Sleenova SoundMask - Sleep Mask with Built-in Tuned Sleep Audio, Side Sleeper Optimized, Phone-Free Sleep & Nap, Bluetooth Modes, Soft Black

An important part of overall sleep hygiene and tinnitus management.

A little back story I have a medical condition called tinnitus I've had to live with this condition and have trouble going to sleep for several years, it has impacted my life greatly. I've tried sleep earbuds and foam plugs, none of those were a solution for me because of my picky ears and due to the foam plugs blocking ALL sound (including alarm) which amplifies the tinnitus. I can't simply play masking sounds over a speaker because unfiltered noise from neighbors will wake me. So I have to wear something like this with concert earplugs underneath so I can hear the sound coming from the sleepmask but still block out a fair amount of unwanted sounds.  This a better option than electronic earbuds in terms of comfort and convenience, I add sleep non-electronic earplugs underneath to further dampen unwanted sounds. I like many features of this device for the reasons other users have mentioned but there's also a few things to consider. UPDATE. The sleenova team has reached out to me and is taking my feedback into account. I feel reassured following this response regarding both the product and the company. For transparency I'm leaving my considerations but adding an UPDATE note on how they will be updating their product.Drawbacks:This needs a way to be less hot.UPDATE. The company has assured me they've taken this feedback into account and are already addressing this issue. I also found after wearing it for a couple days and making fit adjustments so it's less tight I noticed this issue less.Don't rely on this device's alarm, it didn't wake me because I had subconsciously taken it off mid sleep without realizing, set the alarm on your typical device at full volume then maybe don't rely on this device's alarm at all since if you have to change the time of the alarm you're now adjusting it on two devices. However if you're wearing this and earplugs underneath it can be hard to hear the alarm so that's definitely continue using your main alarm.UPDATE. They've acknowledged this and recommend using the device's alarm as a secondary to your regular alarm. It is a nice feature that when combined with your regular alarm helps wake you up.There is a bit of light leaking on the bottom which defeats the purpose of an eyemask. I didn't find this too much of a drawback because I have black out curtains (not my first rodeo) but others may find this problematic.UPDATE. The company has assured me they've taken this feedback into account and are already addressing this issue. It isn't enough light to wake me up but I included it anyway.The back of the headband doesn't lay on the back/flatter part of my head like my traditional eyemask does, instead it lands on the curve of my neck which isn't a proper fit and less comfortable and secure then it if it were laying on the back of my head. There's no way I can adjust it without the eyemask portion no longer covering my eyes. Maybe I just have a oddly shaped head, but I haven't had this fit issue with other eye mask I've worn. I can mostly live with it but perhaps its something they can consider for a future iteration.UPDATE. This wasn't addressed directly but solutions to other issues will likely indirectly solve it. I also found with wearing it for a couple nights I've started to get more used to the fit.Airdrying the inner portions of the cotton will still be wet when the outer portions have completely dried. This is something to keep in mind since you're ideally washing this every couple weeks. I can see it drying faster if you have a way to hold the slit open while it airdries.UPDATE. They're releasing the replacement covers for purchase so that users can use the spare while their recently washed cover is airdrying overnight. They're looking at other ways to address the issue as well.I woke up with 50% battery which is good but to be on the safe side that means it needs to be charged daily, not every 2-3 days as I was previously hoping for.UPDATE. They've assured me that turning off sound effect features will help increase battery life so that it can be charged every 2 days instead of every day. They're also considering the auto-volume lowering option which would also help to increase battery life.The local sounds work fine for my tinnitus but tinnitus is a tricky thing and some sounds can work better than others, it'll vary from user to user, from night to night. For this reason I'd recommend having the ability to download one's own sounds onto the eyemask. There's probably a limited amount of storage room and it probably has to be a certain file type but this should be an option to add at least one or two sounds for advanced users.UPDATE. They're adding more sounds which will add more options for tinnitus masking needs.As much as I like the auto-off option I would really prefer an auto-volume so that the volume goes lower after a specified time. I need the volume loud to go to sleep as that's when my tinnitus is loudest but usually after I've fallen asleep once, even if i wake up in the middle of the night, my tinnitus is usually lower, so in that instance it would help to already have the volume lower so that the loudness of the headbands sound isn't making it difficult to fall back to sleep. I still need low volume masking later in my sleep so the complete auto-off doesn't help me there.UPDATE. They're considering adding this option.A cricket sound without any water running in the background would be preferred or make a good addition to the existing Summer Crickets sound which has a water flowing sound in the background. I really don't want to hear any water when I'm sleeping as it makes someone want to get up to go the bathroom.UPDATE. They've confirmed they're adding more sounds and at least one will meet this need.Replacement electronic parts absolutely need to be purchasable on their own. I have concerns with the electronics dying.UPDATE. They're adding a new 36 month warranty for the electrical parts and have confidence in the quality of their electronics.Tip to users: I recommend finding 2-3 sounds you like, if you're going to be using sleep mode then deleting the rest, that way if you're in bed half-asleep you're not rotating between 10 sounds, including ones that don't help, in order to get to the sound you want.I would like to see a future where products like these are recommended and provided at an ENT office when a patient goes in for hearing loss/tinnitus and covered by insurance. This is more a criticism of the current healthcare system and lack of tinnitus education and resources doctors currently can provide rather than a criticism of the company. Hopefully in time we'll get there and patients can get the education and relief they need sooner to have a better quality of life and not have to go through what I've gone through.Overall, I'm looking forward to developments and I recommend adding this product as an important part of overall sleep hygiene and tinnitus management.