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Weighted blankets, do they work?

Momo

Momo

Well-Known Larrikin
I was thinking about investing in a weighted blanket for sleep and anxiety and so on, but I have no idea if they actually do what it says on the box. Has anybody had experience with weighted blankets? And are they actually worth the investment? They do seem to be pretty expensive. In short, tell me if they've helped or hindered your sleep since your bought one. Thanks.
 
Weighted blankets are beneficial for a lot of people, probably not all people.

I think it's an individual thing and I imagine there must be some people who get no benefit or find weighted blankets counterproductive in terms of things like calming anxiety or improving sleep.

I suspect they have the most benefit for those with proprioceptive hyposensitivity (those of us with brains that don't register weight and pressure very well -- we need more weight/pressure than normal before it registers.....which commonly affects how well we control our movements and how well we can locate our bodies in space).

For myself, I don't have a weighted blanket (yet -- I would like to make one someday) but I sleep a lot better when I sleep under a pile of heavy blankets (well, unless I get massively overheated, like in the summer).
 
I bought one a month or so ago for the same reasons. I tried using it while sleeping, but unfortunately it did not help with my chronic insomnia. However, I do sometimes use it when I'm just sitting around - It seems to calm me slightly. But, I'm not sure it was worth the money spent for me at least. But I had to take a chance b/c I am desperate for solutions.
 
mw2530 said:
I bought one a month or so ago for the same reasons. I tried using it while sleeping, but unfortunately it did not help with my chronic insomnia. However, I do sometimes use it when I'm just sitting around - It seems to calm me slightly. But, I'm not sure it was worth the money spent for me at least. But I had to take a chance b/c I am desperate for solutions.
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My thing was, that if I made one it would cost me the same, if not more, than buying one. Which is still very expensive... I wonder if the risk is worth the investment... Now I am slightly concerned that if I do buy one, it will be pointless anyway.
 
Momo said:
My thing was, that if I made one it would cost me the same, if not more, than buying one. Which is still very expensive... I wonder if the risk is worth the investment... Now I am slightly concerned that if I do buy one, it will be pointless anyway.
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I don't have the skills to be able to make one, but if you do that is an option. I think I paid $200 or so. I'm pretty tight with my money, but if that's all I had to spend in order to get good consistent quality sleep then it is a bargain considering how expensive healthcare costs are. Unfortunately it didn't help. I just found it too uncomfortable to change positions when I was sleeping. Not too heavy on me when I was just laying there, but it made it hard to move and I like to toss a turn a but when I am trying to get sleep. It is a risk to buy, but so is going on medicine or seeing a therapist. Those cost money too and you don't know if they will be of any help.
 
Momo said:
My thing was, that if I made one it would cost me the same, if not more, than buying one. Which is still very expensive... I wonder if the risk is worth the investment... Now I am slightly concerned that if I do buy one, it will be pointless anyway.
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Could you do a trial by piling on blanket/linens/towels/clothes/pillows on top of your regular blanket(s) at night to add weight, and seeing how it feels with the extra weight? (Or by finding some other way to add temporary weight to your blanket(s)?)

It could be a challenge to get it all balanced and not have it be lumpy and to keep it from falling apart (if you move around a lot in your sleep and don't have enough blankets/sheets to just pile them all up to a good enough weight)...but, if it didn't interfere with your comfort, one idea for keeping it all together and evenly balanced would be to use safety pins to keep everything in place.

Another idea would be to use a sleeping bag (or two of them zipped together, if you have access to 2 sleeping bags without having to buy them..... to make it normal-blanket-width but still a sleeping bag) and then put whatever you're using for extra weight inside the sleeping bag(s)....stuff might still shift around if you move a lot in your sleep, but to a lesser degree.
 
the_tortoise said:
Could you do a trial by piling on blanket/linens/towels/clothes/pillows on top of your regular blanket(s) at night to add weight, and seeing how it feels with the extra weight? (Or by finding some other way to add temporary weight to your blanket(s)?)

It could be a challenge to get it all balanced and not have it be lumpy and to keep it from falling apart (if you move around a lot in your sleep and don't have enough blankets/sheets to just pile them all up to a good enough weight)...but, if it didn't interfere with your comfort, one idea for keeping it all together and evenly balanced would be to use safety pins to keep everything in place.

