6 Unexpected Health Benefits of Weighted Blankets

health benefits of weighted blankets Did you know? A weighted blanket is often used for people with disorders such as autism. These blankets also offer a ton of health benefits.

Weighted blankets promote deep touch pressure. This helps patients in regulating their emotions as well as their behavior.

If you want to know more about the health benefits of weighted blankets, you’re at the right place.

In this post, we will talk about the six unexpected health benefits of weighted blankets.

Health Benefits of Weighted Blankets

Gives Comfort and Security
Relieves Stress
Improve Sleep
Calms Nerves
Enhances Social Interactions
Helps People With Anxiety and Depression
Helps People With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Weighted blankets take their inspiration from a therapeutic technique called deep pressure stimulation. This technique uses firm, controlled pressure to calm people down.

A weighted blanket, therefore, offers a lot of benefits. Here are the most common health benefits of weighted blankets:

Gives Comfort and Security

Weighted blankets work like a tight swaddle. This tight swaddle is the same one that helps babies feel cozy and snug.

In addition, the pressure of a knitted weighted blanket puts your body into rest mode. This slows down your heart rate and breathing. As a result, it comforts and calms you down. It also promotes a sense of security, according to many people.

Relieves Stress

A weighted blanket also relieves stress and anxiety. Since stress often interferes with sleep, having a weighted blanket means getting better sleep.

Weighted blankets especially help those who suffer from stressful thoughts. In fact, many people find that adding a weighted blanket to their sleep routine helps reduce stress and promote calm.

Improve Sleep

Weighted blankets use deep pressure stimulation. This stimulates the production of a mood-boosting hormone called serotonin.

It also reduces the stress hormone called cortisol. Moreover, weighted blankets increase levels of melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep. By doing these, weighted blankets improve your sleep quality.

Calms Nerves

Do you feel like your nerves always get the best of you? Weighted blankets might just be the solution you’re looking for.

Overactive nerves can lead to a rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.

In addition, your nervous system prepares your body based on what’s going on around you. This process is called the fight or flight response.

By distributing an even amount of pressure across your body, chunky weighted blankets calm your fight or flight response. This relaxes your nervous system, so your body can prepare for sleep.

Enhances Social Interactions

Weighted blankets have been shown to increase users' social interactions during the day. This is because they had a good night's sleep the night before.

When a person is unable to sleep well, their social life gets affected. They might look unapproachable and grumpy. As a result, people might not be so willing to approach them.

On the other hand, a person who sleeps well often has a great social life. They will look well-rested and more cheerful. This lets people approach them with a more friendly note.

Helps People With Anxiety and Depression

People who suffer from anxiety and depression often follow a vicious cycle.

Anxiety and depression interfere with sleep. In turn, a lack of sleep intensifies anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Since one of the weighted blanket benefits is helping people sleep, they help people with anxiety and depression, too.

But you don’t have to simply take our word for it. Science supports this claim.

A research study suggests that weighted blankets help improve sleeplessness symptoms in persons with anxiety and depression.

Helps People With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Using the sense of touch, weighted blankets help people with autism spectrum disorders.

In particular, weighted blankets let these people focus on the deep pressure of the blanket. By doing this, they take the focus away from the other sensory cues. These cues often bother people with autism spectrum disorders. Hence, weighted blankets help them rest in overstimulating settings.

Surveys also show that children with autism often want to use weighted blankets. It’s because of the calming feeling these blankets give them.

Moreover, weighted blankets are frequently used by occupational therapists. They use these blankets to relax or comfort restless or agitated people.

Occupational therapists also use weighted blankets to help those with autism spectrum conditions. specifically, they use these blankets to help with sleep and anxiety concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weighted Blanket

Is it OK to use a weighted blanket every night?

Yes, it is OK to use a weighted blanket every night. Adults and older children can use weighted blankets for relaxing during the day. They can also safely use weighted blankets for sleeping at night.

What does a weighted blanket do for your body?

The weighted blanket’s pressure prepares your body for rest. They calm your heart rate and breathing. Weighted blankets also help your body to calm down to get the sleep it needs.

Are weighted blankets harmful?

No, weighted blankets are not harmful. For most adults, weighted blankets are safe to use. For best results, it's important to use a blanket with the right weight. The recommended blanket weight is 10% of your body weight.

How long should you use a weighted blanket for?

How long you use a weighted blanket is up to you. However, some sleep consultants recommend using a weighted blanket for 20 to 30 minutes at a time and overnight.

Conclusion

Weighted blankets have a lot of health benefits that surprise a lot of people. In summary, these blankets can give you comfort and security. They can also relieve stress and improve sleep. People with anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorders also benefit from them.

If you’ve been looking for a weighted blanket that lets you enjoy all the benefits above, check out these weighted blankets now!