16 ms·
Weighted blankets might ease insomnia and anxiety
- amelius 7y agoCould it also help with bruxism? EDIT: Unrelated but, wow, there's even a book about weighted blankets: https://www.amazon.com/Weighted-Blanket-Guide-Everything-Conditions/dp/1849057184 https://www.amazon.com/Weighted-Blanket-Guide-Everything-Con...
- lysp 7y agoFrom a study of 1: It definitely works for me. I would take 30+ minutes to get to sleep tuning 15-20 times as I dozed off. Since adding the blanket (9kg / 20lb), I find I'm asleep in less than 5 minutes. With 2-3 turns at most. I didn't initially get it for sleep - just tried it and now it stays mostly on my bed.
- tru3_power 7y agoWhich did you end up getting?
- lysp 7y agoI'm in Australia so got it from a local supplier during a 20% off eBay deal. I initially never got one due to the expense and thought they were overpriced and overhyped. I still think they are overpriced. I would get one now knowing how well it has worked for me.
- droptablemain 7y agoI had the same experience. I've never slept better in my life.
- cstejerean 7y agoI got the same thing for my wife and she swears by it. I'm curious though, what do you do when you travel? We haven't found a good option for hotels, it would add a lot of weight (and bulk) to try and pack it when flying.
- lysp 7y agoI purely use it at home. When I'm staying elsewhere I'll just deal with a slightly less efficient sleep.
- bduerst 7y agoI guess I'm in the other group - bought a weighted blanket to try out and now I just have an expensive heavy blanket.
- jquery 7y agoAnother suggestion: try a foam mattress.
- jcims 7y agoWe got our oldest daughter one for college and she loves it. Very similar experience to what you've described.
- Baeocystin 7y ago+1. Same weight blanket. It took me a couple of nights to fully get used to it (I think I might have preferred a slightly lighter one, something in the 15lb range) but my sleep has noticeably improved in both speed of falling asleep and duration before waking. According to my CPAP machine, I have fewer apnea events per night, too. For those looking to try one: go for whichever has the smallest pockets for the beads. It does make a difference in how smooth the weight feels.
- johnchristopher 7y agoWhich blanket did you get ?
- Baeocystin 7y agoThis one. I'm very happy with it. https://www.amazon.com/Degrees-Comfort-Weighted-Nano-Ceramic-Durability/dp/B07RYP2PGN https://www.amazon.com/Degrees-Comfort-Weighted-Nano-Ceramic... If I were buying another one, I'd get the 48x72 15-pounder.
- johnchristopher 7y agoThanks. I am surprised it has any effects on sleep apnea. What's you personal opinion about the why ?
- Baeocystin 7y agoI really don't know. The difference is significant, though- before, I was recording ~10 apnea events a night, and now it's ~5. I'm naturally a back sleeper, so I don't move around much either way, so I just don't know. I'm certainly not complaining, though!
- johnchristopher 7y agoThanks for your input ! I am inclined to believe that proclaimed stress reduction benefits of sleeping with an heavy blanket correlates or explains the reduction in apnea events. I may look into it myself.
- 0x8BADF00D 7y agoYup I can also attest to its efficacy. Only downside is that it tends to overheat you during higher ambient temperature ranges.
- tehlike 7y agoI am a to be parent, and reading "happiest baby on the block" gave me some background on why this might be. Basically it boils down to how we were before we are born in our mother's wombs. Same with car noise and rocking, and why it is easier to sleep in a car without realizing.
- onemoresoop 7y agoCongratulations. It might work for some kids, but my son never likes anything on him, we even cover him when he’s deep asleep and in a minute he’d push it away. And he’s been doing that since very little. Granted, the room temperature is comfortable and he has both diapers and a body on (with legs mostly uncovered). Personally I alwyas need something, even as light as a beed sheed around my torso for comfort. What’s interesting about this find is that it may be related to the posture/positon of the body while sleeping and the heavy blanket probably relaxes the skeletal musculature and in turn the nervous system. I’m saying this as i noticed when i use the winter blanket, my body feels more aligned and pain free in the morning. One of the plusses of winter imo. Also noticed that when I sleep in a colder room I sleep/rest beter.
- nemothekid 7y agoAnother study of 1: I bought the Chilla 20lbs weighted blanket back in March and I don't use it anymore. I found it really unconfortable and I would get incredibly hot under them in the middle of the night. The one I bought seemed to have great reviews, and I paid ~$160 for it, but it didn't seem worth it. It now collects dust in my closet.
