Comment by foobarian
21 hours ago
The blinds shown under this article are pretty ordinary vinyl type blinds that leak a ton of light. I wish I could find blinds thick enough to behave like cardboard over windows, that could also be opened on a daily cadence.
At this point I gave up on blinds and put a shirt over my eyes to sleep. I thought about just covering the windows permanently but I don't relish that idea.
I use a pull-down honeycomb shade with a basement window that's behind my TV:
https://www.amazon.ca/Persilux-Blackout-Cellular-Protection-...
It's a total blackout, though it definitely benefits from the window being deeply inset; on a typical bedroom window at midday I expect a bunch of light would find its way around that.
I got something similar (amazon yoolax blackout cellular honeycomb shades). They have extra help from L-shaped side panels blocking light along the sides.
bedroom is ultra-dark, with just a hint of light.
Those are pretty slick, will check those Yoolax ones out, have manual versions from Ikea that work well for both temperature control and light control.
https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/trippevals-blackout-cellular-bl...
Get a sleep mask. They're opaque, so they block more light, and they don't cover your nose or mouth. Contoured sleep masks won't interfere with your eyelashes, helping reduce dry eye further.
Yet I found I sleep better when my body wakes up with the light instead of in total darkness until an alarm yanks me out of REM
We just had blinds installed from ublockout.com (hope it's not against the rules to link this - I have zero affiliation with them other than being a recent customer). The price was reasonable and they do the job. By far the biggest sources of light in my bedroom now are leakage under doors and various small LEDs (not enough to bother me, but of course there are ways to tackle that too).
A good number of European countries have rolling shutters. Mine are probably older than me and make the room pitch black.
Maybe you want shades, instead? They can be motorized too.
If you get desperate, you can use painter’s tape and aluminum foil.
I do this at airbnbs when I'm traveling, particularly in the summer in Europe. The number of bedrooms I've been in with only gauzy curtains that get full morning sun is mind boggling. Hat tip to The Martian for turning me on to the trick.
Not sure what country you're from, but "blockout blinds" are likely what you're looking for. They blockout (essentially) all light and are operated like normal blinds.
Have never seen blockout blinds which stop enough light during the day - they leak enough to be comparable to a reading lamp, since outdoors is so bright.
I used to work night shift and tried a few different things. Maybe the super-premium blinds block more light, but IME the most effective solution is blackout curtains. You'll need to hang a curtain rod that's wider than the window and get curtains that are wide enough, ideally just a single curtain rather than 2 if your window is narrow enough.
Mounted internal to the window frame, not external, works better for me. Internal can ride tighter to the window, so light can't go out the edges. With external frame mounting, you need much wider shades.
If the fabric itself isn't blocking light... You need better material. I have only ever had problem with light leakage in the edges, not in the fabric material.
I believe 'blackout thermal shades' is what to look for.
I have that. They have a magnet that keep the middle, where they connect light-tight.
Installation is key - they need to be oversized, covering the entire window AND the trim, and they need to be carefully installed so that they touch the trim.
Do you sleep during the day typically?
You can get very nice sleep masks (padded, shaped to your head, etc) for under $30 online (or much less pleasant ones for a few dollars).
The Wirecutter Reviews folks regularly look at sleep masks and I've used a few that they recommend though I can say from experience ones that have velcro straps on the back as opposed to being fitted to your head can be problematic from a comfort point of view if you normally sleep on your back.
I use the Nidra ones primarily as I can blink without my eyelashes catching the mask
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-sleep-mask/
Another wrap around option with audio are the SleepPhones, while not designed to go over your eyes they work well that way and before switching to the Nidra and A20 ear buds that was my primary headset for about a decade.
https://www.sleepphones.com/
As to audio specifically, the Anker A20 work well even if you are a side sleeper
https://www.soundcore.com/products/sleep-a20-sleeping-earbud...
Notwithstanding the above, blackout blinds are awesome as long as they extend above and below and past the sides of the window frame. Can be quite low cost from places like Costco.
The tiniest amount of light will keep me from sleeping. Seriously. A neighbor can turn their lights on across the valley and if I have line of sight through a window, it’s over. I tried lots of things, and at long last, I found this mask that I absolutely swear by https://a.co/d/cDbUv9J
I lost it once, and bought two more, so that I would never be without one again. It’s the only sleep mask that works. It stays on all night. It does not leak light around the edges. Everything “shaped like your eyes” is a complete waste of time. This is the correct implementation of sleep mask, and I will never go back.
It’s super comfortable, and even slightly muffles noise since it wraps around your entire head. I do like the effect of good sealing ear plugs (Mack’s 31 Db only), but find them extremely uncomfortable to wear multiple days in a row. I’ll bring the Mack’s on vacation, just in case I am put next to an obnoxious snorer, there is very loud city noise all night, etc.
I don’t have issues sleeping in too late, because I actually get sleep with this thing, and after some time, I was just back on a normal rhythm, very consistently waking up at the same time.
I care deeply about sleep mask. Maybe it won’t work for everyone, but just in case it can help a single person, I am unloading my mask manifesto.
Tracking and other such indignities removed: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSFBSXY
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I don't really understand having trouble with light when you sleep. Personally if I'm tired I happily sleep on summer noon with window opened. Just not in direct sunlight to avoid sunburn. And it's super pleasant experience for me. Better than regular sleep in the darkness at night.
Yeah this must be something that varies based on the person- I have some amazing sleep during daytime naps with sunlight streaming in. Consequently, I totally don't understand the fixation on blind openers, but I get that other people have different needs.
Curtains.
bonus: they can make a space look homey instead of like an office!
I’d recommend a double rod, a blackout curtain on the rod closest to the window, and a “pretty” curtain on the outer rod. Gives you best of both worlds. Functional and pleasing, like at a hotel.