Weighted Blankets A Cure For Stress Or An Expensive Placebo?

Weighted blankets have evolved in recent years from a niche therapeutic option to a trendy healthy lifestyle item. They are touted as a solution to insomnia and anxiety, with celebrities touting their calming effects. But do they really work for everyone or are they an expensive placebo? Let’s figure out what science says.

From therapy to mass market

Originally, heavy blankets filled with pellets have been used by occupational therapists to help children with autism and adults with sensory impairments since the 1970s. They went on sale in the 1990s, but remained a highly specialized product.

Everything changed a few years ago, when manufacturers began to target a wide audience, that is, almost any person living in stress. The marketing worked brilliantly: by 2018, the weighted blanket even made it onto Time’s list of the top inventions of the year.

Principle of action

The idea is attractive in its simplicity. A blanket weighing between 2 and 13 kg (usually recommended 10% of body weight) creates soft, even pressure on the body. This method, which experts call “deep pressure stimulation,” is supposed to mimic the calming sensation of a hug, helping the nervous system to relax.

According to Conversationthe research data turned out to be not as clear as the advertising promises. There are studies that show a positive effect, but with important caveats. For example, one study of 120 psychiatric patients found that using weighted blankets for a month improved sleep in people with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD.

The scientists concluded that it is a “safe and effective treatment for insomnia” for such patients. Other studies have noted that up to 63% of adults experienced decreased anxiety after just five minutes under a heavy blanket.

Key point: Almost all positive studies were conducted among people with diagnosed mental or neurological disorders. But the benefits for completely healthy people, whom marketing is now aimed at, have been proven much less well.

Reviews of scientific papers show that there is not enough convincing evidence of effectiveness for the average user without specific problems. In addition, about half of all studies on this topic do not meet the standards of evidence-based medicine.

Who can they help?

This doesn’t mean blankets are useless. They can be a good aid for people with clinically proven sleep disorders or anxiety (after consultation with a doctor), workers with irregular schedules (nurses, pilots, firefighters) who need to quickly fall asleep during the day.

Weighted blankets are not recommended for use:

• small children,
• those who have problems with breathing (asthma, apnea, COPD), circulation, diabetes, claustrophobia or uncontrolled hypertension.

A weighted blanket is not a magic pill for the stress of modern life. Rather, it is a tool for creating a comfortable, soothing atmosphere before bed.