Weighted Blanket Increases Pre-Sleep Salivary Melatonin Concentrations In Healthy Young Adults

A new study from October 2022 shows that the use of a weighted blanket leads to an increase in melatonin levels in the saliva of adolescents and young adults.

This new scientific study is from this source

“Our study is the first to suggest that using a weighted blanket may lead to a greater release of melatonin at bedtime.”

Weighted blankets have emerged as a potential non-pharmacological solution to relieve conditions such as insomnia and anxiety.

Despite the lack of experimental evidence, these putative effects are frequently attributed to reduced activity of endogenous stress systems and increased release of hormones such as oxytocin and melatonin.

Thus, the objective of the present laboratory crossover study (26 young and healthy participants, including 15 men and 11 women) was to determine whether the use of a weighted blanket (12% of body weight) at bedtime resulted in higher salivary concentrations of melatonin and oxytocin compared to a light blanket (2.4% of body weight).

We also examined possible differences in salivary concentrations of cortisol, the stress hormone, salivary alpha-amylase activity (as a proxy measure of sympathetic nervous system activity), subjective sleepiness, and the duration of some sleep.

When using a weighted blanket, the one-hour increase in salivary melatonin between bedtime (i.e., 10 p.m.) and lights out (i.e., say 23 hours) was about 32% higher (p = 0.011).

No other significant differences were found between the blanket conditions, especially regarding subjective sleepiness and total sleep time.

This study is the only one to suggest that a link exists between the use of a weighted blanket and an increase in melatonin levels before falling asleep.

Future studies should investigate whether the stimulating effect on melatonin secretion is seen on a nighttime basis with frequent use of a weighted blanket over weeks or months.

Whether the observed increase in melatonin may be therapeutically relevant to the previously described effects of the weighted blanket on insomnia and anxiety remains to be determined.