What is a Weighted Blanket?

Weighted Blankets are thick blankets that are used for therapeutic purposes including anxiety and stress relief. Our Weighted Blankets are loaded with glass beads and come in multiple sizes like 5, 7,10,12,15, 20,25, and 30 pounds. When placed on the body, the increased weight is intended to provide a relaxing effect.

Learn everything you need to know about Weighted Blankets and how they operate by reading on.

How Weighted Blankets Work?

Weighted Blankets provide a hug-like feeling by using a technique known as deep pressure stimulation (DPS) to make the user feel more secure. Deep touch pressure — administered to the body with hands, tools, or blankets — can help the nervous system relax. 

When Temple Grandin was looking for a way to help autistic children cope with their anxiety, she came across deep pressure therapy. She wanted to give these patients something that didn't seem limited or restricting, so she devised a "hug machine" that gently applied pressure to the body. She noted a release of oxytocin in her patients after she did this. 

Weighted Blankets were created as a result of this research. By mildly pushing on the body and triggering a similar release of oxytocin, they provide a similar experience to the "hug machine." 

Weighted Blankets are a type of deep pressure therapy that can help the brain produce more dopamine and serotonin. These are "feel-good" compounds that can make a person feel peaceful, happy, and well-adjusted. For this reason, Weighted Blankets have been used to treat autism, sensory processing disorder, and depressive symptoms.

Many people find that a gravity blanket, in addition to a new mattress, helps them fall asleep faster.

The comforting weight of the blanket can help you sleep better, both in terms of quantity and quality. For more breathability and comfort, pair it with our cotton-weighted blanket duvet cover!

 

20 Benefits of Weighted Blanket (According to Science)

Because Weighted Blankets are a type of deep pressure therapy, they offer many of the same benefits, such as a rise in serotonin, a decrease in heart rate, and so on.

1.  Weighted Blankets boost serotonin levels.

Serotonin affects the sleep-wake cycle by modulating sleep phases and influencing sleep depth. Deep pressure touch has been demonstrated to increase serotonin production, allowing the user to sleep more comfortably and peacefully.

2.  It lowers the activity of the nervous system.

An overactive autonomic nervous system can cause anxiety, hyperactivity, and a variety of other problems. Weighted Blankets help shift your nervous system into "rest mode," reducing anxiety symptoms like shortness of breath and a faster heart rate.

3.  Enhances social interactions during the day

Users of Weighted Blankets have been proven to have better social interactions during the day because they were able to obtain a good night's sleep the night before.

When a person is unable to sleep well, it affects every element of their life, including social interactions and performance in other areas such as school or job. When a person regains their sleep, they frequently regain control of their lives as well.

4.  Reduces Movement at Night

If you're tossing and turning at night, sleeping with a Weighted Blanket on top of your body can assist lessen movement. The 'cocooning' given by a Weighted Blanket can lessen movements during the night, resulting in a more comfortable sleep, according to studies.

5.  Relieves the Signs and Symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a disorder in which the legs move involuntarily and rapidly. This usually occurs when the person in question is attempting to sleep. Applying pressure on the extremity of the legs for an extended period has been shown to alleviate RLS symptoms.

6.  Fibromyalgia Support

The usage of a Weighted Blanket has provided relief to people suffering from chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia. The blanket can aid with symptom relief as well as breaking the cycle of anxiety and melancholy that often comes with illness.

7.  Helps in the treatment of panic attacks

Panic attacks can be terrifying, but a Weighted Blanket can make you feel less exposed.

If you have panic disorder, you may feel compelled to shield yourself from stressful events that heighten your dread and make you more vulnerable to panic episodes. A Weighted Blanket can help you sleep better, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and less worried. A Weighted Blanket helps to soothe both the body and the mind by boosting 'calming' hormones and neurotransmitters.

8.  Assists with Tourette's Symptoms

Uncontrollable symptoms such as tics and movements plague people with this neurological illness, causing exhaustion and anxiety. A Weighted Blanket's deep pressure therapy can help to relieve anxiety and offer a sense of serenity, which can help you sleep better.

9.  Assists the elderly

Elderly folks frequently adopt an unusual sleeping schedule, staying up much later than usual and napping more during the day. Depression and anxiety are common among the elderly.

Adults will benefit from the use of a Weighted Blanket because it will help them sleep better. Weighted Blanket users "loved sleeping with the blanket, found it easier to calm down to sleep, and had an improved sleep, where they felt more refreshed in the morning," according to researchers. Just make sure you get the right size and weight blanket for the older person, especially if they're weak, so they can sleep safely and comfortably.

