Still waiting for the answer to the article subtitle, “Does it Work?”
I understand the article authors usually don’t write the article headlines/titles, but can the NYT please conform these headlines closer to the substance of the article? Several times recently I have read an article waiting for the bold headline question to be answered or statement backed up, but it never is and I’m left nonplussed.
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You want heavy bedding, sleep with a dog
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An old cotton quilt and/or an acrylic crochet afghan, is enough for me. Stop buying stuff everybody!
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I love heavy blankets but I have concerns, such as what if there was a fire or I’d had too many beers? Would it be like a sack race in the middle of the night?
What if it came with a heartbeat soundtrack to complete the womb-like experience? Oh, the marketing it could have; “Womba, new born, every morn!”
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Many decades ago I was a young teacher traveling with friends through South America on the cheap—$10/day was the goal via a Fromer publication. In La Paz, the guide sent us to a hotel frequented by the native Indian population. The beds were made up with crisp linens and several closely woven alpaca blankets. The result was definitely a weighted covering, and I slept terribly the entire stay: the covers were so weighted that I was unable to turn over. I’m sure many people are comforted with “heavy blankets.” I’m not one of them.
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"Heavy bedding is everywhere. Does it work?"
Where's the does-it-work part? How hard would it be to do well-controlled studies?
--JS
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I spent my first night under one last night, and slept from 10PM to 7AM. Can't argue with that!
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I expect some eye rolling here, but reality is reality. Some of the weighted blankets are weighed down with plastic beads. The oceans will not be thankful. Try to shop wisely.
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It's primarily single use plastics that the oceans don't appreciate. A beaded blanket that's kept for years isn't a problem.
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I hate this. I like a light blanket. I sleep much better feeling “free” and not restricted.
Regardless, I also found that a heavier or tighter bedding caused my feet to point down when I was on my back. This exacerbated the Plantar fasciitis in my feet.
The moment I let my feet go up strait, no blanket or weight on top, the Plantar fasciitis got a lot better.
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My solution: a heavy old-fashioned rectangular sleeping bag, unzipped inside a queen size flannel duvet cover.
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Another new marketing fad based on nonsense claims of improved health.
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Interesting. I sleep really well when my boyfriend is here and we cuddle all night. Perhaps this has the same effect as a weighted blanket.
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No, that’s something else!
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Weighted blankets seem to emulate the closeness of a human being (a hug?) without all of the accompanying complications.
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I've always preferred the feeling sleeping under heavy blankets. I didn't know it was a "thing" until I read about the ones being marketed for autistic children.
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Anyone else notice the utter lack of discussion in this article about whether or not these actually work?
It was just an article about kickstarters and a bit about Temple Grandin (who is, admittedly, awesome).
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A nice warm good-sized baby or toddler has the same effect, but you have to be sitting at least partially upright, and they tend to drool on you.
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I've thought of getting one but: which brand? what weight? what covering? Ack! And I return to bed with my regular weight-and-perfectly-fine blankets.
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It should work. Hula Hoops are still around.
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I wonder if any actual research has been done on this from a professional sleep lab. Moreover, what are the impacts of a weighted blanket on those with sleep apnea? Kudos to the Style section for keeping me up to date with new trends; can the Tech or Health section editors follow up with some solid information?
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You want a heavy blanket? The Chinese already have it! get a Quilted silk comforter! it is layers and layers of silk fiber as the quilting and the outer is a soft silk( not the shinny kind ,it feels like soft cotton)it is soft warm and does not overheat since silk is both warming and cooling! It is just the right weight!
Sand, stone? No thank you!
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the star rover by jack london, has long exploration into how a straitjacket eases mental anguish.
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Nothing works better than a kitty snuggled on top of you. I fall asleep almost instantly. Ditch the expensive blanket and rescue a cat!
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Now someone will start selling cats as bed blankets! Go figure!
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Active people don’t have sleep problems. Run, lift weights, do push-ups, use your imagination.
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@JGSD- as an active person with decades of sleeplessness in his past (and present), I beg to differ. One person's solution may not work for all. If a weighted blanket is the solution for some, why argue?
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Most of us probably like at least some weight. That feeling on a hot summer night when all you can stand is a single sheet over you--the temperature feels right, but now you can't sleep because your covers aren't heavy enough. You feel vulnerable and exposed.
Our prehistoric ancestors were sleeping under the original weighted blankets--animal skins/furs. Anyone sleeping under a bison skin these days? And where can I get one?
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I received a weight blanket for Christmas, and I was dubious.
But it has improved the quality of my sleep. It is not a nostrum for insomnia. Nonetheless it has helped. I am wary of the hot summer months when I can no longer use the weighted blanket.
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This is a fairly well-known soothing technique akin to swaddling babies. My grandmother suggested it to me when I was a teenager with sleep issues related to exam anxiety. Worked like a charm in the New Delhi winter but totally untenable in summer.
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A weighted blanket has worked well for my child who has issues sleeping during thunderstorms. It calms his body and lets him get to a point where he can drift off to sleep. We intended to use it only for stormy nights but now he uses all the time. For us it was worth the money.
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I've had sleep problems since 2000 (menopausal women often do) and have tried tryptophan, benadryl, and sleepy time tea, not wishing to go the pharmaceutical route as ironically those disrupt natural sleep patterns. I found that a down comforter, sometimes two in winter, topped by a cotton quilt, blackout curtains,and a flannel night cap, with in summer a ceiling fan running, helped me get a good night's rest, often getting the eight hours I need. But the digestive extraordinaire is peppermint tea before bed which seals the nighttime deal.