Another idea would be to use a sleeping bag (or two of them zipped together, if you have access to 2 sleeping bags without having to buy them..... to make it normal-blanket-width but still a sleeping bag) and then put whatever you're using for extra weight inside the sleeping bag(s)....stuff might still shift around if you move a lot in your sleep, but to a lesser degree.
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I suppose that's one way to try it out without spending the money first, thanks. I generally sleep under a lot of blankets, doonas (duvets) and quilts anyway, not just because of the weight but also because I swear sometimes I think I'm cold blooded. I probably already have 8kg of doona on top of me each night anyhow now I think about it. But I suppose piling on more random things to see how that works out couldn't hurt.:p
 
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Momo said:
I suppose that's one way to try it out without spending the money first, thanks. I generally sleep under a lot of blankets, doonas (duvets) and quilts anyway, not just because of the weight but also because I swear sometimes I think I'm cold blooded. I probably already have 8kg of doona on top of me each night anyhow now I think about it. But I suppose piling on more random things to see how that works out couldn't hurt.:p
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No worries :)

I didn't imagine you might already sleep under a big pile of blankets....probably because for me I get overheated with too many blankets, so in my case a single weighted blanket would be replacing the big stack of regular blankets
 
I have to have at least a sheet with two plush lightweight blankets. In the winter I have thick, filled, quilted comforter too. Somehow I need the feel of being snuggled in. That can be over kill in the Florida heat and I wake up sweating.
I always wondered how thick the weighted blanket is, how soft are they and what/how is it "weighted" with?
I don't want the expense either so I do pretty well with the particular plush blankets.
 
SusanLR said:
I always wondered how thick the weighted blanket is, how soft are they and what/how is it "weighted" with?
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For weight you can get plastic pellets (the ones I have seen are polypropylene), or very tiny glass beads (they are so small it's basically like sand but not abrasive like sand would be), and I have heard of people using small, smooth stones when making their own.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Weighted-Blanket-Guide-Everything-Conditions/dp/1849057184

I have been looking at how to make a weighted blanket. They use all kinds of materials: rocks, poly pellets, rice, sand, etc.

Some people like poly pellets because they are worried about mold. I do not like poly pellets because they are really bad for the Earth and everything on it. They kill all kinds of sealife when they end up in the oceans. I don't want to add to this.

I kind of favor rice, because it is cheap and easy to get and I already made stuff with it, so I know how to use it and I like it a lot already. I solved the cleaning problem for stuff I made by making a removable cover.

Some of the people who offer directions on the internet do something with duct tape and ziplock bags that I do not understand yet. I have trouble with pinterest so have not seen the actual instructions yet. I got the impression you can take those apart and wash them. I really like that idea of being able to wash the weighted blanket entirely. I do not like ziplock bags because it sounds sweaty.

I think something soft on one side would be extra comforting.

I plan to make a small lap weighted blanket first to see how I want to approach the whole blanket.

I was just laughing to myself thinking about that book about cats having Aspergers. I am sure mine do. I have to try a weighted blanket for them too. I want my Aspie cats to be comforted.:D:catface::cat::catface:

I almost forgot about another advantage of rice. In an emergency you could eat your blanket.:stew::ricecooked::D
 
I am planning to get a weighted blanket. I have researched it a bit and think it would be good. But I also can't sleep unless I feel weight, which is tough in Florida where it gets so hot in the summer that I can't pile up blankets. I'm just hoping one weighted blanket won't be too hot.
 
I just went back to my weighted blanket as the mountains in the Northern Hemisphere are getting chilly at night. Two layers of heavy fabric with squares quilted in with the glass/sand. This makes for a nicely molded shape as I move, and intrigues my cats until they got used to the tiny rustle it makes when it shifts.

For me, it has done wonders. FWIW, I am also clumsy :)

In the summer, I use a weighted lap pad, which is much less expensive and covers my torso. Might be a lower cost way to try it.
 
I used sand and fabric I found on sale for a dollar a yard. It was a cheap experiment. Now I am collecting plastic pellets that I "rescue" from stuffed toys I find cheap at garage sales and thrift stores. I don't want to use new plastic pellets because of the same reason s Alaska have for not using them. Anyhoo, I'm about a pound away from having enough and I'm still making my blanket for under thirty. Even with the $17 of new fabric I bought for the new one.
 
Some people find compression garments or even rolling themselves up a blanket like a taco works, but I find this too restricting and the opposite of soothing.

I did put a triple folded comforter over me and have my husband put some books on top of me to see if it was helpful or not. When it was, I went for it.
 
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