Want to fall asleep fast and sleep through the night? Here's how an LED face mask helped me

A girl wearing an LED face mask with pink light

(Image credit: Future)

As a sleep tech writer I'm always curious about what trending gadgets can help me sleep better. From overnight beauty routines involving chin straps and a 'morning shed', sleep and beauty are becoming closely entwined. LED face masks are no strangers in the beauty industry with many TikTokers and influencers shouting about how they've helped them get blemish-free skin.

Admittedly, I've jumped on the trend but after testing the Flikeze PhotonMask Quint LED face mask, primarily using it before I go to bed, I've noticed how it benefits my sleep too. From helping me fall asleep fast to keeping me asleep through the night, this LED face mask has elevated my sleep and nighttime routine.

But how can a light mask really improve sleep, and is it just placebo? Here, I'll explore the science behind how LED face masks can improve sleep before sharing my own experience and how to use one.

What is a LED face mask and how do they work?

An LED face mask is a device that fits over your face to deliver light therapy to the skin. These devices are primarily beauty tech with the main aim of helping improve skin texture and reduce blemishes.

LED face masks emit different wavelengths of light, such as red, yellow, green, blue and infrared light to stimulate different responses in the skin. Besides their skin rejuvenating benefits, LED face masks emit red light which can help you relax and drift off to sleep more easily.

Flikeze PhotonMask Quint: was $459/£415 now $399/£360 at Flikeze
The Flikeze PhotonMask Quint is a soft silicone mask with four different light settings including a restoring, a brightening, an anti-aging and an acne-removal mode. Each can be set on a timer of 10 or 15 minutes. The mask is comfortable, seamlessly fits over the whole face and comes in two colour options including grey and brown. Flikeze's Valentine's sale knocks $60/£55 off retail price, bringing the cost to $399/£360. While this is on the more expensive end of the LED face mask price spectrum, you will get results, including improved sleep quality.

5 ways my LED face mask helps me fall asleep fast

Anecdotally, I can say that adding an LED face mask to my bedtime routine has helped me relax at the end of the day and fall asleep fast, but there's science to back why this is the case too.

A woman laying on her back wearing an LED face mask emitting red light — (Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Benefits your winddown routine

The Flikeze LED face mask has helped me establish a relaxing nighttime routine this new year. A silicone face mask is not exactly the most practical accessory. Therefore, when I put it on at bedtime I can't do much else but lay down to relax.

The small eye holes mean I can still read a book with the mask on and one of my new year's resolutions was to stop scrolling in bed before going to sleep. So, I have created a rule for myself that means when I pop the mask on for 10 to 20 minutes before bed I use this time to read rather than scroll. The timer on the Flikeze mask helps me ensure I get at least 10 minutes of reading in before bed, and this nighttime routine has helped calm my mind and prepare me for sleep.

2. Regulates circadian rhythm

Light has a significant impact on our sleep and wake cycle. Morning sunlight resets the circadian rhythm when you wake up, making you feel more alert, while too much light in the evening can delay sleep onset.

Similarly, artificial light from screens and devices like a LED mask also impacts your body's internal clock. While blue and white light, the kind emitted from mobile and television screens, has the strongest effect on circadian rhythm, promoting alertness and making it harder to fall asleep, red light emitted from an LED mask is associated with relaxation, helping you drift off to sleep.

I've found I feel sleepy while wearing the LED face mask and replacing bedtime scrolling for the mask has certainly helped me drift off more peacefully.

A woman with dark hair lies in bed yawning because she is so tired and ready to sleep — (Image credit: Getty Images)

3. Promotes melatonin and collagen production

The reason red light makes you feel sleepy is because it promotes the production of sleep-inducing hormones including melatonin and collagen. According to research from the National Library of Medicine, red light influences melatonin secretion, improving sleep initiation.

What's more, as skin enhancers, one of the main jobs of LED face masks is to increase collagen production. They do this by penetrating the skin with red light, which stimulates the cells responsible for collagen synthesis. Besides improving skin elasticity, collagen can also aid sleep. A new study found increasing collagen at bedtime reduces sleep fragmentation.

4. Alleviates the winter blues

LED light therapy has long been used as a treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Research shows an improvement in study participants' mood after just one hour of light therapy. LED masks emit the same light as traditional light therapy boxes that help reduce depressive symptoms associated with SAD.

But what does SAD have to do with sleep? From anxious thoughts keeping you awake to morning grogginess and daytime tiredness, there are many ways SAD impairs your sleep and energy levels. By alleviating symptoms of SAD, LED face masks can help you sleep better.

I've enjoyed using the LED mask as part of my nighttime routine and now look forward to this relaxing period at the end of the day, which has elevated my mood on dark winter nights.

5. Improves sleep quality

Altogether, the above benefits of using an LED mask at bedtime means you can improve your overall sleep quality. With a well regulated circadian rhythm, thanks to a calming nighttime routine, your body becomes more efficient at sleeping. This means you'll fall asleep faster, sleep through the night and wake up easier come morning feeling more refreshed.

My Eight Sleep Pod 4 has given me a sleep score between 85 and 97 since I've started using an LED mask consistently at bedtime over the past two weeks. For reference, Eight Sleep say a sleep score between 70 and 90 indicates good sleep quality, while anything between 90 and 100 is excellent.

A woman wearing the Flikeze LED face mask — (Image credit: FliKEZE)

How to use an LED mask for sleep

LED face masks have different light settings to tackle different skin concerns, and it is important to be aware of which setting you are using when using it as a nighttime sleep aid. As mentioned above, it is red light that has the most relaxing effect on the body. Therefore, you'll want to be sure you're using this setting around bedtime to get the best sleep benefit.

For the Flikeze PhotonMask Quint, the red light setting targets anti-aging, while the acne care mode uses blue light alongside red light. Therefore, I suggest you use the latter setting earlier in the day rather than before you go to sleep.

Eve is a PPA-accredited journalist with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. She is a Sleep Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide and has four years’ experience writing health features and news. She is particularly interested in the relationship between good sleep and overall health. At Tom’s Guide Eve is responsible for coverage and reviews of sleep tech and is our smart and cooling mattress specialist, focussing on brands such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. She also covers general mattress reviews, seeks out the best deals to produce tried-and-tested buyer's guides for sleep accessories and enjoys writing in-depth features about sleep health. She has been involved in rigorous testing procedures for mattress reviews in our Sleep Studio and has interviewed experts including sleep doctors and psychologists. When not covering sleep at Tom's Guide, Eve enjoys writing about health and fitness, food and culture.