Do you ever feel like you need someone to press your back or shoulders each time you suffer from pain in those areas? This is because the pressure that hurts those regions helps relieve some of the pain, at least momentarily. Weighted blankets work with the same principle, where weight is applied to the entire body at night when using the blanket.
Do Weighted Blankets Work? 8 Health Benefits You Need to Know
In this article, we’ll have a look at eight of the benefits that are a result of using weighted blankets and why you should consider getting one too. Let’s dive in!
Why Do You Use Them?
Weighted blankets work under the principle of Deep Pressure Stimulation (DPS), where the user feels a sense of security from the weight of the blanket. One point to keep in mind is that there are different types of weighted blankets, and they vary in size and weight, so you may want to check out this link to learn more about how you can get the right size of a weighted blanket.
One of the main reasons weighted blankets have become popular is because research shows that they are apt for children and adults who belong to the autistic spectrum. The weight of the blanket helps reduce anxiety and stress in such individuals without making them feel restricted or confined in any way. However, it is also used by individuals who don’t belong to this spectrum. It stimulates the same feelings of a ‘hug’ and causes the release of oxytocin in the individuals who use the blanket.
Weighted blankets have thus been used to treat autistic individuals and those suffering from stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.
8 Benefits of Using Weighted Blankets
- The DPS system of the weighted blankets uses pressure to relieve the nervous system. Thus, it aids in reducing pain and anxiety while also improving your mood and sleep quality.
- One of the symptoms of autism is that individuals face trouble when it comes to falling asleep. The weight of these blankets has been seen to help sort out sleep issues related to autism.
- Insomnia and other sleeping disorders can also be reduced with the usage of weighted blankets.
- Weighted blankets treat chronic body pain due to their DPS system, where pressure is applied on the body and causes a sense of relief similar to when the individual receives a massage.
- It helps improve the mood and the quality of social interactions during the day, as a good night’s rest always helps individuals feel better about themselves the next day.
- It reduces nighttime movement due to its weight, thereby allowing individuals to have a better sleep quality.
- The weighted blankets simulate ‘touch therapy, which has been found to decrease the heart rate while sleeping, thereby reducing anxiety and stress from individuals prone to suffer from such symptoms.
- It also increases the feelings of safety and security, especially in individuals who are prone to suffer from panic attacks during their sleep.
So Do Weighted Blankets Work? Yes!
As you may have seen, using weighted blankets can reduce the occurrence and causes of problems related to autism, anxiety, and stress and improve the quality of life of those who do not have any underlying symptoms of depression, autism, or anxiety too. This is because weighted blankets help increase sleep quality in any individual, regardless of the problems they suffer from. Naturally, people tend to have better sleep-wake cycles and healthier lifestyles when they feel well-rested.
We hope you found this helpful article. Leave a comment below if you’d like to know more about weighted blankets and their many benefits!