Medicosnext
Made of heavier materials or layers of fabric filled with minute glass or plastic pellets, weighted blankets are heavier than normal ones and can weigh anywhere from 3 lb (1.36 kg) to more than 20 lb (9.07 kg). The pressure applied evenly throughout the body (deep pressure stimulation) can have beneficial effects on both body and mind, such as reducing overactive nervous system responses in people with anxiety and lowering heart rate, besides increasing feelings of calmness and relaxation. Sometimes used as part of therapy for children with issues like anxiety or ADHD, weighted blankets are also used as an alternative therapy in conditions like insomnia, tossing and turning, and other sleep problems, as well as for autism spectrum disorder.
The pressure of the weight provides the following therapeutic benefits:
• The pressure may suppress responses of the nervous system, lowering heart rate and breathing, thus helping you to calm down and sleep. Weighted blankets could also help you stop tossing and turning in bed due to their weight.
• Deep pressure stimulation has been demonstrated to increase levels of serotonin, a hormone that promotes relaxation and stabilizes the mood as well as sleep-wake cycles. Reduced levels of this hormone may contribute to depression, anxiety, and disrupted sleep.
• The pressure could also help in the release of oxytocin, the “feel-good hormone” that generates feelings of closeness and attachment, besides improving immune system response, reducing stress, easing pain, and helping you to sleep. Levels of oxytocin naturally increase during sleep (especially deep REM sleep), and increasing oxytocin during sleep may reduce the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, according to some studies.
• Deep pressure stimulation reduces the levels of cortisol, a hormone that stimulates the body’s stress response. While cortisol levels normally fall at bedtime, stress and anxiety can increase it, thus making it hard to fall and stay asleep. A weight blanket could help in suppressing this increase.
• A recent Swedish study published in the Journal of Sleep Research also found that using a weighted blanket increases levels of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep and is naturally produced by the body when it turns dark outside, signaling the body it’s time to rest.
• Weighted blankets may help some people with autism spectrum disorder or ADHD who are over-stimulated by noise, and the pressure could make such people feel safe and protected, so that they calm down and sleep better.
Ref:
WebMD, April 09, 2022, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/weighted-blankets
Sleep Solutions, https://www.isleepsolutions.com/blog/benefits-of-weighted-blankets/
Journal of Sleep Research, October 3, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13743
