The human body is supposed to get at least eight hours of sleep per night to recharge from the day’s activities. Sleep deprivation can be intentional or unintentional, where one cannot go to sleep instantly or at all. People who find it hard to sleep are unable to get the full health benefits of sleep. There are different solutions for sleeplessness recommended by sleep specialists, including weighted blankets. Weighted blankets are just like duvets, but instead of being filled with fiber, they have plastic pellets or glass beads that increase its weight. You probably wonder how a weighted blanket can improve sleep and reduce stress levels. This article will discuss why lying under a weighted blanket can help you sleep better:
1) How Does A Weighted Blanket Work?
Gravity blankets were initially used to soothe children with autism disorder. Nowadays, companies also make weighted blankets to help people with insomnia, leg syndrome, and anxiety get better sleep. Using a weighted blanket helps you to calm down through deep pressure stimulation (DPS) or deep pressure touch (DPT). You might have experienced deep pressure touch before if you have had a massage or hugged someone. The weight of the blanket applies pressure on your body, which helps you to relax by reducing cortisol a stress hormone. It also helps in the release of feel-good hormones such as serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. These hormones are essential in stabilizing mood and notifying your brain when it is time to sleep. Since you cannot get hugs or massages every day, you can get a quality weighted blanket from Hush Blankets that will help you relax.
2) Gravity Blankets Increase Relaxation
People with insomnia can have a hard time getting sleep or achieving a full sleep cycle. Their sympathetic nervous system tends to stay active, making it hard for the body to calm down. With a weighted blanket, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, thereby putting your body into a relaxation mode. In this state, you have less to think about, and you will quickly fall and stay asleep the entire night.
Moreover, weighted blankets are useful in reducing negative emotions that affect your ability to fall asleep. Experiencing these feelings leads to sleep deprivation, which worsens the levels of stress and anxiety. You can manage your anxiety, stress, or depression level by using a weighted blanket. You benefit by getting better sleep and reducing hormones that cause negative feelings.
3) It Regulates Your Sleep Cycle
Irregular sleeping patterns cause mood shifts, and one can find handling regular duties a challenge. Serotonin and melatonin are hormones that control and regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Having an unbalanced sleeping cycle’s shows that you have low levels of these hormones. Using this blanket every night will help improve the secretion of these essential hormones. Additionally, these blankets help to get rid of sleep maintenance insomnia when your sleep duration is not completed. A gravity blanket is a solution for not getting enough sleep by regulating your sleeping time, period, and waking up time.
