Some sleepers should take extra precautions and speak to their doctor before using a weighted blanket. A weighted blanket may be unsuitable for people with certain medical conditions, including chronic respiratory or circulatory issues, asthma, low blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and claustrophobia.
Adults and older children can use weighted blankets as bed covers or for relaxing during the day. They are safe to use for sleeping throughout the night.
It Can Be Uncomfortable
A blanket heavier than 35 pounds is more likely to cause discomfort because: It will place too much pressure on your joints throughout the night. It will make you feel restricted. The blanket begins to cause your body temperature to rise.
Weighted blankets may be unsuitable for people with certain medical conditions, including chronic respiratory or circulatory issues, sleep apnea, asthma, low blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, and claustrophobia.
Those with sleep apnea should likely avoid the use of weighted blankets, as they can further restrict breathing. Those with chronic respiratory or circulatory conditions should also typically avoid using weighted blankets.
A common question that we receive is how heavy should a weighted blanket be? The answer to this question depends entirely on the person using the blanket. As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend that our blanket be approximately 10% of the user's body weight. This is where the blanket will be most effective.
Determining how heavy your weighted blanket should be is fairly easy. The general weighted blanket guidelines for adults is 10 percent of your own body weight. Usually, a weighted blanket should be between 12 to 20 pounds for adults.
One study found that you could go as heavy as 20% of your body weight, and use a 30-pound weighted blanket. It's proven to be safe.
As a general rule, they are safe for healthy adults, older children, and teenagers. But be sure to check with your healthcare provider if you have an underlying condition, or if you plan to use the weighted blankets in young children under age 2. That's because of the suffocation risk.
The position you sleep in makes a difference when choosing a weighted blanket. Stomach sleepers, for instance, will likely find that using a weighted blanket increases the pressure on their lower spine, which can cause low back pain throughout the day.
A weighted blanket is filled with glass beads that make it heavier than normal blankets. Weighted blankets weigh around 7-30 lbs because of the beads filled in them and the multiple layers of fabric they're made with.
For best results, we recommend sleeping on your back. This way, it covers your entire body with an even pressure. You can sleep on your side, but this means less area covered by the blanket.
Because the pressure from weighted blankets prepares your body for rest by calming your heart rate and breathing, they help your body to calm down enough to get the sleep it needs so you can wake up feeling refreshed.
What are the pros and cons of this trend? Pros: using a weighted blanket offers a drug-free way to help you cope with anxiety, fall asleep easier, sleep deeper, and wake up feeling restored. Cons: conventional weighted blankets can be too hot to sleep under and aren't eco-friendly.
The short answer is yes, you can use a weighted blanket with a duvet. But be sure to put the blanket on top of the duvet for best results.
When your weighted blanket is ready for a deep clean, you may choose to wash it in a washing machine or by hand in a bathtub or sink. Either way, choose a mild detergent without bleach and wash the blanket in cold or warm water, as many weighted blankets can't handle hot water.
Two weighted blankets can also benefit those who require additional deep touch stimulation. For example, a person suffering from anxiety attack could use the benefits of two weighted blankets. However, during these cases, make sure you keep an eye on the user.
Weighted blankets are smaller than traditional comforters because they're meant to cover your body, not the bed. Your body needs between 14-21 days to adjust to the blanket.
Weighted blankets can be constructed with a variety of materials, including cotton, flannel, bamboo, linen, and rayon. The fill inside of a weighted blanket—what makes a weighted blanket heavy—may include microfiber beads, sand, steel beads, pebbles, or grains.
Usually, a weighted blanket between 12 to 20 pounds is ideal for adults, depending on body weight.
Weighted blankets are used as an intervention strategy to improve sleep in children with autism who have sleep impairments [12,13]. The current underlying posit for weighted blanket use is to provide deep touch pressure stimuli, thus acting as a calming mediator by increasing parasympathetic activity [13,14].
Furthermore, a small study in the journal Occupational Therapy in Mental Health found a 30-pound weighted blanket is a safe and effective way to reduce anxiety in adults. Out of a total of 32 adults, 20 reported lower anxiety after use. The size of your blanket will depend on your own weight (more on that later).
A weighted blanket has been shown to be highly effective for many people with ADHD. If you live with ADHD, you may find that a weighted blanket helps to calm your mind and focus your thoughts. If sleep problems are part of your condition, a weighted blanket may be especially effective.