A few months ago, I was having trouble sleeping, even before the pandemic. As someone who cannot function without sleep, I was looking for ways to improve my sleep. I came across the idea of sleeping with a weighted blanket one day and starting looking into it more. I decided to give it a try, and while it took some time getting used to, I became 100% sold on it during the COVID pandemic.
The weighted blanket is supposed to be about 10% of your body weight. Since I could not find one exactly 10% of my body weight, I ended up going a few pounds higher. It is supposed to simulate being hugged while you sleep, which apparently benefits you by calming your stress hormones. Since it wraps nicely around your body, you definitely feel a nice snugly and cozy feeling. Because of that, I think it helps to regulate your body temperature, so you are neither too hot nor too cold. Of course, during your time of the month, that can vary. But usually, I am very comfortable temperature-wise using my weighting blanket.
It helps me sleep better by helping me get into a deeper, more restful sleep.
I notice that if I do wake up during the night, I am not as anxious trying to fall back asleep. It is said to help people with anxiety and stress, among several other health issues. I feel more restful when I wake up, and I am less tired during the day. My husband has also told me that I do not move around as much while I sleep. It is also supposed to help people with restless leg syndrome and pain in their bodies. I cannot attest to those, but I would not doubt it since it helps me move around less at night.
Who might not love the weighted blanket? Your spouse, partner, or little co-sleeper since it is designed for one person specifically. So, if you sleep with someone else, they might not love this heavy thing that you have over the sheets you are both sharing. If you sleep with a young child, it also might not be safe for them. Due to its weight, it does fall off the bed on occasion, and during the night, when you feel a draft, it gets to be a bit much pulling the blanket up from the side of the bed, sometimes enough to wake you up from your sound sleep.
To combat this bit of nuisance, I now start with the weighted blanket a little further up on my bed so not as much of it is hanging off the bed and this prevents it from falling off too much, or I just make sure I can quickly grab the extra part of the duvet that my husband sleeps with to cover any part of me that is cold, so I don’t fully wake up from being cold without a cover on me. This has definitely helped and doesn’t disturb my sleep enough for me to wake up.
In fact, a few weeks ago, I actually tried to sleep without the weighted blanket, and I had the worst sleep that I have had in months. I tried it for three days and immediately went back to it and have no regrets at all (much to my husband’s dismay). If you are having difficultly sleeping, I recommend trying a weighted blanket. There are many price points available, so you should be able to find one that fits comfortably within your budget.
- YnM Weighted Blanket
- COMHO Weighted Blanket
- Casper Sleep Weighted Blanket
- Roore Kids Weighted Blanket
Happy Sleeping!
