Product Review: Weighted Blankets
Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.
Recently I was asked as a corporate trainer to do some research on a few products for my company to consider to go into. One of which is the category of a weighted blanket which was new to my company, but not to me. My family of various ages (my wife who is 40 and nephew who is 10) who struggle with anxiety found these as a solution to help sleep deeper, more soothed, less nightmares, and wake more refreshed. What is this miracle? --WEIGHTED BLANKETS.
Let me tell you what I found in my research....
Weighted blankets are popular because of their featured benefits, such as reducing anxiety and promoting a better, deeper sleep. Why is this?
• According to studies, “deep touch pressure” offered by the blanket “gives subjects feelings of safety, reduced stress and anxiety, relaxation, and comfort.” This soothing pressure reduces cortisol; i.e., the stress hormone, and encourages production of serotonin, a hormone associated with feelings of happiness and well-being.
• Most weighted blankets has some sort of inner box construction, meaning each square is securely stitched and filled with beads to make sure that the weight is evenly spread across a person’s body.
• Weighted Blankets specifically help people with anxiety, restless leg syndrome, insomnia, depression, or difficulty sleeping. Research has shown that light pressure on the body assists in a deeper sleep.
• These are also good for psychological reasons with potential benefits for those suffering from depression, anxiety, and autism.
The blanket below is one that my wife uses and loves, there are several others which work well, but the standard is you want to find a blanket that weighs about 5-10% of your body weight for the ideal. Most people do well with a 15lb blanket, they do make blankets of many weights up to 30lb or 45lb. It may sound claustrophobic, but trust me these things do wonders.
When buying, make sure to take a look at the size of the blanket, some of them are smaller so they only fit on 2/3 of the body, others make larger blankets, so the weight is dispersed over more of your body like an actual blanket. Please note, that these can get warm as well, so make sure you get one that keeps you cool as well.
The first blanket on the left is the one my wife uses and loves, the one on the right is another one that a friend uses and loves. My company has come out with one, but is sold out at the moment, however it is very high quality and will post when they have it.
Living in Utah, we just recently had a small 5.2 earthquake which has gotten a lot of locals nervous. A few friends recently reached out to me about how nervous they were and could not sleep very good. The 2 things I suggested to them were Valerian Root (see previous review on Valerian Root by clicking here) and a weighted blanket and all of them have responded since saying they. have had better sleep, with less anxiety through the night, AND less muscle tension because their body is not on overdrive all the time.
Try it out and let me know what you think!