How Weighted Blankets Can Alleviate Anxiety

If you struggle with anxiety or if you have ever felt overwhelmed, you may know some tricks to calm yourself down. A common tactic is to hold your hand over your chest and apply pressure, which reminds yourself to stay grounded and acts as a soothing gesture. If you’d like to amplify this calming affect, try using a weighted blanket! Weighted blankets can be very helpful to people who struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, sensory overload, and more because they are a form of pressure therapy. Applying pressure to your body, like when you hold your hand on your chest, contributes towards feelings of calm. Here’s some additional information on weighted blankets and their benefits…

Weighted blankets have become very popular recently, and for good reason. They have served as tools in hospitals and therapeutic programs for years, and have recently made their debut into mainstream society. You can find a variety of weighted blankets online or even at your nearest drug store. They range from about 3 pounds for children to over 20 pounds or more for adults. Using a weighted blanket to apply this type of “pressure therapy” to our bodies can help you calm down and improve your sleep. If you benefit from pressure therapy in other areas of your life, such as massages or even just getting a hug from a loved one on a hard day, you may want to look into getting a weighted blanket as well. 

You don’t need to suffer from anxiety to benefit from the grounding effects of weighted blankets. In a study that explored the benefits of pressure therapy, researchers found that 63% of adults reported a lower overall level of anxiety and stress, and 78% of adults preferred the weighted blanket to other calming methods. 

Overall, anxiety is your nervous system's response to stress. When you experience high levels of anxiety, your body may experience physical symptoms that raise cortisol (the stress hormone) and keep your nervous system at high alert. With a weighted blanket, even if your mind is still racing, your body will begin to calm down. Essentially the pressure of a weighted blanket tells the nervous system to let its guard down, which will help to alleviate racing thoughts, quickened breathing, or other anxiety symptoms. 

How do you know what weight to get? Professionals recommend going no heavier than 10% of your body weight, but this number can be slightly tweaked to fit comfortability and different preferences. The blankets come in many styles and bed fittings to go with your decor and personal taste. If you think you might benefit from this type of pressure therapy, then consider looking into weighted blanket options to help reduce your anxiety.