The Science of Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets are becoming increasingly popular, but do they actually work? I was asked to comment on the science and research behind weighted blankets for The English Home. This was an interesting one for me as I hadn’t considered the evidence base, but I know a lot of people who swear by them for a good nights sleep, so I got stuck in! Fortunately, there are a few published reviews that have already summarised the research evidence for me.

How do weighted blankets work?

In 2024, Yu et al., explained that “deep pressure touch” may explain the calming effects and improvement to wellbeing people experience when under their weighted blanket. They suggest that these blankets provide an even distribution of light pressure on the body, which slows our heart rate and breathing, and we settle into a state of calm and relaxation. This is known as activating the parasympathetic nervous system, or entering a “rest and digest” state. It’s similar to the soothing effects of a really good hug.

How do weighted blankets help?

As well as encouraging relaxation, a review by Wong et al (2024) highlighted that, for people experiencing insomnia and mental health problems, weighted blankets can increase the amount of time they were asleep, and reduce symptoms of insomnia. In addition to this, a review by Eron et al (2020) found that people using a weighted blanket also experienced reductions in anxiety. Yu et al.,(2024) added to this by highlight people experienced fewer negative emotions and improved overall daytime wellbeing when using a weighted blanket.

Do weighted blankets work for everyone?

Dawson et al., (2024) looked at how weighted blankets helped across the entire lifespan. They found a number of positive improvements were reported for adults, much like the reviews above, they included better sleep and improved wellbeing and mood. They also reported reductions in pain for various conditions. Interestingly, people also reported reduced medication use after sleeping under a weighted blanket. This covered a range of different medications, including reduction in prescribed sleep medication. Interestingly, weighted blankets used in senior care settings led improvements in residents’ emotional and psychological expressions during the day, which meant practitioners did not need to prescribe as much medication – I think this finding is really, really cool.

This paper also looked at the effects of weighted blankest for children and adolescents. Whilst they didn’t find as much evidence for improved sleep in younger people, studies about Autistic children and those with ADHD found that after sleeping under a weighted blanket children were more relaxed, and showed fewer signs of anxiety, anger and irritability. This also led to more stable mood and better functioning in schools.

So, to answer the original question: Do weighted blankets actually work? Scientific research seems to think so. They appear to improve sleep duration and quality, and this has a positive impact on mood and other aspects of wellbeing during the day time. It’s important to remember most of the research so far has been carried out by and for people with specific diagnosis or needs, but none of the reviews I looked at highlighted any concerns related to using these blankets. So, if you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, energy levels and wellbeing, trying a weighted blanket might be the answer!

Get started with this one, which comes highly recommended!

References

• Dawson, S., Charlton, K., Ng, L., Cleland, J., Bulto, L., Page, M., & Attrill, S. (2024). Weighted Blankets as a Sleep Intervention: A Scoping Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 78(5), 7805205160. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050676   (this paper is behind a paywall so I had to read the authors accepted manuscript to understand the findings in more detail)
• Eron, K., Kohnert, L., Watters, A., Logan, C., Weisner-Rose, M., & Mehler, P. S. (2020). Weighted Blanket Use: A Systematic Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 74(2), 7402205010p1–7402205010p14. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.037358
• Wong, S., Fabiano, N., Luu, B., Seo, C., Gupta, A., Kim, H. K., … & Husain, M. I. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep quality and mental health symptoms in people with psychiatric disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 179, 286-294.
• Yu, J., Yang, Z., Sun, S., Sun, K., Chen, W., Zhang, L., … & Zhu, Y. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: a brief review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1333015.

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