- fullstop 7y agoSomeone out there thinks that I want to manage the thermal properties of my bed since the ads which squeeze through uBlock and friends are all for "BedJet" and other bed air conditioners. With that being said, it is an interesting idea and might be worth investigating.
- neonate 7y agohttp://archive.is/3JXLJ http://archive.is/3JXLJ
- jquery 7y agoI've tried this but I sweat like a pig. Do they have weighted blankets for people who tend to sweat when they sleep?
- johnchristopher 7y agoThat's funny, (well, sort of) I sweat easily but never when I sleep.
- nabla9 7y agoThere are blankets with glass or steel beads.
- m_eiman 7y agoE.g. https://curaofsweden.com/en/produkt/cura-pearl/ https://curaofsweden.com/en/produkt/cura-pearl/ I have one of those, and it's cooler than my previous blanket - a bit too cool for winter nights imho.
- tpowell 7y agoI bought a chilipad[1] awhile back after reading Sam Altman's post on productivity[2]. I leave it on 66 or 67 degrees, and fall asleep much faster than I did before. I snake the tube under the bathroom door to muffle the sound, but it's totally worth a little white noise to have a perpetual cool-side-of-the-pillow feeling the whole night. Since it's removing the heat from under you, I suspect it would work quite well in tandem with a weighted blanket. [1] https://www.chilitechnology.com https://www.chilitechnology.com [2] http://blog.samaltman.com/productivity http://blog.samaltman.com/productivity
- balfirevic 7y agoDo you know know the air temperature in your room? I can't imagine sleeping on something so cold. Just tonight I had to put on T-shirt in the middle of the night because it felt a bit cold, even though the air temperature was around 26 degrees Celsius (I have a digital thermometer next to my bed). I don't use a blanket at these temperatures though, just a thin bed sheet. Do you use chillpad to be able to use the heavy blanket even though it's not cold inside the room?
- johnchristopher 7y agoAnecdotal: I love getting under the blanket but for some reasons I had to learn to sleep without one last year and it took a week for sleep to come in less than 5 minutes (as per my usual habit). Even though I am using blanket again I now can easily fall asleep when it's hot or if I don't have one.
- not_a_moth 7y agoI bought one ~6 months ago and my 2 sleep trackers reported slightly longer duration and more deep sleep for about a week, and then numbers went back to normal. Concluded that it may have been a placebo effect.
- vladharbuz 7y agoI think there might be a better measure than what your sleep trackers say — how did you feel?
- riffraff 7y agothat is even more susceptible to the placebo effect.
- maaaats 7y agobut ultimately it's what matters, right?
- riffraff 7y agowell, yeah, the problem is that it's generally not a lasting effect, and it prevents you from finding a real solution.
- lnenad 7y agoI don't understand why is it so hard for some people to grasp this, if you're actually feeling better because of something the root cause of it is irrelevant.
- dao- 7y agoThe question is not about the cause but about the actual effects. You might feel better and that's goog in itself, but it's not good enough if you want to treat something with real, measurable symptoms.
- Apocryphon 7y agoBought one recently, it's comforting but not a cure-all. My mattress is too soft and the weighted blanket hasn't offset the discomfort of it.
- Cthulhu_ 7y agoRe: the heat problem, my parents gave me a sheep woolen duvet a while ago (Texeler brand, kinda local to NL though) - it's not a knitted or scratchy contraption, it's a duvet like you know them. However, it's a lot heavier than normal duvets (about twice as heavy I'd gauge), and it's perfect in terms of heat regulation - even in summer I can sleep under the covers without feeling too warm or sweaty. I think the problem with the heat of weighted blankets as mentioned here is down to the materials used, non-permeable plastics and glass and the like.
- Jaruzel 7y agoSilk Duvets, which are filled with layers of spun silk instead of feathers or foam, are much cooler than non-silk equivalent tog(weight) duvets, so you get the comforting weight of a thick duvet but without all the heat. We've had Mulberry Silk duvets for many years and I can totally recommend them.
- colechristensen 7y agoI like to sleep with a folded in half (double thick) Pendleton wool blanket. It adds weight and is much more heat-friendly than other blankets.
- wcunning 7y agoI use a rayon (bamboo) weighted blanket and so long as there's reasonable air flow, it isn't unreasonably warm and is also a lovely weighted blanket.
- shiningdays 7y agoOh my god, I had a wool duvet for a while and it was seriously the best. The wool is a natural fiber which allows the humidity to escape, leaving you warm but not sticky. Be careful with the outer shell of these, though – no use getting a wool duvet with a polyester outer shell (or polyester duvet cover!)
