Weighted Blankets; A Brief History and a Review

I suffer from something that I like to call "reverse insomnia". When I first lay down at night, I have no problem falling asleep. The trouble starts if I wake up in the middle of the night. I usually wake up between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., literally ready to start my day. Then, I toss and turn until around 4:00 a.m. when I usually accept defeat, and do indeed start my day. Even though I have anxiety problems, when I do wake up at night I am not kept awake by a racing mind filled with worry. I can't fall back asleep because I just feel like I have slept enough, and my mind and body feel ready to wake up and get moving. I'm sure that there is a fancy clinical term for this, but for now I will stick with reverse insomnia.

Many things in my life could be the cause for this frustrating problem. Depression and anxiety have been known to cause sleep disturbances. I am lucky enough to have been diagnosed with both. I also take medication for these conditions, and certain medications have been known to do things to your sleep. This might be especially true for me since I take my pills at night, before bed. Maybe I am consuming too much caffeine too late in the day? It's totally possible since I have a pretty significant addiction to caffeine. But, I'm not sleeping well. And, when you wake up at 4:00 a.m., you are pretty wiped by 2:00 p.m. A nice iced coffee is my go-to pick me up, and I am just not giving that up. I tried taking melatonin. Made no difference. Maybe I should meditate before bed? Drink some tea that promises to usher in sleep? Maybe I should lower the thermostat in my room? Or maybe, I could try sleeping with a weighted blanket?

Weighted blankets are having a moment. A big moment. Today's mass market industry can be attributed to our over anxious society looking for fast relief. *raises hand* Not to mention the recent cultural obsession with sleep and its role in a wholesome, healthy lifestyle. I have been reading about them everywhere, hearing all about how awesome they are on my favorite podcasts, and received a recommendation to get one by my Psychiatrist. So, I started doing what any smart consumer does before buying something they are unfamiliar with. I started researching.

Weighted blankets have actually been around for a while. They have been widely used as a popular tool by doctors and therapists within the mental health community to treat numerous conditions. Adults and children with ADHD, autisim, anxiety and other mental health disorders can benefit from using weighted blankets. The blankets work to calm the patients using something called "deep touch pressure" or DTP, which is what I will be calling it from now on. DTP's effect comes from the pressure it directs onto the body. The pressure encourages the release of serotonin, which is your feel good hormone. A good amount of mental health disorders stem from decreased levels of serotonin in the brain. Increased serotonin levels can be especially helpful to relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Eventually, people started to realize that the general public could benefit from using weighted blankets, and they began to be marketed commercially. They are largely marketed to those who suffer from insomnia. The claim is that the DTP feels like being hugged or cuddled and helps to release serotonin. The increase in serotonin will help to relax the mind and body, whisking you off to dreamland. Take. My. Money.

Imagine yourself at the dentist. I know, not a soothing thought but bear with me. So there you are, half lying down in a typical dentist chair, when your dentist announces that they will need to take x-rays of your mouth. They briefly excuse themselves from the room, and return holding a lead apron. You know, the vest that helps to protect you from those pesky radiation waves that x-ray machines emit? The dentist gently lays the vest over the top part of your body. You notice its weight, but don't mind it because it actually feels really nice. You can feel your body calming, and any anxiety you had about being at the dentist has been removed from your being as you focus on the soft weight of the vest. It's kind of like a hug. Now imagine that feeling on your entire body. Ahhhhh.....am I right? That readers is what a weighted blanket can do for you!

Or so I've heard. And read. It was time for me to buy one and see for myself. After browsing the offerings on Amazon, of which there are many, I settled on once called "Secura Everyday Luxury Premium Adult Weighted Blanket". This particular one sold me because the weighted blanket came with a soft, minky cover and two matching pillowcases. It comes in three sizes and two weights. I chose the 60"x80" which weighs 15 lbs. According to the buying guide on Amazon, you should buy a weighted blanket that weighs approximately 10-12% of your body weight. That is too much math for me to consider so I just went for the lightest one. 

The seller, Secura Everyday Luxury, claimed that the blanket helps to promote sleep because it "relaxes the nervous system by stimulating the feeling of being held or hugged, stimulating stress points on the body to improve sleep, promotes relaxation and ease anxiety". Sign me up now!

The blanket itself is filled with "millions of premium micro glass beads" and claimed to be cooler than other weighted blankets on the market due to its breathable cotton fabric. All in all, the blanket received 5 stars out of 29 ratings and set me back $99.98. Although, of course, as I write this Amazon is offering a 30% off coupon. I was late to the party as usual. Sigh.

So, since I am a Prime member, I only had to wait until the next day to test drive my new blanket. When I unboxed it, I was stunned at how heavy it was, and struggled to get the deliciously soft, navy blue and gray cover onto it. But man, was the struggle worth it!

I then spent the rest of the day excited to go to bed. I mean that is most days, but I was REALLY excited to go to bed that night. Finally, at the end of the day, I laid down in my bed and delicately covered myself up with my magic blanket. And it felt AMAZING! The weight was noticeable but not bothersome and it instantly soothed me. It did actually feel like a gentle hug.

That leaves the million dollar question....how did I sleep? Well there is good news and bad news. The good news is that I slept really great! I've had the blanket for a little over a week, and there have been a couple of nights that I slept all the way through until morning. Which is HUGE for me. Remember, morning is still early for me, like 5:00 a.m., but there was no waking up in the middle of the night. On the nights that I did wake up in the middle of the night, it seemed like I fell back asleep easier and faster than I did without the blanket. And I truly think that the quality of my sleep has improved. It seems like I spend more time in a deep sleep, and have been having multiple, vivid dreams as a result.

The bad news is that I am still waking up between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. ready to start the day. I would say that out of seven days that I slept with the blanket, I woke up, toss and turned, and then started my day at 4:00 a.m. five of the days. But like i mentioned earlier, my actual sleep quality seems to have improved and I feel more refreshed as a result. So the duration of hours I am sleeping may not matter. The other downside is that the blanket makes me really hot. I guess it isn't as breathable as advertised when the cover is on it. I haven't used the blanket without the cover though, so I don't know if the cover is keeping it from being breathable or not. When I wake up I find that I am either drenched in sweat or have kicked the blanket off of me which totally defeats it's purpose. So really I don't notice the warmth until I wake up.

Even with its downsides, I love my weighted blanket! I do feel like it was worth the price as the quality is great, and it pretty much lives up to its claims. I am so happy with it that I plan on buying one for my 10-year-old daughter who also suffers from sleep problems. She struggles with falling back asleep in the middle of the night too, and I really think she could benefit from using a weighted blanket.

I want to hear all about your experiences with weighted blankets. Fill me in below in the comment section or hit me up on Instagram. I'm excited to hear from you!