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The Benefits of a Weighted Blanket for Insomnia

The hunt for a good night’s sleep is on daily for the 60 million Americans who suffer from insomnia. Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe what it feels like to toss and turn in bed, night after night, trying out every sleeping trick in the book, and finding no rest at any turn. The longer it progresses, the more it affects your health and causes a long list of secondary issues that greatly impact the quality of your life. While there are a variety of treatments, tools and tricks out there to experiment with, one tool you might try to improve your sleep is a weighted blanket.

To understand how, let’s first discuss what insomnia is, and how it affects people suffering with it. 

What is Insomnia

Insomnia can be described simply as having difficulty sleeping or the inability to sleep. The average person will go through the occasional bout of sleeplessness for emotional, mental, and physical reasons, but chronic insomnia is characterized by a consistent lack of sleep 3 or more nights a week. Lack of sleep, whether it’s medically related or anxiety-driven, can throw off your normal functioning during the day, causing symptoms such as:

  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Reduced productivity at work or school 
  • Fatigue
  • Moodiness
  • Stiffness
  • Heart palpitations
  • Shortness of breath

The list goes on. Insomnia can also increase your risk for other serious health issues such as heart attacks.

While there are many potential treatments to improve your sleep, both medication-based and non, there are also a variety of tools you can use that may help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

How a weighted blanket can help you sleep

Making yourself comfortable, from finding the right pillow and mattress, to mastering your ideal sleeping environment are usually the first things anyone with insomnia will try to snatch that ever elusive snooze. If you’re uncomfortable, are writhing in bed trying to find the best position, don’t feel safe or secure, how can you expect to ever doze off? A weighted blanket can create the sense of security and comfort you need, addressing the symptoms keeping you from falling asleep, even if you aren’t in your ideal sleeping environment. 

By using a therapy known as deep pressure touch stimulation, or DPTS, a weighted blanket exerts gentle pressure over the body that stimulates serotonin production, which naturally converts to melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. 

If you suffer from insomnia, quieting your mind at night in order to sleep is a challenge you probably face. Often described as feeling like a hug, a weighted blanket leads to a sense of security, calming the mind, reducing anxiety, and encouraging restful sleep regardless of the cause of your insomnia.

Studies also show that chronic insomnia sufferers lay more still under weighted blankets throughout the night, are able to sleep for a longer duration, and wake up feeling more rested and energetic. 

Choosing the right weighted blanket

If you’re considering buying a weighted blanket to help improve your sleep, there are a variety of options to choose from. Your weighted blanket should be specific to your needs and preferences. Check out our guide to choosing the right weighted blanket for you for information on size, weight, and customization.