About 32% of Americans don't get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts there recommend at least seven hours of shut-eye per night for adults. But as many as 35% of adults have trouble sleeping from time to time, and 10% regularly have trouble falling and staying asleep. Just as swaddling babies can send them to sleep, using a weighted blanket helps your heart and breathing slow and your body release feel-good hormones, including serotonin.

The weight - usually between 5 and 30 pounds, which sounds like a lot but is spread out over the entire bed - comes from plastic, glass or metal pellets surrounded by filling. The heaviness mimics a touch therapy called deep pressure stimulation. A 2020 review looked at eight studies and concluded that weighted blankets helped reduce anxiety but not necessarily insomnia. Other research tells a slightly different story. A randomized controlled study in Sweden in 2020 looked at 120 people with insomnia and also depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Those who used a weighted blanket reported that they had better sleep and were less tired, anxious and depressed during the day.

People with circulatory conditions such as diabetes, or breathing issues such as asthma or sleep apnea, should check with their doctor before using a weighted blanket. "And if you're someone who gets a little claustrophobic, it's probably not the best thing for you," adds McGinn.

Source: RD