Here are several simple ways to improve your sleep quality, from cutting out cups of coffee to avoiding any daytime naps – but there are also bedroom additions to consider specifically weighted blankets.
While a weighted blanket will make you feel cozier in your bedroom, it also has plenty of benefits that will contribute to a better night’s sleep and can help with several health problems.
Experts at Hush. have outlined eight benefits of a weighted blanket, including chronic pain relief and decreasing the frequency of seizures.
Relieves anxiety symptoms
- Anxiety is a mental health disorder experienced by many, with approximately 275 million people around the world suffering from this. Common symptoms include fast heart rate and quick breathing, which can be relieved with a weighted blanket. It puts the autonomic nervous system into rest mode and promotes feelings of relaxation.
Promotes deep sleep
- Over 35% of Americans get under seven hours of shut-eye at night, with nearly half of the nation claiming they feel tired in the daytime between three to seven days each week. Weighted blankets can combat the struggles of insufficient sleep, similarly to how they help anxiety, by calming the heart rate to ensure you fall into a deep sleep. Plus, they use deep pressure stimulation, which increases levels of melatonin, known as the sleep hormone.
Lowers your stress response
- Many health problems can occur from an overactive sympathetic nervous system, which triggers our fight or flight response, such as obesity and kidney disease. The deep pressure stimulation in a weighted blanket calms nerves and lowers physiological stress levels, preventing these harmful health issues.
Eases pain
- Chronic pain, including headaches, arthritis, and back pain, affects 1 in 5 Americans. Research has shown that sleeping with a weighted blanket can reduce pain; a recent study of 94 chronic pain patients discovered that the gentle pressure from a 15lb weighted blanket eased their symptoms.
Helps with Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Some symptoms that people with Alzheimer’s and dementia may face are difficulty sleeping due to agitation. Given that weighted blankets promote relaxation by calming nerves and reducing anxiety, they can be used as a non-drug option for dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers. As well as this, a previous case study reflected a decrease in night-time wandering, hallucinations, and emotional disturbances for a patient with Alzheimer’s by using a weighted blanket.
Reduce the incidence of seizures
- Epilepsy is one of the most common conditions affecting the brain, with 5.1 million people in the U.S. having a history of the condition. Relaxation techniques can work effectively alongside epilepsy medication to reduce the frequency of seizures. One of these techniques is using a weighted blanket as it has deep touch pressure, lowering stress. Although, it’s important to note that some forms of epilepsy make you more prone to seizures when you feel deeply relaxed; therefore, please consult with a doctor.
Decreases cortisol levels
- Cortisol, the stress hormone, has been linked to many health issues, including heart disease, weight gain, and high blood sugar – so it’s important to keep the levels low when you can, which is possible with a weighted blanket. Studies have found deep pressure can lower cortisol levels and increase serotonin production.
Boosts your mood
- In addition to the benefits of improving mental disorders and easing pain, weighted blankets can act as a mood booster. Due to the pressure of a weighted blanket, the production of oxytocin increases, which is a feel-good hormone – and combined with the decrease in cortisol, this improves your overall mood.
A spokesperson from Hush. has commented: “There are many advantages to weighted blankets, whether you struggle to sleep well at night or even if you simply desire a cozier bedroom. However, what’s really interesting is how they can benefit those with mental and physical health problems. While a weighted blanket isn’t the sole solution to these health issues, it’s certainly a way to ease symptoms and make those suffering from problems like Alzheimer’s and chronic pain more comfortable.”
This information was provided by Hush., a bedding and mattress brand based in Canada.
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