What are the benefits of a weighted blanket? Having a good blanket is especially important for better sleep every day in a world that is constantly changing and where stress and anxiety affect people of all ages.
Thus, the demand for weighted blankets has increased sharply in recent years.
The reason is quite simple: this heavy blanket has quite interesting characteristics and hypoallergenic, soothing, and relaxing properties that make it stand out from other duvet models available on the market.
In this article, we review all the benefits of a weighted blanket.
Also, read: How To Choose A Weighted Blanket?
Let’s go.
A Weighted Blanket Helps You Sleep Better And Promotes Fast Sleep
Thanks to its exterior appearance, the weighted blanket is able to promote sleep. Thus, it is not only its weight and texture but also its ability to generate well-being hormones that make it unique.
Indeed, these blankets, which are generally much thicker than standard models, exert a certain pressure on the whole body.
It is actually this deep pressure that allows the user to sleep better and promotes fast sleep. But by what mechanism?
The weighted blanket owes its thick structure to its manufacturing process. This type of cover is indeed lined with plastic (or glass) microbeads.
Thus, unlike a standard duvet which does not have one, a weighted blanket appears heavier.
It would weigh as much as two packs of water.
This heaviness on the body is what will allow
reduce stress,
actually, improve sleep.
Experts refer to the feeling of deep embrace that the user experiences when using this duvet on a daily basis as “Deep Touch Pressure.”
Study Shows That Weighted Blankets Can Reduce The Severity Of Insomnia
A Weighted Blanket To Combat Stress And Anxiety
If the weighted blanket is so popular, it is because its effects on the mind are also perceptible on a daily basis. Thus, it is often used to combat stress and anxiety.
To understand the merits of this practice, which has been going on for many years now, we must above all refer to the operation of weighted blankets.
Indeed, thanks to their considerable weight, these blankets exert a deep pressure on the whole body; which allows the user to refocus on his sensations.
It is this feeling of heaviness that conditions the body and disposes of it to welcome sleep.
But in reality, it is not only the body that is affected. The mind also does not fail to react to this feeling of envelopment.
This serenity that emanates from the body is immediately reflected in the mind. As a result, both the mind and the body are embarking on the process of “letting go”.
The perfect illustration of this phenomenon of abandonment is given to us when we observe the action of antidepressants on the body.
Using a weighted blanket will therefore have the same effects on a patient as taking a psychotropic drug.
Since scientists have not detected any side effects to date, these thick blankets appear to be a natural alternative to stress and anxiety.
A Weighted Blanket To Relieve Restless Leg Syndrome
The interest in weighted blankets is totally justified when we observe their impact on the human body. Indeed, the use of these blankets makes it possible to limit the negative effects on sleep of certain pathologies.
Thus, a person with restless legs syndrome (RLS) will certainly find the comfort they need by sleeping regularly in this type of duvet.
Why is a heavy blanket better suited to relieve RLS?
To understand the usefulness of this coverage, it is essential to know how this disorder manifests itself. It is actually a nervous system disorder that causes tingling in the lower limbs.
This tingling, which is still referred to as “impatience”, most often occurs in the middle of the night and does not help you fall asleep.
If to date, there is no remedy for the effective management of patients suffering from RLS, the use of a weighted blanket can annihilate the effects.
This is possible due to the particular structure of this heavy duvet which is in no way comparable to other models of blankets.
It is, so to speak, the weight of weighted blankets that justifies their being so useful in relieving RLS. Light pressure on the affected area reduces restlessness in the feet.
In the end, this induces a certain comfort; which is essential for good sleep.
The Weighted Blanket: Helping With Sensory Processing Disorders
Patients with sensory processing disorders generally have difficulty integrating into society.
They either develop sensory hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, which explains this situation.
If hypersensitive people intensely perceive the sensory stimuli that reach them, hypersensitive patients tend to show a certain detachment from everything around them.
These sensory processing disorders can affect the quality of sleep.
Thus, many specialists (occupational therapists) recommend the use of a weighted blanket to promote sleep.
Indeed, these blankets are able to lessen the irritability that tactile hypersensitivity causes. But not only!
The heaviness of the blanket is also a major asset for finding rest when you suffer from sensory processing disorders.
We can indeed use a weighted duvet to stimulate by touch people who are looking for more sensory stimuli.
In this type of blanket, they will feel like in a cocoon; which is sure to help them relax and sleep better.
Weighted Blanket Helps ADHD Patients Focus
Like people with sensory processing disorders, patients with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder With or Without Hyperactivity) can have very disrupted sleep.
The reason is very simple: they show signs of significant brain and physical activity that prevents them from concentrating and falling asleep.
If weighted blankets promote falling asleep, they also limit the movements of the user.
The manufacturers have indeed bet everything on the appearance of the cover by increasing its thickness to make it heavier.
Thus, hyperactive people will be able to concentrate better on their physical sensations.
In addition, the blanket releases hormones (serotonin and melatonin) in the brain whose role is to reduce the amount of dopamine in the blood.
A calm and serene person is better able to enjoy a restful sleep.
The Weighted Blanket Recreates The Feeling Of A Hug, A Massage
It is thanks to their unique manufacturing process that weighted blankets are increasingly in demand by customers.
Indeed, the blanket is made up of microbeads and natural materials that give the whole a rather special texture.
Moreover, in use, all users are unanimous on one point: in a weighted duvet, you feel like in a cocoon.
The blanket’s exertion of this strong pressure is comparable to an embrace.
This feeling of hug is exacerbated by the enveloping effect of weighted blankets due to their thickness.
Thus, in this type of duvet, one tends to be calmer, and more relaxed after a massage session.
This also probably explains why these blankets are recommended for combating stress and anxiety.
A Weighted Blanket Triggers The Release Of Feel-Good Hormones
If the weighted blanket is attracting so much interest from users, it is because it is useful in so many ways. You can use it on all occasions, whatever the circumstance or your physical condition.
These blankets act as a sort of therapeutic treatment by releasing feel-good hormones in the brain.
These are serotonin, or the “happiness hormone” and melatonin, also called the “sleep hormone”.
Thus, specialists and other scientists especially recommend its use for people who have sleep-related disorders.
The Weighted Blanket Releases Melatonin Secretion
A strong secretion of melatonin promotes sleep. A weighted blanket can also release this hormone, which normally produces itself at night.
This is possible because of the unique design technology of this heavy throw.
Thanks to its substantial weight, the user can enjoy an enveloping effect that makes them feel like in a cocoon.
He can thus benefit from deeper sleep. In addition, the relaxing and soothing properties of the blanket accelerate the release of melatonin in the brain.
In the end, we are much more comfortable installing a weighted blanket.
Weighted Blanket Is Relaxing
The special design that weighted blankets enjoy is what makes them so popular.
Filled with microbeads, these duvets have a rather special texture that makes them quite easily stand out from other standard models available on the market.
Also, because of their heaviness, their action on the body is increased tenfold.
The intense pressure distributed over the whole body allows the sleeper to be more relaxed and calmer. Under these conditions, sleep is less restless.
For even more comfort, the weighted blanket releases feel-good hormones in the body which have relaxing effects on the body.
Conclusion
To summarize, the most typical benefit anticipated by the usage of weighted blankets will be relaxation, as evidenced by a reduction in anxiety as well as motor activity.
Ultimately, this will result, in particular, in an increase in attention span during the day.
I have an extended article stating: how to wash a weighted blanket.