How to Use A Weighted Blanket?
What is a Weighted Blanket?
Weighted blankets are intentionally heavier blankets designed to improve your sleep quality. Weighted Blankets are best known to provide a therapeutic effect similar to giving a someone a hug, it will stimulate the release of oxytocin “a happiness hormone” in the brain. This hormone creates a sense of calm and well-being also helping to reduce levels of cortisol "a stress hormone".
Most commonly used by individuals suffering from sleep deprivation, stress, or anxiety, studies have shown that using a therapeutic weighted blanket can help with sleep deprivation and insomnia to improve your sleep quality.
Benefits of using a Therapeutic Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets have been used as sleep aids and calming aids in special-needs communities for years. Some of the earliest implementations date back to 1999, when the occupational therapist Tina Champagne began using weighted blankets to help some mental-health patients.
In recent years, weighted blankets have gained mainstream popularity as more people recognizes the benefits. Today, weighted blankets are not only used by people with stress or anxiety, but anyone who wants to improve their sleep quality can use it! Aside from using a weighted blanket during sleep, you can also use a weighted blanket while sitting comfortably in your favourite chair reading a book, meditating, or binge-watching your favourite movies and tv show.
Some of the benefits of using a weighted blanket include: Relieves worry, stress and anxiety, Promotes restful sleep and improving sleep quality, Increased relaxation, Reduces body tension and pain, Eases restlessness and irritability in the elderly, Promotes a happier mood and improving overall focus, and Creates a calming effect. To read the full list of benefits, you can read this article here.
How to use a Weighted Blanket?
A weighted blanket works exactly the same as a normal blanket. You may use it on its own, or together with your comforter. For the best results, you should cover your body from the neck down and ensure that it is fully covering your chest and legs. Your feet can be covered or not, depending on which you find the most comfortable. Ideally, you should lie on your back while sleeping under the cover to ensure the blanket’s weight will be evenly distributed across your entire body.
Who can use a Weighted Blanket?
Weighted Blankets were first used by kids with ADHD, having poor sleep quality. However, due to the many benefits which more people are aware of, it has also gained popularity for adults. Individuals with sleep deprivation or insomnia can use our therapeutic weighted blankets to help improve their sleep quality. The key is to choose a suitable weight for your weighted blanket, that should be 10% of your body weight. This is the same for kids or elderlies who are using the weighted blanket too.