Weighted blankets weigh heavier than your usual blankets. They can weigh anywhere between four and 30 pounds typically. This means that they will be heavier than your usual quilts or comforters. Weighted blankets can prove to be a beneficial alternative for people suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety. But how weighted blankets help anxiety and other issues? Let’s find out.

How do weighted blankets help anxiety?
Anxiety is a condition identified by the feeling of worry or discomfort arising from a situation or a thought. Anxiety can often result in a spike in the heart rate, increased breathing rate, and eventually increased stress levels. When anxiety becomes chronic, it can interfere with your daily life and can lead to anxiety disorder. Thankfully, in addition to traditional treatment options, there are alternative remedies such as weighted blankets that can help fight the disorder. Weighted blankets can be used by adults as well as children to reduce anxiety levels since they are usually safe to use. They can help a person be at rest and allow them to have a deep sleep. While you sleep, weighted blankets push your body downwards. This is referred to as earthing or grounding. This process can soothe the body and have a calming effect. With the help of these blankets, you can also enjoy the benefits of deep pressure touch. This is a therapy in which a strong pressure to bring down stress and anxiety levels in the body. Studies show how the process of grounding can bring down the levels of cortisol released at night. Cortisol is the hormone associated with stress levels. It is usually produced when the brain thinks that the body is under attack. As a response to the attack, it stimulates the fight or flight response. But when you use deep pressure touch of a weighted blanket, its soothing effect on the body stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine in the body – the hormones associated with happiness. The release of these hormones fights stress and anxiety.

How do weighted blankets help sleep disorders?
Sleep disorders are fairly common. While around 20 million people in America experience problems while falling asleep sometimes, more than 40 million people have sleep disorders that have turned chronic. Anxiety and increased stress levels in the body are often associated with poor sleep quality. These can even worsen some existing conditions. But with the help of weighted blankets, you can soothe your body, and it can feel rested. It reduces the heart rate and calms the breathing process. When your body feels rested and calm, it gets the necessary sleep that it needs. You can get a sound sleep at night and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.