Weighted blankets

[Joshua the Writer]

I’ve been using a weighted blanket since my last birthday. I recommend it and so does my cat.

Aww, cute. My sister's cat always runs away from mine when I am carrying it or otherwise moving it in some way. He keeps on hearing the tiny glass beads moving around inside and freaks the heck out. Although, to be fair, that cat is a wuss in general . . . He panics if you move towards him a tiny bit too quick.

 

[renaeden]

^We have a wuss of a cat too...

My flatmate bought a 9kg weighted blanket last week. It has glass beads inside. I tried folding it and almost put my shoulder out. My flatmate loves it but has pushed it aside on her bed because it's just too hot. We're having a heatwave at the moment. I'm sure she'll love it when it cools down.

I don't know if I'll buy a weighted blanket of my own.

 

[Soleil]

^We have a wuss of a cat too...

My flatmate bought a 9kg weighted blanket last week. It has glass beads inside. I tried folding it and almost put my shoulder out. My flatmate loves it but has pushed it aside on her bed because it's just too hot. We're having a heatwave at the moment. I'm sure she'll love it when it cools down.

I don't know if I'll buy a weighted blanket of my own.

I like the weight, but it doesn't do enough to keep me warm on a winter's night. So I sleep under the weighted blanket and a normal one. Which kind of makes it hard to get out of bed...

 

[theporgsnest]

Do you have one? Is there any particular make you prefer and/or would recommend? Do you find that it helps alleviate situations like being overstimulated or having a meltdown? I know some have it for their comorbidities, like GAD, which I feel I might fall into because my anxiety very often affects my sleeping patterns.

 

[WolfSpirit]

Both weighted blankets (and other equipment) and compression vests/wetsuits are awesome things!! I have to laugh at how society has "jumped on the bandwagon" of things those dealing with sensory integration issues have known for decades!! It certainly makes things easier to find though! And less expensive! Usually.

 

[WolfSpirit]

One other thing. It takes a bit of experimentation to discover what works best, and when. Sometimes I want it over all of me, and sometimes just my feet. And sometimes not at all. I usually know when to take it off because my muscles start to hurt, and if I take it off, the pain goes away.

Also, on another note, for those who self injure, I've found weighted exercise gloves can do wonders for my ability to use less force if I'm compelled to beat myself about the head. They can also help with motor issues if I'm too fried to coordinate, or find my hands proprioceptively. (It's been a long time since that's happened, mostly, but still...) and ankle weights have been good for helping me climb stairs when my motor planning was a wreck. It's too bad they're not practical to transport around!

 

[WolfSpirit]

Do you have one? Is there any particular make you prefer and/or would recommend? Do you find that it helps alleviate situations like being overstimulated or having a meltdown? I know some have it for their comorbidities, like GAD, which I feel I might fall into because my anxiety very often affects my sleeping patterns.

Now that I think about this more, you need one that will distribute the weight evenly, and not bunch all up at one end, or something, so the size of the squares in it are important. Also you want one that breathes as much as possible so you didn't get too hot. The glass beads ones seem good for that. They are also more flexible than the ones with the iron threads. There are all sorts now, so it should be relatively easy to find one under $100. At least in North America. There is no longer any need to spend hundreds of dollars on them.

Oh, and you want to make sure you have a wide enough and long enough one so you can be completely under it. Although I don't think that's as much of a problem as it used to be.