Does Sleeping With a Weighted Blanket Help With Mental Health?
Did you know that 70% of American adults say that they get insufficient sleep at least one night per month? If you’re not able to get the deep sleep you need, it will quickly start to affect your physical and mental health.
Many people have realized that using a weighted blanket can help! While the use of a weighted blanket alone can’t treat mental health issues, there are many benefits of using one that can help you to feel like the best version of yourself overall.
Wondering if using a weighted blanket can help you? Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of sleeping with one.
It Can Make You Feel Comforted
You’ve probably seen new parents swaddle their babies to help them sleep comfortably. Using a weighted blanket works in a similar way, helping you to feel safe and secure under the comfort of your blanket. When you feel more at ease, it’s easier for your mind to relax, which can help put you in a better state of mind for sleep.
This may also help prevent racing thoughts at night, which makes it harder to fall asleep. By wrapping yourself in a literal blanket of security, you may be able to better tune out the noise so you can focus on relaxing and falling asleep.
It Can Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety
We all have issues in life that cause stress from time to time. However, it’s not uncommon for occasional anxious feelings to become more prolonged periods of anxiety. Eventually, this can start to affect your everyday life, often making it harder for you to fall and stay asleep.
Using a weighted blanket at night can help your emotional health because it almost acts like a hug from a loved one. The pressure from the blanket can make you feel like you’re encased in the arms of someone you love, making it easier to calm down and feel less stressed.
If you suffer from regular bouts of anxiety, look into how an emotional support animal may help.
It Can Improve Your Overall Sleep Quality
Are you able to fall asleep initially but have trouble staying asleep or reaching a state of deep sleep? Oftentimes, these sleep problems stem from an underlying mental health issue. Using a weighted blanket can help improve the overall quality of your sleep since the pressure from the blanket can produce serotonin in your brain.
Sleeping under a weighted blanket can also prevent you from tossing and turning as much since you’ll feel calmer and more at ease when you’re using it. This helps prevent you from waking up throughout the night.
It May Help Improve Your Mood
As we mentioned above, the use of a weighted blanket helps increase the production of serotonin in many people. Serotonin helps your brain and nervous system to function properly and it’s believed to work as a natural mood stabilizer.
Low levels of serotonin in your brain can lead to depression and anxiety, so by increasing your serotonin levels, you might start to notice that your mood changes as a result.
Of course, the use of a weighted blanket alone is not a cure-all for any mental health condition and you might not notice the effects immediately. But, don’t be surprised to feel a shift in your mood after using your blanket for several nights in a row.
It Can Help Calm Your Nervous System
If you have an overactive nervous system, you can experience uncomfortable symptoms like shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, and anxiety, all of which make it harder to fall and stay asleep. When you evenly distribute additional weight across your body through the use of a weighted blanket, it can calm your body’s natural fight or flight response.
As a result, it can activate the relaxation part of your nervous system, helping you prepare for a better night’s sleep. This works as a cyclical effect. The calmer you are before bedtime, the more likely you’ll be able to fall asleep. The better night’s sleep you get, the calmer you’ll feel when you wake up and go about your day.
As the cycle continues to repeat itself, you might start to notice that you feel calmer overall, thanks to a happier and healthier nervous system.
It Can Help Reduce the Need for Sleep Medication
Do you find yourself relying on taking sleeping pills or supplements to help you get a good night’s rest? While these can be helpful occasionally, some of these medications are habit-forming and can eventually do more harm than good.
By using a weighted blanket instead, you might find that it’s easier for you to fall asleep, so you can cut back or maybe even completely eliminate the need for sleep medication. Again, this can help you feel like a healthier version of yourself and prevent any side effects from long-term use of sleep medication.
It Can Help Reduce Sensory Issues
Do you ever feel sensitive to sensory stimuli from your surroundings? Overstimulation can be frustrating, making it harder for you to concentrate on relaxing at the end of the day. By using a weighted blanket, you may find that it’s easier to focus on the pressure from the blanket, helping you to tune out the stimuli around you.
This can provide an unmatched feeling of comfort, to the point that you may start to want to use a weighted blanket during the day as well, to better concentrate on what you need to get done.
Consider the Benefits of Using a Weighted Blanket
Now that you know more about the benefits of using a weighted blanket, think about your own physical and mental health needs to help you decide if you should start using one yourself. You just might be surprised by how much it can improve your overall sense of wellbeing.
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