If you're looking for a complementary approach to managing your arthritis pain, a weighted blanket could be a great option. Weighted blankets can potentially reduce your pain and stress, all while giving you the best sleep of your life.
Weighted blankets may be unsuitable for people with certain medical conditions, including chronic respiratory or circulatory issues, sleep apnea, asthma, low blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, and claustrophobia.
Should Everyone Use a Weighted Blanket? Adults and older children can use weighted blankets as bed covers or for relaxing during the day. They are safe to use for sleeping throughout the night.
If you're looking for a natural way to relieve pain and get better sleep, weighted blankets are a no-brainer. Research suggests that these soothing blankets may help combat relentless pain by lowering stress, improving sleep quality and reducing your perception to pain.
A weighted blanket may also be unsuitable for people with certain conditions, including: obstructive sleep apnea, which causes disrupted breathing during sleep. asthma, which can cause difficulty breathing at night. claustrophobia, which the tightness of a weighted blanket may trigger.
This faulty formula can actually result in aches, pains, and joint compression. A weighted blanket does not need to be crazy heavy as a whole. It simply needs to give that "just right" little bit of pressure on as many nerves as possible.
Are Weighted Blankets Safe for Adults? The quick answer is yes, weighted blankets are safe for healthy adults — at least, they are if you get the correct size based on your body weight. Using a weighted blanket that is too heavy could make you feel restrained and possibly contribute to anxiety and sleep issues.
Chronic pain has ties to high cortisol levels (chronic stress), low serotonin, and poor sleep. Weighted blankets use deep touch pressure (DTP) to reduce cortisol, increase serotonin, and bring on pain-free sleep.
For best results, we recommend sleeping on your back. This way, it covers your entire body with an even pressure. You can sleep on your side, but this means less area covered by the blanket.
Weighted blankets are safe for seniors to use no matter their age or weight. They actually provide a host of benefits for the elderly, which include helping with insomnia, stress, depression, Alzheimer's symptoms, anxiety, combat RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) and provide better overall quality of sleep.
If you use the blanket every night while sleeping, wash it once every few weeks to prevent the build-up of sweat and body oils. If you only use it occasionally as a lap blanket on the couch or at a desk, cleaning your weighted blanket three to four times per year should suffice.
People with certain conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, should talk to their healthcare provider before using weighted blankets, since they might affect breathing or circulation.
Replace your current comforter or use both: A weighted blanket can replace the comforter or duvet you currently use, or you can use them both. If you choose to use both, the weighted blanket can be placed either on top or below your bedding. It's all about your preference!
Furthermore, a small study in the journal Occupational Therapy in Mental Health found a 30-pound weighted blanket is a safe and effective way to reduce anxiety in adults. Out of a total of 32 adults, 20 reported lower anxiety after use. The size of your blanket will depend on your own weight (more on that later).
It Will Be Uncomfortable
A blanket heavier than 35 pounds is more likely to cause discomfort because: The blanket begins to cause your body temperature to rise. It will place too much pressure on your joints throughout the night. It will make you feel restricted.
Sleep position matters. Side sleepers should choose a lighter blanket than back or belly sleepers. Weighted blankets work well for side sleepers by using Deep Touch Pressure, which helps you feel relaxed and less stressed.
Weighted blankets work equally well for both side sleepers and those who sleep on their back or stomach. For side sleepers who are choosing between two weights that are otherwise the same - for instance our Full/Queen 15lb or 20lb options - we would suggest trying the lighter weight.
The position you sleep in makes a difference when choosing a weighted blanket. Stomach sleepers, for instance, will likely find that using a weighted blanket increases the pressure on their lower spine, which can cause low back pain throughout the day.
Weighted blankets apply gentle pressure to your body, which helps pull your attention away from the uncomfortable sensation in your legs. Weighted blankets improve sleep quality and duration.
Usually, it may take around a week to get adjusted to a weighted blanket although; to start experiencing the benefits of a weighted blanket one must wait around three weeks. It might take anywhere from three weeks to four weeks (21 days to 28 days) to develop an activity into a habit.
Pros: using a weighted blanket offers a drug-free way to help you cope with anxiety, fall asleep easier, sleep deeper, and wake up feeling restored. Cons: conventional weighted blankets can be too hot to sleep under and aren't eco-friendly.
If you stick out your feet out of your blanket in the winter season then it might make you feel cold and you might have to get the feet back inside your blankets, this can eventually lead to disturbance in sleep.
Since they mimic the sensation of being held, weighted blankets also have the same health-promoting benefits of hugging, such as decreased stress, lower blood pressure, and improved mood. Weighted blankets are also considered a form of deep pressure therapy (DPT).
Just remember one rule when buying weighted blankets- never go overboard while selecting blanket weight. If blanket is too heavy, you will feel trapped, however, with appropriate weight you will get similar feeling as being hugged or cuddled.