Do weighted blankets help?

No. I spent a lot of money on one and here is what happened:

1) It's TOO heavy. So heavy that I can't pull it over myself with one hand. Pretty damn inconvenient.

2) I bought it as I hoped it would help with my anxiety but nothing changed. It didn't even make me feel cosier.

3) No improvement in sleep patterns.

In the end, I ended up sleeping with my old heavy blanket over the comforter and am much happier like that.

It helped me. I think it depends on the person. I have a 15 pound one.

R1, maybe you got one that is too heavy in proportion to your body weight. But weighted blankets are meant to be...wait for it...heavy. It takes adjusting, and not being able to pull it with one hand is kind of a weak complaint, given what the blankets are supposed to do. The intent is to adapt your body to not moving around so much. I love mine so much that I'm considering getting an even heavier one. I sleep much better now - the difference before and after getting mine is enormous. I highly recommend weighted blankets. But apparently they're not for everyone (few things are, I guess.)

How do you wash them?

i got my partner one for Christmas and he loves it.

I'm afraid it would make me feel claustrophobic and strangled.

They're supposed to be about 10% of your body weight.

I echo everything R3 said! They're meant to cocoon you and keep you from moving too much. The brand I have, Luna I think, is also great at temperature control. I rarely feel too hot or too cold. It's always just right!

Mine is 20 lbs and I love it so! I'm also thinking of buying a second one to put over the first one and increase the weight. Seriously, I want like the Chrissy Metz version.

I tried one. Every morning I'd wake up with it in a pile next to my bed.

You're a fuckin' homosexual. Just get a cat like all homosexuals do. The cat will sleep on top of the blanket, which is on top of you.

Boom - Instant weighted blanket.

And if it doesn't work return cat to the alley.

Got one as a gift. Problem is it’s 20 lbs and I weigh 150. It’s way too heavy. I can’t move. As a back sleep, my thighs and tops of some toes are really sore. It needs to go.

R11, it doesn't sound like they're for you. They're supposed to be 10-12% of your body weight, which for you would be 15-18 lbs., so a 20 lb. version shouldn't feel THAT extra heavy. And honestly, if a weighted blanket is literally making your body sore, you might want to get checked out by a doctor. That sounds like a circulation problem that is being exacerbated, but not necessarily caused, by a blanket.

I'm worried a 15lb blanket would make me sweat. I don't like to wake up in a puddle.

I want one

R3 "wait for it..."

Grow up

Seriously R11, are you made of paper mâché or what?

[quote]Grow up

No, YOU grow up, you stupid poop face.

Everyone seems to think weighted blankets are hot and that they can't be washed. Neither is true. They are made with tiny glass beads sewn inside the blanket, and that adds a lot of weight without heat. And they can be washed in any commercial washing machine.

I have used weighted blankets all my life without knowing it: I slept under a minimum of two and sometimes three blankets—which IS hot—because I feel weirdly exposed and insecure otherwise.

Someone gave me a weighted blanket a few years ago and my only problem with it is the weight. It's 30 pounds, and I love the way it feels on top of me but it is actually so heavy that it's frustrating to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom at night. Thirty pounds doesn't seem that heavy in concept but it is practically a lot of weight to lift off oneself.

[quote]Do weighted blankets help?

Giles Corey wasn't too fond of them.

Just get a second blanket or even a throw, even one of medium weight, and set it over your usual blanket or quilt. That's all you need to do for more warmth.

The purpose of a weighted blanket has nothing to do with providing additional warmth, R20.

That's funny, R19. Even when we read the Crucible in high school, I remember thinking "is slowly adding weight to a person torture? It seems like it would feel good until you couldn't breathe anymore."

Yep, R20. I don't understand the difference between a weighted blanket and two (or more) regular blankets.

Then what is the purpose of a weighted blanket, r21?

R24, google it.

R22 I think that was the real point of the crushing. It wasn't really splattering them to the ground, but the weight became so heavy they could no longer move their diaphragm to breathe.

You don't know, do you, r25?

R24 You seem fat and lazy

I actually have really muscular legs. My medical issues.

You still don't know, r25.

Don't get it at Walmart. I got one and after a few weeks all the insides, which felt and moved like beach sand, all congregated into a large ball.

[quote]You don't know, do you, R25?

You're right, I don't. I've been exposed as a fraud. I'm so embarrassed and I'd like to apologize to my family and friends and anyone else I may have hurt with my lies. I never intended to cause any harm, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I only hope that someday I can be forgiven.

R31, glass bead fillers make the best weighted blankets. Sounds like Walmart sold some alternative version, unfortunately.

