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May 22, 2023

11 Best Blackout Curtains for Room Darkening in 2023: Deconovo, Nicetown, Amazon

By Sara Coughlin Getting a good night’s sleep is already a challenge sometimes,

By Sara Coughlin

Getting a good night's sleep is already a challenge sometimes, but if streetlights stream into your bedroom at odd hours or the sun wakes you up at the crack of dawn, it can start to feel impossible. Enter blackout curtains, which can make your bedroom so dark and cozy that you might want to add them to every room in your home (you know, for napping purposes).

According to experts, light-blocking window treatments and drapery are a simple addition to your bedroom that can lead to major improvements in your sleep.

You want your room to be as dark as possible before you go to bed, Daniel A. Barone, MD, associate medical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine in New York City, tells SELF. "A little bit of ambient light, whether it be from a streetlight or the sun, can be enough to cause somebody to wake up," he says.

In fact, being exposed to as little as 10 lux (which is roughly the amount of light you see during twilight hours) before bedtime can have a negative impact on your sleep, Kathryn Jean Reid, PhD, a research professor of neurology (sleep medicine) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, tells SELF. It's for that same reason that experts discourage screen use right before bed—TVs, tablets, and phones generate bright, blue light that can make it hard to doze off or snooze soundly through the night. Sure, a few episodes of your comfort Netflix show might lull you into a state of relaxation, but any kind of light exposure before you drift off is going to mess with your sleep.

That's because the darkness is also helpful when it comes to winding down and getting high-quality rest. Dr. Barone explains that darkness prompts your body to produce melatonin, a hormone your brain naturally produces that helps regulate the timing of your sleep-wake cycle. "When you have blackout curtains, what you’re doing is helping promote that [process]," he says.

Blackout curtains will help block light from seeping into your bedroom, so your body's melatonin production can run its course smoothly and you can get to sleep more easily. Both Dr. Barone and Dr. Reid say that they’re worth a try for just about anyone who wants a dimmer bedroom, with a few caveats. For one, they shouldn't make your space so cavelike that it's unsafe for you to get up in the middle of the night (say, to use the bathroom). They also shouldn't stay closed for too long after you wake up—getting a dose of bright daylight in the morning is just as important for your sleep-wake cycle as keeping things nice and dark at night, Dr. Reid says. Finally, no blackout curtains will be a cure-all for sleep disorders like insomnia, but a set of light-blocking shades can play a valuable supporting role in an intentional presleep routine.

The blackout curtains you choose will mainly depend on how much light you want to block. Some curtains are designed to create almost total darkness, while others will simply reduce the amount of light that reaches your room (these are often marketed as "room-darkening curtains").

Certain blackout curtains also offer additional benefits like outside noise reduction and temperature regulation, which will have varying degrees of effectiveness but can be a nice boost if you live on a busy street or want to be mindful of energy efficiency, especially in the hotter months. Perhaps most importantly, don't forget to shop with your home's style in mind; not only are these shades available in a slew of different sizes, but you can find blackout curtains in a variety of colors and prints too.

With all that in mind, here are the best blackout curtains you can try right now, from major retailers and highly-rated drapery brands like Amazon, West Elm, Deconovo, and more.

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

These best-selling linen curtains from Pottery Barn have a polyester blackout lining that should block most light. They’re compatible with three different hanging styles and three different lengths and widths.

With easy-to-hang grommets and a silky-smooth finish, these Deconovo curtains are simultaneously effortless yet stylish, with blackout and insulating properties to boot. They come in 20 different colors, so be aware that the lighter shades are room-darkening while the darker colors will have more of a true blackout effect.

West Elm's Cotton Velvet Curtains will add a low-key yet luxe touch to any room. You can order them with or without a blackout curtain liner, which is made to block all light. There's also a range of equally beautiful hardware you can browse to go with them.

If you’re looking for prints and colors, check out Nicetown's offerings. The site has a huge selection of room-darkening and light-blocking curtains, but these patterned panels are a hit among reviewers who wanted to reduce the amount of light in their bedrooms and living rooms. Some happy customers even mentioned that, by keeping sunlight out, they helped keep the room cool.

Another highly-rated set of drapes from Nicetown, these linen curtains have a triple-layer design that claims to provide light and noise reduction as well as insulation. In other words, they’re worth considering if you’re sensitive to sounds when trying to go to bed—or live on a street with lots of traffic.

By Amy Marturana Winderl, C.P.T.

By Kayla Blanton

By Ashia Aubourg

These budget-friendly Sun Zero curtains promise movie-theater levels of darkness and are machine-washable, making them a low-maintenance addition to your bedroom. The fact that they come in both floor and sill lengths means they can fit seamlessly with whatever windows you happen to have.

With more than 31,000 five-star ratings, these room-darkening curtains from Amazon Basics have droves of glowing reviews. "My room is like a cave with them," one person wrote. "I’ve been sleeping a lot better due to how dark my room is at night," wrote another. Plus, you can choose whether they come with grommets or a curtain-rod pocket.

You can keep your room dark, cool, and comfy with these microfiber curtains from the top-selling brand Eclipse. Reviewers were especially pleased with the fabric's quality, describing them as thick and heavy but still soft. They’re sold as single blackout curtain panels, so add two to your cart if you want a set.

By Amy Marturana Winderl, C.P.T.

By Kayla Blanton

By Ashia Aubourg

If you prefer blackout shades to curtains, you’re in luck: The light-blocking aficionados at Eclipse have you covered. These cordless blinds come in a range of widths to fit different window frames and look great on their own or layered with other drapery.

We love the minimalist look of these insulated shades, which come in several cool neutral colors and are super easy to install, according to reviews. For how simple they look and how light their colorways are, they reportedly block an impressive amount of light.

The pinch pleats in these fade-resistant blackout curtains give them a distinctive look, helped all the more by the fun mix of patterns they come in (they’re also available in solid colors, if that's more your aesthetic). You can find them in lengths that suit full-length windows and doors, as well as smaller window frames.

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.