Sleep masks stimulate extreme darkness, which can help you not only fall asleep but also improve your overall sleep quality.

Also known as sleep masks and night masks, overnight masks are designed to be applied to your face before bed and worn throughout the night. They often provide deep hydration and help support your skin's natural repair processes, leaving you with a fresher, more radiant appearance come sunrise.

Eye masks could cause blurry vision or eye damage - if the eye mask is too tight and is worn too tightly over a long period of time. Eye masks, when worn properly, aren't adding pressure onto your eyes or face. It is the ill-fitted eye mask that could have side effects. Eye masks also need to be washed regularly.

Short answer: Yes. Although sleep experts would still encourage you to put away your phone before bed and not fall asleep watching television, a study published in Critical Care found that patients in simulated ICU units who wore earplugs and eye masks got more REM sleep and had elevated melatonin levels.

A sleeping mask works similarly to a normal face mask, except that you leave it on overnight (so you might also see them called "overnight masks"). Unlike the thick, creamy face masks you're probably used to, most sleep masks are easily absorbed into your skin via a gel or lightweight cream formula.

Benefits of wearing an eye mask while sleeping A study by Sleep Journal has pointed out that blocking out ambient light while you are sleeping can improve alertness and memory the following day.

"An overnight sleep mask and moisturizer can have similar ingredients and benefits, however, a mask will typically have higher concentrations of active ingredients for a boost of moisture, while a moisturizer is formulated for daily use as more of a maintenance plan," says Deanne Mraz Robinson, M.D., a board-certified ...

Studies show that cells replicate and renew overnight , and a face mask helps these cells do this effectively. Some overnight masks have a sealant ingredient that locks in moisture and also helps keep dirt and other pollutants from getting into pores.

It is recommended to wear an eye mask for the entire duration of your sleep in order to block out all light and create a dark sleeping environment. This can help promote the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body's sleep-wake cycle.

In addition to increased melatonin production, scientists have also linked dark sleeping conditions to increased time in REM sleep and decreased wakefulness - meaning you're more likely to sleep deeply and to sleep through the night. And they've found these benefits with sleep masks, not just in dark rooms.

With so many advantages, overnight masks may seem preferable to your everyday moisturizer, but the two are not interchangeable, says celebrity esthetician Joanna Vargas.

To put it simply, yes. While both sleeping masks and a night moisturizers add hydration back to the skin throughout the night, a sleeping mask has a higher concentration of active ingredients. This means they are more of a treatment step.