THE STAR/DPA – A weighted blanket for better sleep?
Close physical contact is often vital for survival in the wild. Some animal mothers carry their babies in pouches, on their backs or in the mouths. Furry animal babies cuddle for warmth while they sleep.
Humans, “altricial” mammals who are born helpless and require parental care and feeding for a length of time, become ill if deprived of social and physical contact, said psychologist and author Martin Grunwald, founder of the Haptic Research Laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany.
”Particularly when we sleep, we want to feel as protected as possible,” said Grunwald, who for years has been researching on why we can’t live without the sense of touch.
This feeling of being protected is probably conveyed via pressure stimuli too – such as when we’re hugged or held. Enter weighted blankets, also called therapeutic blankets.
They’re typically filled with glass or plastic beads in quilted pockets to prevent them from shifting or clumping, making the blankets considerably heavier than normal ones.
The gentle pressure they exert on the body can be very comforting.
”Weighted blankets clearly give many people a feeling of security and not being alone,” said Grunwald.
Many, but not all – it’s pleasant for some and intolerable for others.
“This is true of tactile stimuli in general,” he remarked. ”Some people like to be touched a lot, while others don’t. Individual preferences vary widely.”
If sleeping under a weighted blanket feels good to you, it can definitely be beneficial, Grunwald said, and points to studies on weighted blankets’ effects on people with a chronic anxiety disorder:
”They sleep more soundly and have fewer anxious thoughts.”
Among the conditions that weighted blankets are said to relieve are autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dementia and depression.
”The ADHD and autism milieu has been working with weighted blankets and vests for quite a long time,” noted Grunwald, adding that sweeping claims of their benefits should be taken with a grain of salt, however.
Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Sleep Medicine Dr Ingo Fietze at Berlin’s Charite hospital, is more than sceptical of advertisements touting better sleep quality for all by means of weighted blankets.
”Every person turns over in their sleep between five and 25 times,” he said. “Under a weighted blanket, light and poor sleepers will wake up every time.”
Grunwald agreed that turning over without waking up is important for restorative sleep.
“The body has got to be able to rotate under the blanket,” he said.
Weighted blankets don’t necessarily have to be used at night though – they’re also suitable for afternoon naps.
And you can also enjoy the gentle pressure from one when you curl up on the sofa with a book, said Grunwald, as studies show they bring “physiologically measurable relaxation” after just 10 minutes or so.
If you’re thinking of buying one, how heavy should it be? They range in weight from three kilogrammes (kg) to well over 10kg.
”Especially if you use it at night, you should follow the rule of thumb that the blanket not weigh more than 10 per cent of your body weight,” advised Grunwald.
This rule applies to children as well. With respect to the minimum age at which weighted blankets can be used safely, parents should make sure to check the manufacturer’s information.
Anyone can try out a weighted blanket to see if it’s right for them.
People with joint complaints could have problems in certain positions at night, however.
“You determine your own sleeping environment,” remarked Dr Fietze, who said the main thing is to wake up rested in the morning.
“My message, though, is not to spend a lot of money solely on the basis of claims.” Weighted blankets don’t come cheap – they often cost more than USD100.
A less expensive method, namely sleeping under multiple blankets, isn’t a good idea, said Grunwald: “It’s heavy alright, but you’ll sweat like crazy.”