You see, r25, when you're nice and contrite you get....3 WWs (including mine).

Had one for a minute. It kept sliding off the bed from its own weight. Gave it to Goodwill. Not for me.

I have one with glass beads. It isn’t warmer than a regular blanket. You can definitely feel the weight on you, but no additional heat. It was very expensive though, and I don’t know if it’s worth the cost. Mine was about $250 and I wouldn’t say my sleep is that much better. Also, it’s a pain to wash and I’ve never been able to put the inside (weighted part) back in correctly.

I believe a lot of it due to placebo effect but if you like it, you like it.

[quote]I tried one. Every morning I'd wake up with it in a pile next to my bed.

I would go to sleep under the blanket, then wake up with the blanket taking 90% of the bed and me huddled on the other 10%.

Surprised me because a weighted blanket sounded like the coziest thing in the world. I need a blanket even in summer.

I recommend them especially for recalcitrant children.

I wish i could just buy the lead apron from the dentist

From the current issue of Consumer Reports: "A review published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2020 suggested that weighted blankets can be an effective way to quell anxiety. And a 2020 trial found that they reduced insomnia and daytime fatigue in people with ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression."

Make sure you get glass, not plastic, beads for the weight.

Get a cover that can be washed - better blankets have covers.

The blanket should be about 10% of your body weight. However, the weights run in specific increments, so you should consider whether to round up or down.

Consider that you do not have to cover your entire body. One strategy might be to get a weighted throw, rather than full blanket. Turn it sideways so that it only cover your torso rather than mummifying your entire body.

R1 is a house sparrow so of course the blanket was too heavy. It almost broke his wing.

Pussies really need their wombs nouveau, don't they?

Gave one to a friend (20 lbs. glass beads) and he started out just watching TV with it over his legs until he got used to the weight/sensation.

Now he’s like Linus Van Pelt with that thing.

Can’t tear it away from him.

Kidding - but really, now he thinks if it as his cocoon and sleeps with it every night, sleeping through the night with little stirring, which he hasn’t been able to do for years.

OP are you a great, big, fat person? I think you need a Chrissy Metz blanket.

No, I am not, R46!

Omg

It feels like a great big hug and keeps me warm. HOWEVER, I can’t use it during bouts of anxiety because I feel like I have a huge weight on my chest. But when I’m in a good place it does help me fall asleep.

^^ That's what my partner said, it feels like a hug. He wanted one for Christmas. I bought mine at Macy's. I researched before i bought one and they are made differently by manufacturer. I didn't buy the kind that are like a duvet-which is where the unevenness comes in. I also got the kind with glass beads, which i am able to put in the washing machine. I also bought one a few years ago at Nordstrom Rack and its holding up very well. The nicer ones are expensive, but you can find deals on them.

I didn't realize that I was self-comforting myself with tightly tucked in sheets and several blankets when I was a child. I even have a photo of myself in bed, all covered up (pillow over my eyes, blanket to nose). I bought one a couple of years ago and my cat-sitter mistakenly laundered the whole thing, resulting in a lumpy mess that I had to throw away.

I had to laugh at r1's suggestion, because that's what happens to me in the winter- my 3 (don't judge- one is my dead father's cat) cats provide 30-33 pounds of warmth and leg cramps. Any temp above 70 degrees, they don't want to touch me at all.

I know a gal who was a nurse in a psych hospital, and she said that they would put heavy blankets on top of their troublesome patients to calm them.

Same concept as anxiety vest for dogs, no?

r53, yes. I would imagine it would be good for autistic kids too, as they calm down in water and like tight hugs.

The concept alone gives me MORE anxiety.

I found the OP of this thread, asking the same things on Twitter:

(Other DL-ers also replying!)

I have had one for about 2 years (15 pounds) and it helps me sleep a solid 8 hours. I also don’t move much…I have a king size bed and it looks line 2/3 of the bed hasn’t been slept in when I wake up. I got mine at Target. I have a smaller one (12 pounds) that I bought on Amazon and it isn’t machine washable so I don’t think I will be able to use it much longer.

I have two. One for my bed, the other one downstairs on my couch. Love the way that they help me. I want to get a larger one. They seem to come only in single sizes. Do they make them double/full/queen sized?

I had a boyfriend who would like me to lie on top of him before we went to sleep naked. This was before weighted blankets were a thing. It would make me horny and give me a boner.

R58 yes mine is queen sized from Luna.

The Tweet at R56 is OP!

Do y'all think he's cute?

"They're supposed to be about 10% of your body weight."

So about 900 pounds?

No, R61, that's not me, lol.

What's with the doxxing trolls? That's not okay!