If you've ever woken up on a frigid winter morning buried under a pile of heavy, warm blankets and felt — for lack of a better phrase — totally at peace, then you've gotten a sneak peek of what waking up under a weighted blanket feels like every day.
Weighted blankets have been used therapeutically for decades to ease everything from behavioral and sensory disorders to anxiety, depression, autism, and insomnia.
The idea is that they work through deep pressure touch stimulation (DPTS), similar to a massage. While light touches wake the nervous system, deep pressure has a relaxing, calming effect on the body — which is why parents swaddle babies to calm them and weighted "anxiety jackets" are effective in helping dogs cope with separation anxiety and stress from storms.
A weighted blanket applies this swaddling concept to adults. Our bodies never outgrow the comfort of what essentially feels like one long, nice hug. A weighted blanket applies pressure to the body throughout the night, creating a sense of calm and "grounding" that relaxes the nervous system, encourages dopamine and serotonin production (which later converts to melatonin, making you sleepy), and actually measurably reduces or eliminates pain and stress.
Weighted blankets are especially useful for people looking for a drug-free way to counteract their anxiety, depression, trauma, high energy, or sleep disorders, but they're useful for anyone who wants to fall asleep faster, get better sleep, and potentially even wake up happier.
Recently, I've been testing the 15 lb BlanQuil blanket ($156) and I've been impressed with how well it works.
I'm not a troubled sleeper (my issues typically relate to waking up), but this past week has taught me how much room for improvement there was in the quality of my sleep.
I started sleeping with the BlanQuil blanket last week, and I've had seven-plus consistent nights of great sleep in a row — a streak that contradicts my previously held assumption that a good night's sleep was only partly under my control (exercise, get a good pillow, no blue light before bed, etc.). Apparently, you can stack the deck in your favor every single night.
I fell asleep faster, nearly always slept through the night, and woke up in about the same position the next morning. It's the sort of restful sleep that so outpaces the norm that you're actually aware of the difference upon waking up the next morning: "When did I fall asleep last night?" "Did I dream?" If I do wake up during the night, it takes me only a couple moments of reshuffling to feel sufficiently "grounded" and fall back to sleep.
The only cons I have for the blanket are that I wish it was wider (it's personal-sized at 48"x74") and the price is lofty — ranging from $156 - $169. However, weighted blankets typically are — and this one looks nicer than other iterations I've seen. The weights won't move around during the night (a common complaint), and the removable cover makes it more versatile seasonally. The cover is too thick for summer sleeping arrangements, but I look forward to popping it back on in the winter. It also makes me groggier when I wake up in the morning, and it's harder to get out of bed, but that's a price I'm willing to pay for deeper sleep overall.
If you're looking to get one, the general rule of thumb is that you should select a blanket that weighs 10% of your own body weight. The BlanQuil comes in 15 lbs and 20 lbs, and I've been sleeping under the 15 lbs, which is a bit more than 10% of my body weight. Initially, I thought it felt too light right out of the box but, after sleeping under it, I wouldn't recommend going heavier.
All in all, I am surprised and impressed by the impact the BlanQuil blanket has had on my quality of sleep, especially given that I hadn't even realized how much improvement there was yet to be made anyway. It's a great option for anyone — from people who want a drug-free way to combat anxiety or sleep disorders to those who just wants a better quality of sleep every night. I love my creature comforts, and this is one of the very best I've found thus far.
If you're in the market for better sleep, this is definitely worth taking a look at.
I've been sleeping under a weighted blanket every night for almost a year, and I still highly recommend them to anyone looking for a deeper rest or a natural way of getting to sleep faster every night. Blanquil's option is one of my all-time favorite weighted blankets, but if your primary concern is cost, you may also want to check out the YnM blanket on Amazon (from $50). It has more sizes and weight options, and the cotton cover is breathable.
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