Remember Cameron Diaz’s bedroom in the 2006 rom-com The Holiday? Kate Winslet’s character gets off a long flight from Heathrow to LAX, dives headfirst into bed, and activates the blackout drapes from the comfort of her pillow.
Though this feels like a dream come true, what’s the real deal with blackout curtains?
What are blackout curtains?
Blackout curtains are curtains made out of super-thick material that blocks outside light from entering your sleeping room. People who work the night shift, people who live really far north or far south that sleep while it’s light out, and people living in cities with a lot of light pollution are frequent users of blackout curtains.
Though they might not always complement your ~bohemian~ interiors, blackout curtains can be helpful for getting sleep when it’s super bright outside. 4:30 AM sunrise, anyone?
Why use blackout curtains?
Our bodies like to maintain something called a circadian rhythm, which is our bodies’ 24-hour clock that helps us stay in a routine. Having a solid circadian rhythm can decrease the likelihood of depression and helps us get good sleep each night. When our circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can be harder to sleep and to maintain our bodies’ natural processes.
Sleeping in a dark room helps to maintain our circadian rhythm as our rhythms are highly sensitive to light.
Darkness also encourages the production of melatonin, which is the hormone that signals to us that it’s time to go to sleep. That’s why so many sleep experts suggest turning the lights down an hour before bed so that our bodies start to feel drowsy and can ease into sleep.
Additionally, if you live in a noisy neighborhood, the thick fabric of blackout curtains can muffle sounds from outside, preventing you from waking up from sound disruption.
If you live in a warm area, blackout curtains can block out the warmth from outside from coming in, which helps keep your room cool and your body temperature steady.
Blackout curtains can be so helpful!
But is there a downside?
Any disadvantages to blackout curtains?
Going to sleep and waking up with natural light can be helpful in keeping an intact circadian rhythm, especially if you live somewhere that it’s dark at night for 7-10 hours while you sleep.
So if you use blackout curtains, it’s harder to wake up without natural sunlight streaming in through the windows.
It’s also much easier to sleep in by accident if your room is dark past the time you want to wake up.
So should I get some blackout curtains?
If you’ve been struggling to sleep because of how bright your room is, try blackout curtains and see how they work for you.
Setting an alarm to wake up and opening those curtains first thing can help mitigate some of the potential downsides to using them.
Happy sleeping!
docbotic 
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