Health Benefits
Exploring the Safety and Therapeutic Effects of Deep Pressure Stimulation Using a Weighted Blanket
- Published in 2008 in Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
This research paper is the first exploratory study on the effectiveness of a 30 pound weighted blanket used on a heterogeneous, non-hospitalized volunteer sample.
Skin conductance is one of the most widely used quantitative metrics in psychophysiology research and is used as the measure of anxiety levels in this study. The test sessions were done in a 5 minute time frame.
The Results: 78% of participants reported a lower anxiety level after using the blanket versus not using the blanket.
Physiological Effects of Deep Touch Pressure on Anxiety Alleviation: The Weighted Blanket Approac
- Published in 2012 in Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering
This study aimed to prove the positive effects of deep pressure stimulation for reducing anxiety during a dentist appointment. A clinical trial was done on 15 patients who had no experience using a weighted blanket and were not placed under any anesthetic or sedation.
Each standard dental procedure was approximately 30 to 40 minutes per patient.
The Results: Parasympathetic activity (your “fight or flight”) response was significantly lowered by 10% with deep pressure stimulation during dental procedures.
Positive Effects of a Weighted Blanket on Insomnia
- Published in 2015 in Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders
This systematic study’s objective was to see if using a weighted blanket had positive effects on alleviating chronic insomnia in adults. Each adult chose their own weighted blanket approximately 12% of their body weight.
A 4 week study was done in Sweden on each of the 31 adults aged 20-66 with chronic insomnia.
The Results: Most participants had on average 18% less tossing and turning, 7% longer sleep time and the majority of participants preferred to sleep with the weighted blanket than without.
The Benefits Of Deep Touch Pressure
We all crave the feeling of physical connection- it’s programmed directly into our nervous system.
Deep Touch Pressure (DTP) is the technical term for the soothing feeling of gentle, distributed weight against your body. For anyone who feels like they aren’t getting enough tactile attention each day, DTP can provide relief and help you to feel calmer, healthier and more relaxed.
This gentle pressure acts as a calming force that can reduce activity in the sympathetic sections of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) in ways that increase your endorphin production and decrease your heart rate. The process also releases calming neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine into your bloodstream to boost your mood. In this way, DTP is an effective natural remedy for anxiety disorders, chronic stress, and sleep insomnia.
It’s possible to experience the benefits of DTP from a gentle massage, hugging, snuggling with a partner, body pillows, or from a weighted blanket. In fact, weighted blankets were initially developed to reduce the stress levels of children and adults with sensory disorders.
1. Reduces Anxiety
No matter your age, a weighted blanket is a safe way to lower your stress level and help you reach a relaxed state. A study that looked at the effectiveness of 30-pound weighted blankets found that two-thirds of participants reported lower levels of anxiety after wrapping themselves in one.
Research reveals that weighted blankets might be especially useful during high-stress events, like visiting the dentist. One study showed that weighted blankets produced physiological changes in dental patient’s nervous systems, causing them to calm down before their appointments.
Since research shows that even short periods of DTP can calm you down, consider keeping a blanket on hand for when you need quick relief.
2. Fights Insomnia
You might be skeptical that a better blanket will improve your sleep, but the evidence shows that it certainly can. A study on insomnia patients found that those who tried sleeping with a weighted blanket experienced less restlessness at night and an easier time falling asleep in the first place.
The soothing effect of a weighted blanket can create a more comfortable environment for falling asleep by imitating the feeling of being swaddled tightly in bed. This close physical connection provides a sense of warmth and safety, making it easier for the body to relax.
Weighted blankets are also known to increase serotonin levels. Serotonin is partly responsible for your body’s melatonin levels, which is the chemical that tells your body when it’s time to go to sleep.
3. Reduce Pre-Sleep Stress
Wrapping yourself in a weighted blanket before relaxing may reduce your cortisol production, a stress hormone that typically triggers the “fight or flight response” in your body. Too much cortisol production adds stress to your immune system, raises your blood sugar levels, and reduces the effectiveness of your digestive system.
However, studies show that “grounding” your body in place as you sleep with a weighted blanket can reduce cortisol production as you sleep, making it easier to get higher quality relaxation and lower your risk of waking up stressed, tired, or in pain in the morning.
Stress
A weighted blanket can literally be a lifesaving device for those struggling with stress, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. NIRVANA’s therapeutic qualities reduce stress and anxiety by upping serotonin and melatonin levels.
Sleep Disorders/Insomnia
Restless sleep or even worse, no sleep, can be extremely harmful, physically and neurologically speaking. Our memories, facts, places and more that we want to remember risk being erased or buried too deep when we aren’t able to restore during night’s sleep. Under NIRVANA, your heart rate and blood pressure will slowly go down, as you quickly begin to feel relaxed, and melatonin, a well-known sleep aid, is triggered.
Anxiety
Anxiety leaves us physically and mentally exhausted. Our blanket helps those with anxiety disorders in a number of ways. You’ll feel an immediate sense of calm once the blanket is on top of you as it triggers the release of serotonin, oxytocin and melatonin, a well-known sleep aid.
ADD and ADHD
Attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can most definitely accept sleep. NIRVANA™ helps those with busy minds relax, and fall into a deep, restorative sleep so that your mind may operate at its best the next day.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder categorises five different development disorders: Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett Syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder. Sleep disturbances are very common with each of these disorders. Our weighted blanket will help those struggling with these disorders fall asleep quicker, longer and get a more restful sleep.
Sensory Processing Disorders
Sensory processing disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information through the body’s senses.