When traveling I ask for extra blankets and I also wear a nice plush mask to ensure total darkness. All the above can be accomplished without buying an expensive weighted blanket.
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@c west - but one of the points of a weighted blanket is the heaviness without the heat. Your system sounds very warm, which is definitely not the thing for this perimenopausal woman. I am already hot and sweaty enough at night, cannot imagine doubling up on the down, using extra regular blankets and a night cap! If anything the cooling versions of the weighted blankets are the best.
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@c west
“All the above can be accomplished without buying an expensive weighted blanket.“
Well, but if the weighted blanket costs $80-$200, what are you spending on two down comforters, a cotton quilt, blackout curtains, a ceiling fan (plus installation and electricity) and a supply of peppermint tea. Your way may be better, but it does not sound at all cheaper.
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I discovered that a heavy, weighted blanket was essential to me sleeping well around 20 years ago, when I was struggling with severe anxiety and insomnia due to multiple family deaths in a short timeframe. I love to be squeezed and held (by a loved one) because it immediately makes me feel calm and secure. I joke with my husband that I want to get a dentist's leaded blanket as my "throw" for lounging around the house. The new joke is that I'd gladly wear one of those "thunder shirts" that are made for dogs (entrepreneurs take note!) all day long. I'm really heartened to see that there's an industry popping up that recognizes this! I'm sure it's not for the claustrophobic, but for some of us, there is a very real response to the feeling of weighted pressure on the body and the calm it gives.
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I lived inn a bus once and whenever I was in cold climates I had a heavy bedspread I would break out and would routinely sleep 10-12 hours under it when days were short. Loved it. Today I have 3 dogs that now share the bed in winter, and their weight cinches the covers around me. I have no trouble sleeping this way, and that seems like the reasons Ms Green has supported here. When summer comes though, those dogs are gonna have to go!
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@orange kayak A person can return a weighted blanket to the store, but getting three dogs off the bed after half a year? Never gonna happen!
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Gee, we had the opposite problem. My husband could not stand the weight of anything on his feet. He’s not long for this world, so I decided to spring for a light silk comforter and silk comforter cover. Expensive. But did the trick!
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This might seem like a weird complain to some people, but I wish I could have a less "heavy sleep". I struggle so much to wake up in the morning - in fact, I don't hear my alarms most of the time. I often wake up and have to run threw the house to grab my stuff.
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This sounds like bliss!
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Even in the same temperature bedroom, there are warm and cool nights, at least as far as my internal thermometer is concerned. A light, non-confining feeling is appropriate sometimes and once in awhile a warmer curled up position is best, somehow automatically determined by my inner self.
Not everyone needs this, even though some may find it comforting.
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The first thing I thought of when I read the title of this story was the work of Temple Grandin. Good of you to include her in your story.
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As a chronic insomniac with undiagnosed delayed sleep phase disorder (meaning I naturally fall asleep later than others), I would love to try a weighted blanket. That being said, I am also pulled in the direction of having less stuff (see Marie Kondo). Perhaps the best idea is to order one online, give it a try, and see if it "sparks joy."
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This trend for hotels is costing how much in air conditioning and therefore electricity?
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@Denver7756
Exactly! And in homes, too, where blankets are piled on and the A.C. is cranked up so we don't overheat.
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@Denver7756
What hotels have this? I travel all the time and have never encountered it.
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My late grandfather had a large merino wool blanket. My mother, not knowing any better, washed it in the washing machine, creating a much smaller but denser and heavier blanket.
Today, it serves as my weighted blanket--lain on top of the down comforter, it is super warm and gives the feel of being softly and warmly enveloped and hugged. Its emergence from the attic each autumn is one of the happiest event marking the season's change for me.
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@cirincis I also have a dense, heavy-weight wool blanket that I put on top of a down comforter for winter sleeping. In addition to the soothing effect of the weight, it's remarkably breathable and temperature-regulating. (I'm team No Top Sheet with a linen duvet over the comforter—this keeps me from feeling trapped under twisted layers of bedding.)
I got my heavy wool bed cover from an at Etsy shop that unfortunately closed down. But for anyone interested, it was a beautiful "Lizhnyk" blanket from Ukraine's Carpathian region. Highly recommend!
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I came up with this idea years ago when dentists used to cover patients with lead weighted blankets for protection during X-rays. I asked to have the "blanket" each time I had an appointment because it was so very soothing to me. My current dentist has some vague notion of what I am talking about but has no blanket.
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X ray blanket used when x rays were to film cassettes and power levels had to be much higher to protect the other body parts from x rays.
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@Km that's a great idea! I have dental phobia combined with TMJ and dental work is a terrible experience. I'm going to ask for the blanket next time.
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@KM Please, I have no idea where the previously covered patient was, so do NOT take a fuzzy furry soft hard to clean blanket off one person, not launder it, and then drape me and my clothes with it during my appointment.
Look up MRSA and a few other bugs and virus contaminants.
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sleepers who/insist on weight/may suffer from/a dismal fate/it may be that/ some real sad day/they're crushed to death/by a duvet
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@tim torkildson -doesn't rhyme.
@tim torkildson
Too funny!
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You could be right it made me laugh but I use one a little heavier than it should be because my daughter weighs three times my weight.It is snuggly but I have thought about what if I can't breathe and suffocated .
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I can't stand heavy blankets! I feel suffocated and trapped. My favorite is a down comforter. It provides soft warmth with relative light weight. I LOVE going to bed!
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It is a wonderful and effective remedy, and for those who have never tried it, I suggest that you do. A simple "heavy" bed spread is enough, which is what I use.
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@Len Yes, a heavy relatively inexpensive faux fur throw also works. No need to purchase an expensive blanket.
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