Have you ever tried to fall asleep while you’re feeling anxious? The worries of the next day can overwhelm you, filling your mind with running thoughts. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, it’s difficult to slow your mind down enough to fall asleep. 

People who routinely experience stress or anxiety often resort to sleep aids to help with insomnia. However, pills make you drowsy, and white noise and other audio sleep aids often fail to induce sleep. That’s why weighted blankets have become so popular amongst people who have trouble falling asleep quickly.

Weighted blankets are known to help the body release hormones that can help you destress. They don’t have any side effects like you might find with a pill. Plus, they can be far more effective than auditory sleep inducers like white noise or meditation apps. 

In the article below, you can find a list of benefits of weighted blankets. The benefits can be both mental and physical but have the ultimate effect of improving the quality of your sleep.

Read on to find out if a weighted blanket can help you sleep better every night.

Weighted Blankets Release Certain Hormones

A study done by the Mayo Clinic Florida found that weighted blankets caused people to experience less anxiety while they were trying to fall asleep. The doctors who performed the study speculated that these feelings of reduced anxiety are caused by the release of oxytocin and serotonin and lowering the body’s cortisol levels. 

Oxytocin is a hormone most commonly linked to feelings of trust. Serotonin is another hormone that’s been found to be linked to overall feelings of happiness. Cortisol is associated with feelings of stress, so reducing cortisol levels helps the body relieve itself of stress.

The weighted blanket provides your body with feelings of comfort, warmth and security. Your body then responds to these feelings by releasing hormones. These hormones reduce stress promote feelings of well-being and eventually induce sleep.

Weighted Blankets Work the Same Way Hugs or Swaddles

When parents want to make babies feel safe, they wrap them in a swaddle. This tightly wrapped blanket puts a little pressure on the babies body, and humans generally respond well to this. 

As adults, humans get these same feelings of comfort and safety from hugs. The pressure surrounding the body has a calming effect. You can think of weighted blankets in this same way. 

Using a weighted blanket for kids or adults has similar effects. The best weighted blanket products on the market put a little bit of pressure on your entire body. This brings about the same feelings you’d get from a hug or that a baby would get from a swaddle. 

Deep Pressure Stimulation Has an Effect on the Nervous System

You’ve probably heard of the human fight-or-flight response, but did you know that it can actually have an impact on how you sleep? It all has to do with the human nervous system. 

The sympathetic nervous system is activated when humans are in fight-or-flight mode. This happens when you’re scared, anxious, or otherwise unsettled. The parasympathetic nervous system is active when humans are at ease. 

Cooling weighted blanket products and heated weighted blanket products use deep pressure stimulation (DPS). This activates the parasympathetic nervous system.

Deep pressure stimulation refers to the pressure the weighted blanket puts on your body. One of the benefits of weighted blankets is that DPS puts both your mind and body at ease.

Different Weighted Blankets Can Have Different Effects on Sleep

If you’re struggling to stay cool at night, you may want to look into cooling weighted blankets. These weighted blankets have a cord that plugs into the wall to power the cooling system. Heated blankets work the same way, but are better for people who struggle to stay warm in bed. 

According to health experts, the ideal sleeping environment is about 65 degrees. Weighted blanket benefits include helping to regulate the temperature in your sleeping environment. Your decision whether to buy a cooling or heated blanket depends on whether you need to increase the temperature to or lower the temperature. 

Weighted Blankets Can Be Therapeutic For People With Certain Conditions

Weighted blankets can be used by anyone who wants to sleep a little better, but they can be especially helpful for people with certain physical or mental conditions. If you have anxiety and/or depression, a weighted blanket can help put your mind at ease before bed. 

People who are on the autism spectrum benefit from the deep pressure stimulation of a weighted blanket because it blocks out other stimuli. Additionally, people with post-traumatic stress disorder may sleep better with a weighted blanket as well. The benefits have to do with the weighted blanket’s ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

A Weighted Blanket May Be Just What You Need to Sleep Better

If you’re struggling with issues that prevent you from sleeping through the night, a weighted blanket can help. It’s simply a matter of finding the right weighted blanket for your needs. You’ll be able to choose from cooling heated blankets, heated blankets, and all different weight levels for weighted blankets. 

If you’re interested in purchasing a weighted blanket, it’s a good idea to browse through a selection of available products. Click here to see available options for weighted blankets from Nest Bedding.