How to use a weighted blanket (properly)? You may be wondering. In this article, after briefly explaining what a weighted blanket is and its main benefits, I will explain how to get the best out of it, including where to find useful resources on how to wash a weighted blanket and how to dry it!

Introduction

Weighted blankets have grown to be a very popular tool for supporting the who has issues getting a proper night sleep. Many people say that incorporating a weighted blanket into their sleep habits helps their relaxation and calmness. Regarding the time it takes for it to begin having its effect, this has a lot to do together with your body, mind, in addition to some of your habits. A weighted blanket (sometimes referred to as gravity blanket, anxiety blanket, stress blanket or heavy blanket) has a particularly interesting feeling: it feels as if you are being hugged all night. Using these special blankets allows you to loosen up and soothe the body, supporting your sleep and allowing you to fall asleep more quickly. It’s the appropriate night-time companion that will help you gain the deep sleep you crave, especially if anxiety, sleeplessness, or stress are interfering with your sleep quality and quantity.

In recent years, heavy blankets have grown to be more and more popular among adults and children. They’ve been used to deal with a number of issues, consisting of anxiety, depression, insomnia, or simply getting a better night’s sleep. In short, almost every regular person and specialist I heard is saying that these blankets have a long list of benefits for your wellbeing.

Weighted blankets are nevertheless a fairly new idea, so it may not be easy to understand which one can be the right blanket for each person. Before we get into the details regarding how to use a weighted blanket, let’s learn a bit more about them.

What precisely are weighted blankets and how do they work?

A Weighted Blanket is precisely what we word says: it is a blanket with added weight. These blankets generally have a layered construction including weighted beads, internal lining, filling and the outermost fabric are the most common layers. These blankets are often filled with glass beads, plastic beads, poly-pellets, or other more exotic materials to make them heavier. You may even get blankets that might be weighed down with grains, beans or barley.

Their gentle weight is transferred uniformly to the entire body, giving the feeling of a warm hug. Making you feel protected, calm, relaxed and at ease. This is where the material of the interior lining and filling comes into play. The stitching pockets of the blanket are essential to keep the beads in place and make sure that uniform weight distribution is achieved. You should look for a blanket with small enough pockets to avoid having the weighted beads clumping up all on one side or the other, giving a quite unpleasant feeling. Finally, weighted blankets may have an outer shell made of bamboo, luxurious cotton or warmer fleece or plush fabric. If you are a hot sleeper, you should definitively prefer a cotton or bamboo option. In some cases the anxiety blanket may come with a removable cover: this has many benefits for both the care of the product and its versatility, allowing it to be used both during the cold winter and during the hot summer.

“Deep Touch Pressure”: How do weighted blankets work

The sensation of being hugged is generally referred to by experts as “Deep Touch Pressure” (DTP) or “Deep Pressure Stimulation” (DPS). Hugs and massages are examples of this type of contact, that has natural calming effects. In addition to different items, weighted blankets are one of the main tools that may be used to get this stimulation.

“Deep Pressure Stimulation” (DPS) switches on a subset of specialized effective sensory nerves withinside the “Autonomic Nervous System” (ANS) that then are naturally releasing a number of happy chemicals. The result is an unprecedented feeling of total relaxation of both the body and the mind. For some people, a weighted blanket is all they need in order to get that quality sleep they deserve. For many people suffering from insomnia, anxiety and stress, this can be a true game-changer!

If you want to learn more about the benefits of sleeping with a weighted blanket, you can click the link.

Tips and recommendations to use a weighted blanket

To obtain the best results from your Weighted Blanket, make sure you get the right size and weight, and that you utilise it correctly.

1 – Get the right weight for your anxiety blanket

Experts suggest choosing a weighted blanket that is about 10% of your body weight. However, this is just a rule of thumb and different persons may react differently to the blanket’s weight: someone may prefer a heavier blanket, while someone else may feel better under a slightly lighter one. In any case, to get the desired benefits from a weighted blanket it is always recommended to follow the suggestions of the blanket manufacturers.

2 – Get the right size

It is important that the weighted blanket fits well for you: it should be large enough to hug your entire body. At the same time, make sure that the blanket doesn’t fall down on the side of your bed, or it may increase the perceived weight on your body and give you an unpleasant feeling. For this reason, weighted blankets are generally designed or to fit your mattress rather than your bed.

3 – Uniform weight distribution

A weighted blanket should have a uniform weight distribution on your entire body from the chin to the toes. For this reason, a blanket with small pockets should be preferred: it will allow a more uniform weight distribution and avoid having the unpleasant feeling of the weighted beads clumping up all on one side.

4 – Prefer a blanket with a removable cover

The removable cover may seem like an optional accessory, but it isn’t. If you don’t want any regrets with your purchases, it is advised to look for a weighted blanket that comes with its own removable cover. But, can’t I just use a normal duvet cover on a weighted blanket? Many people ask. The answer is that for sure you can, however, it will not be comfortable, because the blanket, due to its weight, will shift around inside the duvet cover. Moreover, a standard duvet cover will be significantly larger than a weighted blanket: remember that a weighted blanket is made to not fall down on the side of your bed, so it will match the top surface of your mattress or be even a bit smaller than that. On the other hand, a removable cover for a weighted blanket will generally have a number of ties to keep the weighted insert in place while you sleep. This will ensure that the cover and the blanket are securely tied together avoiding any stress due to the blanket shifting around at night. By buying a weighted blanket and cover set, you will be sure that the ties of the cover and the loops on the weighted insert are perfectly matching and fitting perfectly. Finally, the removable cover will also give you the option to was just the cover instead of the weighted insert (that is more difficult to wash due to its weight). Many people buy a weighted blanket simply by choosing the cheaper version. Those are generally coming without a removable cover and with poor quality filling materials, leading to a much less comfortable and durable option. But given all the advantages of having a dedicated blanket cover, the additional investment to make for a weighted blanket and removable cover set for adults will be well worth the price!

