska Bear sleep mask, on the other hand, stays flush, even when sandwiched between a pillow and your face. Both sides of the mask design are lined with mulberry silk, which remains breathable even when pressed against the skin.
It fits a range of faces and blocks light well. This silk mask is a good choice if convex sleep masks don’t suit your face or sleep style. The Alaska Bear sleep mask’s flat design fits nearly all face shapes and nose types. Even though this mask doesn’t seal around your face like our more structured picks, all of our testers reported that it did a decent job of blocking out light.
One tester took the Alaska Bear mask on multiple long-haul flights and reported that it to be “incredibly comfortable to wear” and “blocked out light without any clamping pressure.” Another tester, a side-sleeper, has been sleeping with the mask daily to block out their partner’s reading light in the evening and the sun through the blinds in the morning.
The adjustable strap is barely noticeable. Testers liked that you can adjust the strap with a small plastic buckle that didn’t bother back-sleepers and rarely got tangled in longer or curlier hair. One tester, who tried the Alaska Bear sleep mask in 2020 and again in 2024, said that “the mask stays on really well, as long as you tighten the strap every couple of nights.” Another long-term tester mentioned that they thought the plastic adjustment piece on the mask would be bothersome, but found it to be unnoticeable while sleeping.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- This mask may slip off during the night. Some of our testers who preferred a looser and less-snug fit found that the mask slipped around and fell off in the middle of the night. Those testers are likely better suited to a convex cup, anyway. Several long-term testers reported that the Alaska Bear mask would slip off in the middle of the night. One tester said this issue didn’t bother them and continues to use the mask daily, while another tester said they preferred the Mzoo Sleep Mask for this reason.
- The adjustable strap may be too thin for some. A couple of testers noted that the strap felt scratchy against the sensitive skin behind their ears. To fix this problem, they adjusted the strap higher on their head, which made the mask slip off in their sleep.
- It is hand-wash only. Like the Mzoo Sleep Mask and the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, our pick from Alaska Bear is hand-wash only, so you can’t simply throw it in the washing machine to clean it.
