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The Benefits of Weighted Blankets
23.07.23
Weighted blankets, are an increasingly popular wellness tool celebrated for its benefits across various aspects of health and wellbeing.
Weighted blankets, as the name suggests, are not your typical lightweight bed covers. Instead, they're filled with glass beads which give them their characteristic heaviness. Originally used by therapists as part of occupational therapy, weighted blankets have gained significant recognition for their utility in everyday life.
What is a weighted blanket
A weighted blanket is a type of blanket that's filled with materials such as glass beads to add weight. This weight provides what's known as deep touch pressure (DTP), a form of therapy that feels like a firm hug, swaddling, or a massage. The purpose of a weighted blanket is to provide comfort and help improve the quality of sleep.
The gentle, constant pressure from the blanket has a soothing effect that can reduce anxiety, help manage sensory disorders, and improve mood. This effect is based on the principle of deep pressure stimulation, which releases serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood - thereby promoting relaxation and sleep.
The weighted blanket has gained popularity due to its natural therapeutic benefits that can help with various conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, stress, and more.
The Benefits of Weighted Blankets
The Baxter Blue Weighted Blanket improves sleep quality primarily through a therapeutic method known as deep pressure stimulation (DPS). This technique involves applying gentle, distributed weight across the body, much like the feeling of a warm hug.
1. Promotes Relaxation: When the weighted blanket is draped over your body, the additional pressure activates the body's relaxation responses. This sensation triggers the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which generate feelings of calmness and well-being.
2. Enhances Mood: Serotonin not only promotes relaxation but also improves mood, which can help you settle down for sleep more easily and prevent you from waking up throughout the night due to stress or anxiety.
3. Regulates Sleep Cycle: Furthermore, serotonin serves as a precursor to melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles. Therefore, an increase in serotonin also leads to an increase in melatonin, helping to align your body's internal clock with the natural day-night cycle and encouraging more restful, undisturbed sleep.
4. Reduces Stress and sooths anxiety: Stress and anxiety can often interfere with sleep, which is why our weighted blanket will be perfect for you. The deep pressure stimulation of weighted blankets also helps lower the body's production of cortisol, a stress hormone. High cortisol levels, particularly in the evening, can interfere with the body's preparation for sleep. By reducing cortisol, weighted blankets can help you fall asleep faster and achieve a deeper level of sleep.
5. Comforting Sensation: The comforting, secure sensation of a weighted blanket can help soothe restlessness and fidgeting, common disruptors of sleep quality, further enhancing the chances of a good night's sleep.
6. Sooths restless leg syndrome: Restless Leg Syndrome is characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an urge to move them. Weighted blankets, through their deep pressure stimulation, can help alleviate these symptoms. The applied weight acts like a gentle, continuous massage, reducing the discomfort and urge to move, thus assisting in improving sleep quality for individuals with RLS.
7. Aids in focus for ADHD. ADHD often involves difficulties with focus, impulsivity, and restlessness. The deep pressure stimulation from a weighted blanket can help calm these issues. This is because the gentle pressure triggers the release of serotonin, a mood-regulating hormone, which can help improve focus and reduce hyperactive behaviours. Additionally, the blanket's pressure provides a comforting sensation like a hug, which can reduce anxiety and foster a sense of security, further helping those with ADHD relax and focus.
Weighted blankets have emerged as an accessible and effective tool to combat sleep issues, stress, and anxiety. They have proven to be more than a trend, but a scientifically-backed solution that provides a host of benefits.
The tactile comfort these blankets offer, akin to a firm but gentle hug, isn't merely an illusion. The magic lies in the principle of deep pressure stimulation, a type of therapy that has wide-ranging effects on our mental and physical health. By aiding in the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, weighted blankets can help ease anxiety, improve mood, and foster deeper, more restful sleep.
Moreover, they have shown to be a valuable tool for individuals on the autism spectrum or those struggling with conditions like PTSD, ADHD, and sensory processing disorders. Their versatility and accessibility make them a standout in the realm of therapeutic aids.
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