Benefits of Weighted Blankets - Reduce Anxiousness, Stress, and Sleep Issues With a Serenity Blanket
Don’t you just love curling up on the couch, covered neck to toe with your favorite blanket? We bet you sometimes also hug your partner because the pressure feels so calming and relaxing?
Have you ever wondered about that? About why applied pressure calms you down?
While it does feel great to be hugged or to hug someone, there’s more to the sensation than just physical contact and shared intimacy.
It boils down to proprioceptive input - the need that our brains have to place our body parts (and us) in context with our surroundings. If you want to learn more about that need - and how weighted blankets use it to help us relax and sleep better - then continue reading!
Are Weighted Blankets a New Thing?
While it’s true that the talk of weighted blankets has been picking up since early 2018, this doesn’t mean that they weren’t used before. In fact, they’ve been around for generations, ever since therapists found that the core principle behind weighted blankets (deep touch pressure stimulation) has a beneficial effect on people with autism, ADHD, PTSD, and various sensory disorders.
In recent years, more and more studies have been done that relate the use of weighted blankets with an increase in sleep, better overall sleep patterns, as well as a reduction in stress and anxiety levels. Even people who do not suffer from insomnia or related sleep issues can benefit from using a weighted blanket. A lot of healthy people are using them to faster reach the deep REM stage of sleep. This means that their productivity levels and mental wellbeing benefit every time they go to bed.
The Serenity Blanket took a year to design, and we did a lot of research to ensure that it’s extra beneficial to people who are struggling with anxiety and stress. Global statistics are pretty grim - there’s plenty of stressed out people in the world today. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, one in every four people on this planet is affected by stress, anxiety, or a similar mental disorder. Also, women are much more likely to suffer from them than men.
When it comes to worldwide sleep patterns, those have been going down hill in the last few decades as well. Fifty years ago, the majority of people managed to get eight hours of sleep every night. These days, the global average is much closer to six hours, with 51% of adults across the globe are not getting enough sleep. This means that they are at increased risk of suffering from various mental and neurological disorders.
How & Why Do Weighted Blankets Work?
We already touched briefly on things called proprioceptive input and deep touch pressure stimulation. Basically, one of our less known senses is called proprioceptive sense - it deals with our joints and bones, and the overall position of our body and limbs to the world around us.
Our brain is constantly sending signals to our body, trying to figure out where we are and how we’re positioned in space. Sometimes, the feedback it gets is not sufficient. This triggers considerable confusion in the brain, which then starts firing various neurons, trying to find out what’s going on. The general result is that we start feeling antsy, unsettled, and stressed.
A weighted blanket provides that much needed proprioceptive input by applying pressure to our body, including our limbs. This allows the brain to get the information it is looking for quicker, and without going into a frenzy. Essentially, we become more relaxed because we didn’t get as agitated as we would without a weighted blanket in the first place.
A recently published study validates the benefits of using a weighted blanket:
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33% of weighted blanket users reported a decrease in nervous system overactivity.
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63% reported feeling less anxious and stressed.
- 78% note that a weighted blanket is their preferred tool for managing bouts of anxiety.
Other studies conclude that weighted blankets might play a part in regulating the chemical balance in our brains. Some even go that far as to suggest that using one could very well trigger an increase in serotonin - the so-called happiness hormone. Studies looking into weighted blankets and stress found that people using one had lower levels of cortisol - the body’s stress hormone.
The Serenity Blanket - Your Best Choice of a Weighted Blanket
The Serenity Blanket is a success story that revolves around reinventing how we sleep. The blanket is the only piece of the bedtime ritual that has never been re-examined, and we thought, why not? We spend hours under one every day - shouldn’t a blanket that we choose HELP us deal with the stresses of the previous day? Should it not help us sleep better?
Also, we were a bit fed up with the poor quality of other weighted blankets on the market. They bulged in places, the weight was not evenly distributed, and they just looked awful.
We wanted to create something that is worth your money and give you an amazing product. With that in mind, we settled on three most important factors that needed to be met if we wanted to offer the best weighted blanket on the market - the softness of the fabric, sufficient weight, and great weight distribution.
- Even Weight Distribution - The main reason why a lot of people don’t experience the benefit of weighted blankets is the uneven weight distribution. Several factors play a part here, but the most important one is not having enough inner ties. Without them, the blanket bunches up and is heavier in places. We created the Serenity Blanket with non-toxic glass microbeads, and added 6 ties to the inner blanket that ensure that it stays as aligned as possible with the outer cover. Once you cover up, the blanket falls perfectly into place and you’re ready for a good night’s sleep.
- Soft Fabric - A lot of manufacturers don’t spend enough time thinking about the fabric for the outer cover of the blanket. The result is usually heavy, but uncomfortable weight pressing down on you. The Serenity Blanket we created uses ultra soft minky fabric - the one that’s usually used in blankets for babies. It’s super soft, very cuddly, and doesn’t take much maintenance - you can even machine wash it!
- Sufficient Weight - Weighted blankets are designed to be 8-12% of your body weight. Some prefer their blankets on the heavier side, while some enjoy lighter pressure. With the Serenity Blanket, you have several options so you can easily order a weighted blanket that best suits your needs!