Trying the Sleep Mask That Attaches to a Plane Seat on a Long-Haul Flight

• I tried a viral plane pillow with a Velcro eye mask that straps to your airplane seat.
• The product had its pros. It was compact, had a dual function, and was easy to set up.
• However, the product put too much pressure on my forehead and face, so I won’t pack it again.

My hunt for the best neck pillow continues.

On my last long-haul flight, I packed an inflatable pillow I’d seen all over TikTok. I had my complaints: While I did get some sleep, the pillow was far too bulky for small economy seats.

I wanted a smaller option for my next trip, so I purchased the $21 Sarisun travel pillow, yet another TikTok-viral product. It attaches to your seat and holds your head back with a Velcro eye mask.

After trying the travel pillow on a 10-hour flight from Denver to Munich, I likely won’t pack it in my carry-on again.

I boarded the 10-hour flight in hopes of deep sleep

Reading the product’s description online, I learned that while it’s technically not a pillow, the goal is to help you sleep. The eye mask prevents your head from bobbing as you fall asleep upright and helps avoid neck discomfort.

After settling into my economy Lufthansa seat, I unrolled the product, which came in two pieces. The first was a pad with two straps that wrap around the headrest of an airplane seat. The second was an eye mask with Velcro patches at each end.

The straps are adjustable, so it seemed like it would fit most planes — as long as your seat has a bendable headrest. If there’s no headrest, like some seats on airlines like Frontier, then you’re out of luck.

Thankfully, my Lufthansa seat had the correct headrest, and I easily looped the pad around the top of the seat and secured it tight. Then, I placed the eye mask around my face and fastened the ends to the other piece.

I questioned if the Velcro would be strong enough to hold the weight of my head, but that wasn’t an issue. After I was all set up, I closed my eyes and attempted to sleep — emphasis on attempted.

The eye mask blocked out the light from surrounding plane screens, which I loved. Plus, the size could adjust enough to let me wear over-the-ear headphones or my AirPods. Without music, I found that the pillow buffered nearby plane noises.

The downside was that when I leaned my head forward, I felt pressure along the edges of the mask. This dull pressure was fine for about an hour, but after that, it became increasingly uncomfortable.

After trying to use the pillow for a couple of hours, I ripped it off, balled up my jacket, leaned against the plane wall, and attempted to get some actual sleep.

I had a love-hate relationship with the plane pillow

The pillow had its pros. It was compact, and I liked that I could leave it attached to my seat even when I wasn’t sleeping. It worked as an eye mask and pillow, creating one less thing to pack in my carry-on.

Still, even with its pros, I’m not sure I’d use the product again.

The pressure from the eye mask was too much for me, and it only allowed one sleeping position. As someone who tosses and turns, attempts to curl up in balls on plane seats, and constantly searches for comfortable positions, I didn’t love the fixed position this product kept me in.

However, plenty of people disagree. Across reviews on Amazon, travelers said that if you’re a plane sleeper who predominantly sits up straight and struggles with head bobbing throughout a flight, this pillow could be a game changer.

“Best airplane sleep product yet!” one person wrote.

“The mask was cool and comfortable, and I cannot believe I got a solid 4-5 hours of sleep in economy,” another person added.

That wasn’t the case for me, which means I’ll be looking for better neck pillows for future long-haul economy flights.