10.      Helps with Menopause Symptoms

Many women who are going through menopause feel sleep disturbances, as well as worry and melancholy. All of these symptoms can be alleviated with the use of a Weighted Blanket, making it easier to get a good night's sleep.

11.      Reduces the Risk of Seizures

Although not all people who use a Weighted Blanket will experience the same benefits, there is a chance that they will experience fewer seizures. Deep pressure stimulation has a beneficial effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body to feel more relaxed.

12.       Assists in the treatment of OCD

Low serotonin levels have been related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and as previously said, a Weighted Blanket can assist enhance serotonin release in the body. During the day, a weighted vest can help, but at night, a Weighted Blanket is an ideal option.

13.      Relieves PTSD symptoms

If you've experienced trauma in the past, a Weighted Blanket can help you relax.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that affects many people who have been through a traumatic or stressful incident. PTSD is a condition that can affect veterans who have served in the military. Survivors of physical attack or a major vehicle accident are two other examples of trauma survivors.

 

Anxiety, insomnia, and despair are all symptoms of PTSD that can be treated with a variety of therapy. According to studies, a Weighted Blanket can help these survivors feel less anxious while also increasing their blood pressure and pulse rate.

14.      Helps People with Sensory Issues Relax

A Weighted Blanket is a wonderful tool to have on hand for many parents of children with sensory issues. This is because they create a sense of comfort and security. A Weighted Blanket's therapeutic benefits can also be extended to children with other developmental issues.

15.       Lowers the heart rate

The use of touch therapy has been shown to reduce heart rate. A Weighted Blanket can be used to replicate touch therapy and reap similar benefits. The relaxing, grounding impact may be beneficial in reducing anxiety or other conditions that cause a rapid heart rate.

10. Relieves Panic Attacks

People of all ages have been demonstrated to benefit from heavy blankets and vests, which have been shown to reduce panic episodes and avert crisis states. This enables people to live more regular lives, sleep better, and improve in a variety of other ways.

16.      Enhances feelings of safety

Weighted Blankets have been shown to improve feelings of security, especially when wrapped around the body to provide a swaddling effect. This sensation can benefit you in other aspects of your life, such as increasing your sleep and alleviating sleep anxiety.

17.      Improves your ability to communicate

Increased communicativeness has also been observed as a benefit of deep pressure stimulation, particularly in autistic children. This advantage could be attributed to a sense of security and grounding.

18.      Enhances one's mood

Using a Weighted Blanket can help you feel better in general. The synthesis of the feel-good hormone oxytocin is increased by the pressure of a Weighted Blanket. This, when combined with a reduction in cortisol (the stress hormone), can have a major impact on a person's mood.

19.      Assists in obtaining and maintaining a good night's sleep

According to the findings, persons who sleep with a Weighted Blanket stay asleep longer, have fewer sleep interruptions and have better overall sleep. A Weighted Blanket has also been reported to help people fall asleep faster.

20.      Alleviates Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Weighted Blankets have been demonstrated to help relieve pain by increasing relaxation, lowering anxiety, and improving sleep. The application of significant pressure causes these results. 

While there is no clear data on the use of Weighted Blankets for osteoarthritis, one study suggests that massage treatment, which uses deep pressure to relieve knee pain in osteoarthritis patients, may be beneficial. As a result, Weighted Blankets may provide similar benefits.

Conclusion

Weighted Blankets are intended to create a tranquil, soothing impact that is conducive to sleep. This enables the tense, worried, or restless individual to receive the rest they require. And if you're in pain, this unique blanket can help you sleep better by relieving your agony. Sleeping with a Weighted Blanket has provided help to many suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other painful ailments. A growing number of people are discovering that using this unique form of the blanket at night can be a good alternative to taking sedative-hypnotic drugs (sleeping pills) for the rest of their lives. A Weighted Blanket helps to soothe both the body and the mind by boosting 'calming' hormones and neurotransmitters.

Experience the Benefits of Weighted Blankets with “Better Sleep”

Weighted Blankets have numerous advantages!

A Weighted Blanket can help you sleep better, whether you're seeking to relieve the symptoms of a certain ailment or simply desire a better night's sleep. It's not only us that believe this. Thousands of people have emailed us at "Better Sleep" to tell us how much their lives have improved since they began using our Weighted Blankets.