Weighted blankets are identical to ordinary blankets, except that they are either heavier or include weighted stuffing. They were first utilized in therapy sessions for persons with Sensory Processing Disorder, but their popularity has since grown due to their numerous benefits.
Adult weighted blankets are hailed for their capacity to reduce anxiety, relieve sleeplessness symptoms, assist with sensory issues, generate a calming impact, soothe the elderly, and more. They can also help children who have ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder with their symptoms.
Learn how weighted blankets work and how you can reap the benefits of sleeping with them daily.
Is it Safe to Sleep with a Weighted Blanket?
Weighted blankets are typically regarded as safe as long as the user has enough strength and agility to pull the blanket off themselves when necessary to avoid suffocation or entrapment.
Before using a weighted blanket, some people should take extra measures and consult a doctor. People with chronic respiratory or circulatory problems, asthma, low blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and claustrophobia cannot use a weighted blanket. Experts also advise against using weighted blankets if you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
If you use them properly, weighted blankets can provide many benefits. Some of which are listed below:
1. Better Sleep
The first thing to remember is that weighted blankets can be beneficial if you have trouble sleeping. Even if you don’t have insomnia, a terrible night’s sleep can leave you exhausted the next day, lowering your productivity and putting you in a foul mood, which can further have severe consequences for your work and relationships.
Unfortunately, if your sleep quality is poor, you can obtain adequate hours of sleep but still feel out of sorts. When it comes to having a better night’s sleep, a weighted blanket from Sensolife (combined with a good mattress and a comfortable pillow) can make a considerable difference.
A weighted blanket can significantly enhance your sleep routine, particularly for individuals who wake up due to stress and anxiety. They’re designed to help you fall and stay asleep faster so you can receive the rest you need.
Weighted blankets for sleep problems are an excellent tool for both the elderly and younger folks who are having trouble sleeping. Our sleep-wake cycle shifts as we age, and we rarely get more than eight hours of sleep every night.
Many elderly individuals have insomnia due to their lack of sleep, which can have a negative impact on their general health and wellbeing. Weighted blankets have been demonstrated to increase the quality of sleep and the number of hours of sleep that older individuals obtain each night.
2. Nervous System Relaxation
A hyperactive nervous system can cause hyperactivity, a racing heart, anxiety, and shortness of breath, all of which are disruptive to sleep. Weighted blankets may reduce the fight-or-flight response and activate the relaxing parasympathetic nervous system in preparation for sleep by distributing an even amount of weight and pressure throughout the body.
Although many people claim that these popular blankets help them feel better, there is some controversy about whether they provide all the benefits that producers claim. Please proceed with caution when it comes to any product that claims to have medical benefits.
Any individual who has persevering sleep issues should chat with the best specialist and survey their circumstance and decide if a weighted blanket could be a powerful piece of a comprehensive treatment approach.
3. Makes You Feel Better
You may be deficient in mood-lifting brain chemicals if you’re irritated or depressed regularly. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that impacts mood disorders. According to a study, deep pressure stimulation using a weighted blanket can increase serotonin levels.
The stress hormone cortisol is also reduced by deep pressure, which aids in relaxation. A weighted blanket can act like a hug, helping you to feel better and less melancholy.
4. Eases Anxiety
Anxiety affects everyone at some point in their lives. It’s a feeling of dread and foreboding, usually concerning something that will happen in the future. It might cause your heart rate to rise and your breathing to quicken as your body prepares for a stressful situation.
You may have an anxiety disorder if your anxiety is chronic and disrupts your daily life. You may worry excessively about ordinary conditions rather than stressing about an imminent occasion. It might make your body feel as if it is constantly in a stressful scenario or environment.
Your autonomic nervous system, which controls basic physical activities like breathing, digesting, sweating, and shivering, prepares your body for stress or rest based on what’s going on around you. The fight or flight response commonly refers to this behavior.
The pressure of weighted blankets puts your autonomic nervous system into “rest” mode, which reduces anxiety symptoms like a racing heart and shallow breathing. It can also help you feel more relaxed. Anxiety is a big problem for a lot of people these days, and persons are trying a lot of things in order to resolve this problem. For example fidget ring is great in reducing this problem.
5. Helps With ADHD
Self-control is a challenge for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, especially when it comes to paying attention and sitting still. It can create issues at school or home, affecting their learning as well as their relationships with peers and family.
What is going on around them, such as other people chatting, can easily distract children with ADHD, making it difficult to concentrate or focus on the activity they are currently engaged in.
Weighted blankets help youngsters from becoming distracted by other sensory cues in their environment, such as sounds, by engaging their sense of touch. It can help kids focus better, stay on task, sit still, and fidget less. If your child does not want to use a blanket in class, a weighted vest, which works similarly to blankets, can be purchased.
Conclusion
While weighted blankets are more expensive than conventional blankets, the health benefits make the investment worthwhile. We believe that the advantages of weighted blankets are well worth the investment. Weighted blankets are powerful enough to help many people improve their quality of life by offering better quality sleep, easing anxiety, and relaxing the nervous system.