5 – Prefer a machine washable weighted blanket

Needless to say that you should avoid weighted blankets that are not machine washable. The last thing you want to do is having to wash the heavy blanket manually: this would be a very long and painful process and can be easily avoided by simply purchasing a machine washable weighted blanket! It is important to not make any assumptions: if the seller is not writing explicitly that the blanket is machine washable, then it is very likely not machine washable. Unfortunately, not all the weighted blankets available on the market are machine washable, so you should carefully choose your blanket without assuming that it will be possible to wash it in the machine. Be aware also of the blanket weight, because a weighted blanket may be machine washable, but it may also be too heavy for your machine. You can check the manual to find out the maximum weight allowed by your machine (or check directly on the washing machine itself). Having a machine-washable blanket will of course make it much easier to take care of it and keep it clean. Even better, a weighted blanket with a machine washable removable cover will allow you to reduce the number of times you will need to wash the weighted insert, increasing the lifespan of the product.

6 – Don’t be scared about the heavy parcel

When receiving your weighted blanket parcel you may be surprised about the weight of the package. Don’t worry, you will not be weight lifting 🙂 and you will not feel that much weight on your body. When using the weighted blanket, the weight will be distributed on your entire body and partially on your bed: so you will feel much less pressure than what you feel when trying to lift the blanket parcel.

7 – If it feels too heavy, start using it more gradually

In some cases, if the weighted blanket feels a bit too heavy, it is very important to start using it more gently: for example, you may alternate it with your regular blanket or just use it for an hour or two for a nap during the day. This will allow your body to slowly get used to the increased weight and then start getting the desired benefits.

8 – Don’t rush your judgement

The desired benefits may take some time to manifest and you don’t want to miss out on those just for a rushed judgement. Before reaching any conclusion regarding the blanket effectiveness, try to use it for at least a week or two. For most people, a weighted blanket can have a game-changing effect since the first use, however, for a more limited number of people, it may take some time to start feeling the beneficial effects.

9 – You can increase the blanket effect locally

You can increase the pressure locally by simply folding the blanket on top of the interested area. This may be useful in some cases like fibromyalgia, where you may want to apply an increased localised pressure in a specific area of your body.

10 – You can use a weighted blanket by itself or with other bedding

A weighted blanket may be used together with your current bedding, including duvets, comforters, or throw blankets, to get the best sleep. It may be placed both above or beneath your bedding, depending on your preference. However, if you want to spend much less time making the bed in the morning, your weighted blanket can also be used by itself. Using the blanket by itself or just above a flat cotton sheet will also reduce the retained heat and feel less warm.

11 – How to put on a weighted blanket cover

Attaching a weighted blanket cover can be quite tricky due to the weight of the blanket. You will also have to properly tie the cover to the blanket: this adds to the difficulty. But don’t worry, putting on a weighted blanket cover can be quite easy if you use the right technique. By simply following this step by step guide, you will be able to do this in 2 minutes and with no effort! Just play the video below and follow the instructions given at each step.

12 – You can monitor your sleep

If you are so inclined, you may also try to monitor your sleep using a smartwatch or other smart device. This will monitor all the different phases of your sleep, including “rapid eyes movement” (REM) and “deep sleep”. Most people sleeping with a weighted blanket experience a deeper relaxation that can be recorded by those devices. This may be a slow process and may take a few days before you will start measuring the effect.

13 – If you have any medical condition

It is recommended to consult your GP before buying a weighted blanket. You don’t want to have to return a lovely sensory blanket just after falling in love with its feel! Weighted blankets are a natural solution for insomnia, stress, anxiety and many other issues: generally, they don’t have any meaningful side effects. However, you should always be able to remove the blanket by yourself and some medical conditions like diabetes and others may require the opinion of your GP.

How to wash and dry a Weighted Blanket?

Washing a weighted blanket can be easy or very hard, depending on the blanket you purchased. A machine-washable blanket will of course be very easy to wash. On the other hand, if you have to hand wash the blanket, this may be quite a time consuming and not easy to manage if you don’t have a large sink or bath available in your home.

The best advice is to simply follow the instructions given by the manufacturer, in fact, the water temperature and type of wash are dependent on the materials used for the filling and weighted beads. If you need some general instructions on how to wash a weighted blanket, we wrote an extensive guide about this.

Regarding how to dry a weighted blanket, the best way to do it is by flat dry or hang dry. Flat dry should be preferred when possible: this will increase the lifespan of your blanket. Machine dry should generally be avoided, but, again, it depends on the materials the blanket is made of, so you should refer to the manufacturer care instructions.

Are weighted blankets hot?

Weighted blankets are frequently misunderstood as being hot or too warm. The blankets are heavier than conventional quilts, however, this does not imply they’re hot. In fact, you may sleep conveniently with a weighted blanket even in case you aren’t in an air-conditioned room. The secret is all in the materials and construction of the blanket: we recommend this article for a more detailed explanation.

The effect of sleeping with a weighted blanket

Sleeping with a weighted blanket the first time can be a quite game-changing experience: it is not uncommon for people to fall in love with their new blanket and not wanting to sleep anymore with a normal blanket. You have been warned! 😊 As you stay below these sensory heavy blankets, the weight gives you the feeling of being held or cuddled. As a result, your body will relax and flood you with calming sensations, lowering tension and allowing you to sleep peacefully.

After improving your sleep with the help of a weighted blanket, you will have more energy to achieve your dreams. However, having more energy alone is not enough, you also need the right mindset. To improve your mindset you should consider hiring a life coach. A coach will be able to help you in many ways, like for example how to stop procrastination and much more!