- eyeball 7y agoI saw one blanket that was made with chains sewn into a light sheet/blanket. Seemed like a much better approach than the bead based ones. Was way too pricey though.
- winrid 7y agoI know I feel better when I have things around me in bed. A bunch of boxes? Oh yeah, time to sleep.
- theworld572 7y agoThe best thing you can do for sleep is to stop worrying about it so much. Ditch the weighted blankets, the sleep trackers, the obsessively strict sleep hygiene routine, the meditation, the mindfulness, the blue light glasses etc.
- theworld572 7y agoWeird this is getting downvoted. Its true for my own experience - my life is much better since I've stopped with all the sleep gadgets and panicking when I get less than 8 hours sleep in a night. Its also a view backed up by professionals: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/17/why-sleeptrackers-could-lead-to-the-rise-of-insomnia-and-orthosomnia https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/17/why-sle... And there are books written on this too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1456492543/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1456492543/
- DenisM 7y ago“The best way to move around with a broken leg is to ditch the cast and the crutches and the scooters, and just walk normally. It worked for me!”. This is what you sound like. Also, you have likely mixed up the cause and the effect - you started sleeping better for whatever reason and as a result lost interest in sleep gadgets.
- jplayer01 7y ago> Weird this is getting downvoted It's because there are legitimately people who have problems falling asleep that are not tied to obsessing about sleep gadgets. How can you be so unbelievably callous and dismissive of people's problems? I've spent months barely getting 4-5 hours of sleep because I can't shut off my brain and how oppressive life is/can be. I don't see what any of that has to do with tracking sleep or buying a weighed blanket or whatever else. Mainly because I didn't try any of it - but if I do buy a weighted blanket and it helps me fall asleep ... what exactly do you have against that blanket helping me?
- theworld572 7y ago
- gadders 7y agoI don't know about weighted blankets, but I think I definitely sleep more deeply when my cat is on the duvet next to me. That could be due to additional weight, but I wonder if it's a caveman thing where you can sleep more deeply because you can rely on the animal to alert you to any danger.
- Moeg 7y agoAround 9 years ago I was prescribed a weighed blanket with chains inside it, an enormous help to my sleep quality and even helpful daytime during stressful times. I have Aspergers. Nice to see these become more common alternative to medication.
- Kaibeezy 7y agoThanks to you and OP for the reminder and encouragement. I’d been meaning to get one for my sleep-challenged Aspie.
- Zenbit_UX 7y agoI've only ever heard that term being used derogatoroly online, do you really use Aspie as a term of endearment towards your family member?
- Tyr42 7y agoMy sample size of one says yes.
- Kaibeezy 7y agoI've only ever seen or heard it used positively and even affectionately. If that's not usual, it's high time it be reappropriated.
- TheOperator 7y agoAspie is usually not considered derogatory... more casual and friendly. Some may not like the word but it doesn't have any sort of sinister connotation. I see pretty much every synonym for Autism or Aspergers being used derogatorily online.
- sand500 7y agoI grew covering myself with two comforters just for the weight. Switched recently to a cooling weighted blanket and I no longer need a fan and AC all the way down to keep me cool. Still keep the fan for white noise tho.
- dagw 7y agoWe bought one for my 9 year old daughter and it has done amazing things for her sleep. Before we got it her sleeping through the night was the exception, but now it's pretty much the the rule.
- dasanman 7y agoMy GF has had a 10kg chain blanket for ages to help with sleeping (she has ADHD). Not so suprised by this headline :D
- oxplot 7y agoI have a glass pellet weighted blanket (no heating issue) that has made a huge world of difference in my quality of sleep. It's about 7 kg. If I double it up, I fall asleep almost immediately.
- nickjj 7y agoI very rarely have sleep issues so I never looked into blankets or gadgets but I will say this: Recently my neighbor got a really bright outdoor light on the side of their house and even with black out blinds it wasn't close to enough blockage because light kept leaking through the sides and even pierced the blinds. The first night I noticed that, I was like "jesus, why is it so bright outside" and I tried to sleep unsuccessfully. I was up until about 3am when I normally goto bed at 11pm'ish. I tried everything to block it on the spot like trying to pile up a sheet near my face but it had no effect since the light just illuminated the room. It was so light that I could see details across the room, like individual fan blades on a 12" fan. I typically can only fall asleep on 1 side but switching sides made no difference either. So the next afternoon I decided to try an experiment. I took a black garbage bag and completely covered the window. I actually laughed out loud to myself at how dark it was when it was bright outside. That night was remarkable. I didn't think a room could be so dark. It was the most peaceful sleep ever, except now my TV's little red dot is a distraction where as even pre-outside light it wasn't noticeable. So if you have trouble sleeping, you may want to try to make your room as dark as possible as a test. Even in hostile lighting conditions a black garbage bag (one of the big ones you would use for leafs) can solve the problem. I hung mine with 2 nails, so when I wake up I just unhook 1 side to get natural light. The only problem is it looks completely stupid from the inside.
