If you suffer from sleep problems, a weighted blanket could be the solution to your problems. A weighted blanket is one that is considerably heavier than normal and weighing around 4.5kg to 9kg.
Weighted blankets should have a certain, specified weight to them that is evenly distributed throughout the blanket. The weight of the blanket is chosen by its user, and is recommended by professionals to be 10% to 15% their body weight.
Studies have shown that weighted blankets can be used to promote healthy sleeping patterns, and can further help to reduce anxiety and stress levels.
What are the benefits of weighted blankets?
Studies have shown that weighted blankets can have numerous different benefits to them. As previously mentioned, they can help to reduce stress and anxiety levels whilst also promoting a healthier sleeping pattern. Weighted blankets can help to provide a person with deep touch stimulation, which has been found by therapists to help people with the following conditions:
- Sensory disorders
- PTSD
- ADHD
- Autism
Weighted blankets can also be beneficial for those with insomnia or other types of issues related to their sleep. Getting a healthier dose of sleep can also lead to improved productivity, mental wellbeing, and a better quality of life.
How does a weighted blanket work?
Weighted blankets help to provide the body with what is known as proprioceptive input – the brain’s need to both understand and place our body in its surroundings.
Our brains are constantly sending signals around different parts of the body to help it better understand the environment that we’re in, and the space that we are occupying. When the brain can’t quite understand the space it is in, due to insufficient feedback, it can start to send out a lot of different neurons to try and better understand where it is. This can result in increased stress, and a feeling of unsettlement.
A weighted blanket can help to reduce these stress levels by applying the necessary pressure to the body to help the brain better understand its place in the specific environment. This can help to relax the mind and the body, as it gains a better understanding of the environment it is in.
By providing the body with adequate proprioceptive input, this can help to not only reduce stress levels and the feeling of unsettlement, but can also help to further promote a healthy sleeping pattern.
What is the best weighted blanket for me?
In order to get the optimum effects from a weighted blanket, it’s best to tailor each one to its user. It can be beneficial to get a blanket at the recommended 10% to 15% of a person’s body weight that is evenly distributed throughout the product. Calming Blanket has weighted blankets with inner ties to help ensure even weight distribution throughout.
The weighted blankets from Calming Blanket also come in a variety of different sizes, and are also available for children over the age of 2. These blankets can also be used all-year round, with a cotton cover being sold by the company for the hotter seasons.
Calming Blanket also uses incredibly soft fabric to help boost the comfort levels for its users. Blankets can be machine washed and do not require much maintenance. In addition to weighted blankets, Calming Blanket also sells other sleep-promoting products; such as sensory sheets, and a weighted toy koala to help its customers to further better their sleep.
The weighted toy koala works similarly to their other weighted blanket products in the fact that it provides proprioceptive input, helping give the brain a better awareness of its environment, and further calming it. “Kevin the Calming Koala” is more portable that a weighted blanket, and can be beneficial for children that have sensory processing needs (that are over the age of 2).