I love my weighted blanket

Weighted blankets have been something that I have heard a lot about but I've never really looked into the benefits of having one. They are a popular topic at our Autism support group meetings especially when we get on the subject of sensory processing issues.

The deep pressure provided by these blankets causes the body to produce serotonin and endorphins which are our relaxing, calming chemical, enabling us to have a better nights sleep or just to take the anxiety away.

I've always like to wrap myself up in a standard blanket or duvet and before I had this blanket I would feel a little better when piling a couple of cushions on top of me when trying to sleep. I have had quite a few restless nights, tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable and fall asleep then I would wake up and hold the longest world record for over thinking. I have also started to experience night sweats (yes getting to that age) and my bladder would always call me to the toilet two or three times in the night.

Since having this blanket a week ago things have changed quite a bit. I can settle more easily, I seem to get to sleep a lot quicker, feel so much more relaxed and cosy. I don't get up so much in the night, tend to stay asleep longer and I don't sweat at all. That surprised me as with the weight of this thing I thought I would become hotter or the hormones would get weirder but no nothing!

Another thing I didn't anticipate it to help with was my back pain. I've suffered for a while with my back but this blanket seems to keep me so grounded and in a nice position that I don't have the problems I had before, I'm amazed really. It's not a miracle turn around as some nights are better than others, I still want a wee at silly o'clock but I just seem to have a better quality of sleep and feel a lot better the next day.

I did find I had to adjust to it a bit, as soon as getting under it it felt nice but it is quite weighty. The blanket is divided into squares with glass beads inside each square which allows the weight to be evenly distributed throughout the blanket. It comes with a nice cover, like a teddy bear duvet cover and if you saw me trying to get the cover on the inner blanket you would have laughed, even I laughed at myself.

It is quite heavy to manoeuvre around, so bear that in mind. There are different sizes and I had the 150cm x 200cm which covers a double bed just nicely. When deciding on the right weighted blanket you need to have one that is around 10% of your body weight, it is important to get the right weight. You don't want it to be like a brick, stuck under the thing and not being able to move at all, it should feel comfortable.

Yes I did get this from Amazon and just to prepare you, they are not cheap (early Christmas pressie to myself). I will put a link (affiliated) at the end of this post for the one I bought. You can be looking around £100 - £150 for a good quality blanket but for me the benefits have been worth every penny so far.

I 'ummed and ahhed' about whether to buy this mainly because of the price but I'm so glad I did. I would recommend doing some research before going for it if you are not sure, try asking different suppliers what their policy is regarding returns. You may get a trial period which is good. I knew that I liked the feeling of the pressure so it was just a case for me as to whether it was worth the cash and it was. The set I ordered actually comes with a weighted eye mask too but to be honest I haven't used this as it may be all a bit too much but it's there if you feel the need for it.

So it is very much a personal preference but I can see how it has benefits for those who suffer from anxiety, for those who have sensory issues regarding autism and also with ADHD. Please check with the supplier when using one for your young people, this one was recommended more for adults. They are not recommended for babies or pregnant women.

I will keep you regular posted to see how I'm going on with this especially as we go into summer next year. I can't work out yet whether it may be too much in the hot weather which it may be, but I'll let you know.

Thank you for reading today, I will be back tomorrow with my Verse for Thursday but in the meantime let me know what you think, have you tried a weighted blanket? Did it help?

I would like to thank the lovely Ella who has a You Tube channel called Purple Ella. She actually reviewed her blanket there and from that I ended up with mine. If you haven't seen her channel, please go and look at it now! Ella is Autistic herself and is also a mum to three children, two of whom are also autistic. She covers some amazing topics on her channel. Here is Ella's review on her weighted blanket to give you more of an idea how they work.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B_gqs9Uu30

If you would like to look at the blanket I ordered then here it is......

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​Take care for now.......