- TheSmiddy 7y agoYour TV probably has a setting to turn that light off, or do what I do and put black electrical tape all over anything with a useless status light.
- Kaibeezy 7y agoI've left a trail of 8mm squares of gaffer's tape covering literally thousands of LEDs around the world. If you ever see a semi-hairless sasquatch -- with what looks like one black fingernail -- climbing naked on a chair, that's probably me.
- legooolas 7y agoOr turn it off at the socket so it's not even on standby, using (a small amount of) power all the time?
- RickJWagner 7y agoI wonder if there's any danger for weak or infirm people? Seems it could come to rest on someone's throat, or the weight on the chest could become the straw that broke the camel's back.
- b_tterc_p 7y agoA similar lesson was learned for cattle. Compressing them en route to slaughter makes them significantly calmer.
- JustSomeNobody 7y agoFoster parents have used these for quite some time to help with anxiety in children. Also used frequently are lycra sleeves they can wrap around themselves to kinda of hug themselves tight. These don't work for all children; some have tactile anxieties and these make that worse.
- einpoklum 7y agoI'm being blocked by a paywall ! :-( ... added the following rules to uBlock Origin: ||subscribe.washingtonpost.com/ www.washingtonpost.com/wp-stat/ and that seems to have solved the problem.
- JustSomeNobody 7y agoDisable JavaScript?
- codingdave 7y agoDepending on how handy you or a family member are, these also can be hand-made. My wife made one for me, and all our kids, each with sci-fi/geeky fabric patterns, so it was not only something to help us rest, but was personalized to some things we like. She found making them to be tedious, but not difficult. They really do help me get better sleep. My kids don't get as much direct benefit, but they love having them anyway.
- notacoward 7y agoI've been using a weighted blanket for a couple of months now. It's no panacea, but I find it pleasant. One issue people might not be aware of: if you use any kind of body pillow, the extra weight can make turning over much trickier. I'm a side sleeper and I use a tubular pillow to reduce stress on my knees. That means repositioning the pillow every time I switch sides (few times a night) and with the weighted blanked this can be considerably more of a struggle. It's not the weight itself so much as the extra friction from the blanket pressing down more on a soft object. It's not a deal-killer, but maybe something for people to be aware of.
- wazoox 7y ago> I'm a side sleeper and I use a tubular pillow to reduce stress on my knees. Care to explain? I don't understand how using a tubular pillow would reduce knee strain... Do you keep a pillow under your legs while in bed?
- Tyr42 7y agoBetween your knees perhaps. (That's what I did)
- notacoward 7y agoExactly. Keeping my knees together is uncomfortable (not enough padding), but having them offset while I'm on my side causes the top one to slope down toward the mattress twisting both knees and (even worse) lower back. It's a very common problem, and quite a market for specialized knee pillows. I use a simple tube, but the principle's the same: provide some separation and/or elevate the top leg to avoid twisting.
- hsnewman 7y agoSo they might not ease insomnia and anxiety?
- DenisM 7y agoAnother thing that helps with anxiety is the psychiatry and psychotherapy combo. It helps with sleep as well, consequently. If you haven’t tried it yet you stand a great chance of significant improvement, both from medication and therapy. The key to getting good help is a) convincing the doctor you need help and b) convincing yourself you need help. The doctor part is simple - you need to demonstrate tangible effect on quality of life. Does your condition make you late or no-show for work? Avoid social situation? Something tangible, not just “I’m so anxious all the time”. It also helps to keep a sleep journal, it can used as evidence of QOL impact if you sleep 4 hours per night. Convincing the patient who is not already convinced is near-impossible using standard rhetoric. The only thing I know to work is peer pressure - unearth three friends who already went through the therapy and the frightened mind of the sufferer might follow the herd. Which is why it’s important to talk about it.
- thrownaway954 7y agoall I know is that I bought one of those thundershirts for my pom and he loves it. and yes, it has helped with his anxiety during storms. same concept as a weighted blanket I guess.
