What I wear on and off stage is my mask. You see, a mask doesn’t hide you, it exposes you. – Nuno Roque It’s so easy to think of sleep as a recovery strategy. But being proactive with your sleeping strategy can make multiple improvements to every area of your life.

If you’re fascinated by consciousness and want to explore it while you sleep, try Mindvalley’s free Lucid Dreaming masterclass.

Is it better to sleep in the dark? 

Don’t you know that a midnight hour comes when everyone has to take off his mask? Do you think life always lets itself be trifled with? Do you think you can sneak off a little before midnight to escape this? – Søren Kierkegaard If you’re going to do something tonight that you’ll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late.” — Henry Youngman If you’re concerned about the way a sleep mask fits, consider opting for a mask with an adjustable strap rather than a simple elastic band. Good old Will. This one comes from Prospero, in The Tempest, and qualified as I am with an English Literature GCSE, I am pretty sure the immortal bard initially said: “made on.” Humphrey Bogart popularized the ‘stuff dreams are made of’ in the film The Maltese Falcon. But that’s a whole other essay.

Some brands experiment with three-dimensional, molded cups to avoid putting pressure on your eyes. Others are inspired by deep pressure stimulation and add beads like the ones found in weighted blankets. Some masks are made with material that you can pop in the fridge or freezer to get the benefits of a cold compress while dozing off. An insufficient amount of sleep can lead to serious repercussions. Some studies have shown sleep deprivation leaves people vulnerable to attention lapses, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts.” — The Sleep Foundation

Meditation isn’t about switching off the mind. It’s about switching on…not going to sleep, but waking up.” — Gelong Thubten Not sleeping is like a never-ending game of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ – everything’s made up, and the points don’t matter.” Daily affirmations – Use funny sleep quotes as a way to start your day off on a positive note and remind yourself not to take life too seriously. There's a reason they call it 'beauty sleep.' Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night can actually improve your appearance." - Lauren Conrad I don’t need a sleep coach, I need a sleep architect to design the perfect dream world for me to escape into.”

You should never pull an all-nighter. It destroys your cognitive abilities the following day and will put you in an endless cycle of sleep deprivation.” — Vishen Sleep is a regenerative process where we heal and where our neurons build strong connections. It's like a fountain of youth that we dive into every night." - Mikhail Varshavski Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world.” - Heraclitus, Fragments Masks reveal the shape of your soul and the state of the world and, in today’s world, everyone wears a mask. – Chloe ThurlowWe all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin. -André Berthiaume

At the end of the day, you go to sleep with the people you love, you wake up with the people you love, and you spend your time with the people you love." - Tyga The irony of life is that those who wear masks often tell us more truths than those with open faces. – Marie LuTrying to get good sleep while you’re stressed-out is like trying to make a half-court shot while blindfolded.” — Dr. Michael Breus If I have a bad game, I think about what I have to do to return to form. Figure it out, go to sleep, and wake up a new man." - Matt Kemp Also, I could finally sleep. And this was the real gift, because when you can't sleep, you cannot get yourself out of the ditch—there’s not a chance.’ - Elizabeth Gilbert