A weighted blanket may look like another luxurious blanket on the surface, but there’s a whole lot more to them than the average cuddly throw. Sure, weighted blankets feel soft and warm, but they also offer the power of deep pressure touch stimulation.
It’s a term that sounds ultra-fancy, but it’s basically a scientific way of explaining the gentle hugging sensation you feel when you’re wrapped up in one. And that hugging sensation does you more good than you may realize. It also releases serotonin and melatonin, which delivers a host of benefits when your aim is to chill out or get a good night of sleep.
Weighted Blankets For Anxiety
When your mind is spinning, it’s easy to feel like the world is crumbling around you. You might toss and turn all throughout the night, waking up groggy and cranky the next morning. Or in the worst-case scenario, you might even experience a panic attack and serious physical health problems. But there are many ways weighted blankets ease anxiety.
Benefits of Deep Pressure Touch Stimulation
Weighted blankets deliver deep pressure touch stimulation, which instantly helps the body relax. Just like the feeling of getting a warm hug from someone you love, a weighted blanket can make you feel more secure, grounded, and safe. This alone can minimize anxiety, but there are other benefits of deep pressure touch stimulation, too.
1. Increase Relaxation
Deep pressure touch stimulation increases the body’s levels of serotonin and melatonin. Since serotonin boosts your mood and melatonin makes you feel sleepy, it’s the perfect hormone combo to help you kick back and breathe a sigh of relief, even when you’ve been feeling anxious. As a 2008 study published in Occupational Therapy in Mental Health showed, 78% of people experience lowered anxiety levels after using a weighted blanket.
2. Reduce Stress
High cortisol levels may be helpful if you’re running from a tiger or dodging bullets, but otherwise, it’s not something you need in excess. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol helps to regulate blood pressure and immune function. But high cortisol levels can make you feel tense, mess with cognitive performance, make it harder to heal, and throw off blood sugar levels. Luckily, deep pressure touch stimulation can lower cortisol levels quickly, helping you feel more at ease and allowing you to get more restful sleep.
3. Minimize Fidgeting
Whether it’s because of ADHD or anxiousness, some people fidget so much that it’s hard to accomplish a task or get to sleep at night. But yep, you guessed it—deep pressure touch stimulation can help there, too. The calming effect of a weighted blanket can make it easier to focus or get to that restful state needed to fall asleep.
4. Higher Quality Sleep
Getting quality sleep can feel like an impossible equation, but deep pressure touch stimulation is the simple answer to many sleep woes. A weighted blanket can help you sleep longer and better, so you finally wake up feeling refreshed. In fact, a 2015 study in the Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders showed that sleeping with a weighted blanket resulted in both less tossing and turning and more overall sleep time. We’ll take it!
5. Reduce Symptoms of Sensory and Sleep Disorders
Some people find themselves waking up frequently in the night, while others suffer from more drastic forms of insomnia. In either case, a weighted blanket can help. Deep pressure touch stimulation has been shown to help many conditions, including PTSD, sleep disorders, autism, and nervous system disorders.
Try a Weighted Blanket For Anxiety Today
You’re over feeling anxious—so why not try an all-natural, proven way to minimize those racing thoughts and waves of depression. Shop weighted blankets at Comma Home. From weighted minky blankets to cooling bamboo weighted blankets, you’re sure to find a blanket that gives you better sleep, reduces anxiety, and makes the world seem like an all-around better place. Find your perfect weighted blanket today.
