Karnataka Mail

A weighted blanket is a special blanket designed to provide light pressure, a sensation similar to being hugged tightly. It provides comfort and relaxation to the user, thus helping to improve sleep quality. In this article, we will discuss how a weighted blanket works and the benefits it offers to both adults and children.

What Is a Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets are heavy blankets filled with beads or other substances designed to apply even pressure to simulate Deep Pressure Touch (DPT). Knitted weighted blankets are also a type of weighted blanket. Knitted weighted blankets typically use high-quality thread to ensure even weight distribution, and this tactile input helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation.

Souverhome offers woven knitted weight blankets in blue, pink, and green colors. Available in 6 lbs (36 inches x 48 inches), and 10 lbs (40 inches x 64 inches) sizes for both adults and children. It gently applies even pressure to the body to enhance a sense of security, improve circulation, activate hormones, and ultimately improve sleep quality. Choose a blanket that is appropriate for your weight, which should typically be approximately 10 percent of your body weight.

How do Weighted Blankets Work

Weighted blankets exert a slight but even pressure on the body through their extra weight, and this pressure is thought to promote the brain’s release of serotonin and dopamine – two naturally soothing chemicals. In addition, this pressure increases the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle. As a result, people who use weighted blankets may feel calmer, fall asleep faster, and sleep better.

Weighted Blanket Benefits for Adults

Weighted blankets offer a variety of benefits for adults, primarily focused on improving sleep quality and reducing stress in daily life. Adults face work pressures, family responsibilities, and social expectations that often lead to sleep problems and anxiety disorders. Weighted blankets help the body relax by providing gentle, even pressure, which promotes deeper, longer-lasting sleep.

1. Produces a calming effect: Weighted Blankets help relax muscles and relieve tension by simulating the strokes of deep pressure touch, providing a reassuring sensation that releases the body from daily stress.
2. Increases serotonin: As the “happiness hormone”, serotonin plays a key role in regulating mood and sleep. Weighted blankets promote the production of serotonin through the application of even pressure, which improves mood and promotes better sleep quality.
3. Reduces nervous system activity: Weighted blankets help to calm an overactive nervous system, providing the user with deep relaxation and a faster falling asleep experience.
4. Relieves symptoms of restless leg syndrome: even pressure effectively reduces leg discomfort, especially at night, helping to minimize restlessness and cramping, thus improving sleep.
5. Helps relieve fibromyalgia: For chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, the constant pressure provided by the weighted blanket can significantly reduce pain, providing patients with sustained relief and a higher quality of life.
6. Reduces heart rate: The calming effect of weighted blankets helps to relax the mind and body, naturally lowering the heart rate and promoting deep rest and recovery.
7. Relieves panic attacks: In situations where stress and anxiety are experienced, weighted blankets provide immediate physical relief, helping to alleviate panic attacks and allowing users to feel more secure and calm.
8. Reduces menopause symptoms: By improving sleep quality and reducing mood swings, the Weighted Blanket combats menopausal discomforts such as hot flashes and night sweats, thus helping to stabilize mood and enhance quality of life.
9. Improve mood: Stabilizing mood swings and boosting daily mood, the weighted blanket’s continued use helps to improve overall emotional health and mental well-being.

Weighted Blanket Benefits for Kids

For children who often feel anxious or hyperactive, weighted blankets can provide a sense of security and help calm them down at night or during rest time.

1. Improved daytime social interactions: A good night’s sleep can significantly boost children’s energy and emotional state during the day, making them more active and cheerful in school and daily activities, leading to enhanced socialization and interactions.
2. Reduced nighttime movements: The constant pressure of a weighted blanket helps stabilize children’s nighttime body movements, reducing the number of wakings and helping them enjoy longer periods of deep sleep, resulting in better concentration and energy the next day.
3. Increase security: Especially in new environments or in the moments before bedtime, the pressure provided by the weighted blanket feels like a constant hug, giving children a great sense of security and comfort, helping them to settle down faster and fall asleep quickly.
4. Helps manage obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Weighted blankets provide a gentle, non-pharmacological treatment for children suffering from OCD symptoms, effectively reducing their stress and anxiety and helping them to better concentrate and participate in daily activities.
5. Calms Children with Sensory Disorders: For children with sensory processing disorders, weighted blankets help them stay calm and focused in complex environments by providing a steady stream of sensory input and reducing discomfort triggered by too much environmental stimulation.
6. Induces and improves sleep: The pressure effect of the weighted blanket mimics therapeutic tactile input, helping children fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night, which is essential for their physical and mental development.

FAQs

Is it OK to use a weighted blanket every night?

Yes, it is generally safe to use a weighted blanket every night. Weighted blankets are designed with materials like glass beads or heavy yarn to exert gentle, evenly distributed pressure on the body. This mimics deep touch pressure, which may aid in improving sleep quality, and reducing anxiety and stress.

How heavy should my weighted blanket be?

The ideal weight for a weighted blanket primarily depends on the individual’s body weight. A standard recommendation is that the blanket should weigh approximately 10% of your body weight. For most adults, a weighted blanket should ideally be in the range of 12 to 20 pounds. This guideline ensures the blanket provides effective pressure without being overwhelmingly heavy, maximizing its therapeutic benefits.

Why does my body hurt after sleeping with a weighted blanket?

It is not uncommon for new users of weighted blankets to experience some soreness or discomfort initially. This sensation is similar to the aftermath of a deep tissue massage. The discomfort typically arises from the blanket’s deep touch pressure stimulation, which your body may need time to adjust to.

Conclusion

Weighted blankets are popular for the deep pressure touch they provide and are suitable for a wide range of people, including in particular: people with sleep disorders, people with high levels of anxiety and stress, and people with specific disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, PTSD, and fibromyalgia who may benefit from the stabilizing pressure of a weighted blanket.

While weighted blankets are beneficial to many people, care should be taken during use the weighted blanket should weigh approximately 10% of the user’s body weight, which ensures that enough pressure is applied without being overly heavy. If there is a specific health condition or if you are unsure of the suitability of using a weighted blanket, it is best to consult a doctor or therapist first.

Media Contact
Company Name: Shenzhen Shilai E-commerce Co., Ltd
Contact Person: Liu Yingqi
Email: Send Email
Country: China
Website: souverhome.com