Here is a study published on September 15, 2020, in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, showing that weighted blankets or weighted blankets are an effective way to fight against problems of insomnia, anxiety, generalized anxiety, or hyperactivity.
Source: Journal of Clinical Medicine Research
Weighted blankets are a safe and effective answer to treating insomnia, according to Swedish researchers who found that patients with insomnia and psychiatric disorders had less severe insomnia, better sleep, and less daytime sleepiness when they slept with a weighted chain blanket.
Insomnia Decreases By More Than 50%
Comparative study results show that participants who used the weighted blanket for four weeks reported:
a significant reduction in the severity of insomnia,
better sleep maintenance,
a higher level of daytime activity,
a reduction in symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety.
Participants in the group using the weighted blanket were almost 26 times more likely to see the severity of their insomnia decrease by 50% or more compared to the control group, and they were almost 20 times more likely to get a remission of their insomnia.
The positive results were maintained for a period of 12 months.
“One suggested explanation for the calming and sleep-promoting effect is the pressure the weighted blanket applies to different points on the body, stimulating the sensation of touch and sense of muscles and joints, such as acupressure and massage,” said lead investigator Dr.
Mats Adler, consultant psychiatrist in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
“There is evidence to suggest that deep pressure stimulation increases parasympathetic arousal of the autonomic nervous system and at the same time reduces sympathetic arousal, which is thought to be the cause of the calming effect.”
The study is published in the September 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
The study involved 120 adults (68% women, 32% men) who had previously been diagnosed with clinical insomnia and a recurrent psychiatric disorder:
major depression,
bipolar,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
or generalized anxiety disorder.
They had an average age of about 40.
See also: How to choose your weighted blanket? a complete guide to not making a mistake about your purchase
60% Of Weighted Blanket Users Had A Positive Response
Participants were randomly selected to sleep for four weeks at home with either a weighted blanket or a control blanket.
Participants assigned to the weighted blanket group tried out an 8-kilo sensory blanket at the clinic. Ten participants found it too heavy and were given a 6kg blanket instead.
Participants in the control group slept with a traditional lightweight blanket of about 1.5 kg.
Changes in insomnia severity, the primary outcome, were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index. Wrist actigraphy was used to estimate activity levels during sleep and during the day.
Nearly 60% of weighted blanket users had a positive response, with a 50% or more decrease in their ISI score (time measured between two stimuli) from baseline to endpoint at four weeks, compared to 5, 4% in the control group.
Remission, a score of seven or less on the ISI scale, was 42.2% in the weighted blanket user group, compared with 3.6% in the control group.
92% Of Weighted Blanket Users Were Cured, And 78% Were In Remission.
After the initial four-week study, all participants had the option of using the weighted blanket for a 12-month follow-up phase.
They tested four different weighted blankets:
two chain blankets (6 kilograms and 8 kilograms),
two ball blankets (6.5 kilograms and 7 kilograms).
After the test, they were allowed to freely choose the blanket they preferred, with most of them choosing a heavier blanket.
Only one participant dropped out of the study due to feeling anxious about using the blanket. Participants who switched from the control (traditional) blanket to a weighted blanket experienced a similar effect to patients who initially used the weighted blanket.
After 12 months, 92% of weighted blanket users were cured, and 78% were in remission.
“I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect of the weighted blanket on insomnia and pleased with the reduction in levels of anxiety and depression,” said Dr. Adler.
In a related commentary, also published in the September issue of JCSM, Dr. William McCall writes:
The study findings support the psychoanalytic theory of the “holding environment,” which states that touch is a basic need that brings calm and comfort.
Dr. McCall urges providers to consider the impact of sleep surfaces and bedding on sleep quality while calling for additional research on the effect of weighted blankets.
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