Weighted Blankets

Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets are therapeutic blankets that weigh between 5 and 30 pounds. They are the leading way to help poor sleepers get a good night’s rest. They were first introduced by occupational therapists as a treatment for behavioral disorders, but are now a more fascinating ways for anyone who wants to relax.

Experts refer to it as “deep-pressure therapy” – the idea is that the pressure from the blanket can increase serotonin, a chemical in your body that makes you feel happy and calm. It’s not intended to cure any medical conditions, but it’s become a popular way for anxiety-suffers, and self-proclaimed “bad sleepers” to get some shut-eye.

“There is recent research suggesting they can help reduce or relieve anxiety,” shares an Occupational Therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Another expert also says they can help people who may not consider themselves anxious, yet still suffer from insomnia or sleep disturbances: “A weighted blanket might provide just enough physiological calm that it helps them relax to fall asleep.”

Many users describe the sensation of lying under a weighted blanket as feeling like an embrace. Deep pressure stimulation uses pressure to relax the nervous system. It models the experience of being held and then relieves the perception of pain pleasingly.

• reduce symptoms of anxiety
• improve sleep quality
• relieve symptoms of depression

Pressure therapy doesn’t have to be completely hands-on. With weighted blankets, the pressure comes not from another person but from having the blanket wrapped around the body.

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Weighted Blankets Weighted blankets are therapeutic blankets that weigh between 5 and 30 pounds. They are the leading way to help poor sleepers get a good night’s rest. They were first introduced by occupational therapists as a treatment for behavioral disorders, but are now a more fascinating ways for anyone who wants to relax. Experts refer…