- bradlys 7y agoMy significant other deals with some insomnia and anxiety, we think it's been helpful. Mind you, not a cure-all but she likes the blanket. We got a bearaby. Ridiculously expensive ($300) but it seems to be enjoyable for her. I look forward to that one coming down in price. I justified it as a really expensive throw if it didn't work out. Personally, I can't sleep with it. I move a lot and the weight of it has lead me to feeling a lot of pain in my joints when I wake up. (pressure on my shoulders from sleeping on my side with it, knees and feet hurting from being compressed down when laying on my back)
- pbhowmic 7y agoDid not work for my son. One problem: these are really thick and warm, so using them in a Houston summer night is murder.
- Bootwizard 7y agoI guess this is a little off topic, but can anyone recommend a good side sleeper pillow? I've bought around 6 pillows in the last few years and all of them cause me to wake up with neck and back pain because they don't hold my head up. I've had insomnia for a long time and I'm still tackling the causes. I'm definitely going to try one of these weighted blankets, and maybe a sleep mask. I made the leap a few months ago to buy a Casper mattress and that's helped a lot. It's not as dramatic a difference as I'd hoped but replacing a ?? year old mattress with anything is better.
- kingnothing 7y agoI alternate between this and a shredded memory foam pillow. The Blu is thinner than I would have expected to be comfortable, but at least on my mattress, it keeps my spine almost perfectly straight while on my side, and I generally don't wake up with shoulder pain. https://www.amazon.com/Blu-Sleep-Products-Memory-Pillow/dp/B01LFF8DLQ https://www.amazon.com/Blu-Sleep-Products-Memory-Pillow/dp/B...
- ndaiger 7y agohttps://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-pillow-for-side-sleepers/ https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-pillow-for-side-sleep... I use the Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Pillow recommended; when I replace it I'll probably buy the upgrade pick mentioned in the article just to see if it's much nicer. I've spent years trying different pillows (usually super-expensive ones) and the memory foam is by far the best for me (I am also a side sleeper). Other random insomnia advice: try to focus on relaxing each and every muscle in your body so that you are totally slack. Mindfulness apps/podcasts can help you do this. It helps me a lot. Low-dose melatonin (1mg) is good when you're training yourself to sleep but I wouldn't take it long-term (very vivid dreams are a side effect).
- Bootwizard 7y agoI've tried mindfulness and melatonin before. Definitely took melatonin long enough to get the side effects. I'll try to get back into mindfulness but it was a difficult habit to form. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely check out this pillow.
- evo_9 7y agoAnother approach - non-THC based CBD's. I started taking this most nights and it works incredibly well. I'm not typically anxiety prone, but having just gone through a very stressful period (started a new job a month ago, opened a commercial store with my wife 3 weeks ago), it's worked really well. Sleeping really well, waking up refreshed and seems to take the edge off the day too. I was skeptical it could do much about sleep or anxiety issues but in my case, it's worked very well.
- jokoon 7y agothanks for the ad!
- qzx_pierri 7y agowhy so cynical? he didn't mention any brands or post any links.
- jedimastert 7y agoOP's account is 9 years old and hasn't mentioned CBD once in the last few pages I read. You need to not.
- lovehashbrowns 7y agoI'll be trying CBD as well. I go through weeks where I just can't sleep before 5-6a, no matter what I try. I've been thinking about weighted blankets, I've tried sleeping masks or trying to get my room as dark as possible, etc. Just doesn't work for me. So I started trying weed, and that'll almost instantly put me out. The only thing I don't like about it is the feeling of being high, so I'm hoping CBD comes with the sleep effects without the high. I also think the ritual itself has something to do with it. I'll brush my teeth, take my contacts out, wash my face, and then smoke. That has the added side effect of being off my phone for 30m+ before I try and sleep.
- ladyattis 7y agoJust anecdotally I've noticed whenever I have trouble sleeping I wind up putting a pillow on my chest or otherwise build up something that leans on my body. I don't know why it makes me feel safer maybe it's just the animal instinct to hide from possible predators?
- trhway 7y ago>Weighted blankets recipe for the best weighted blanket for the best sleep - takes one regular blanket and a cat: cover yourself with the blanket, let the cat to lie on top. Enjoy. For even better result - pet the cat.
- idlerig 7y agoMy experience with weighted blankets was uncomfortable back pain, due to the inevitable shift of the blankets off my chest and around my waist. My I moved from my back to each of my shoulders through the night, hips were effectively pinned into position. We returned the blanket after a week or two.
- b34r 7y agoI bought one a few weeks ago and tbh it does nothing except make me uncomfortably warm.
- kunkelast 7y agoI've heard that knights a few centuries ago were sleeping in chairs. Only slaves were sleeping in horizontal position. I'm not sure whether it's true or not, but this is what a tour guide told me.