A washable weighted blanket may be your good night’s sleep security blanket (no pun intended). Getting a good night’s sleep pays big dividends for your fitness and health. Not only does it give your body a chance to rebuild muscle tissue strained during exercise and weight lifting, but it also gives your mind an opportunity to decompress from the stress of life. Failure to get good sleep can affect you physically (feeling tired, yawning, etc.) and mentally (unable to concentrate, unable to solve problems, etc.).
What is a Weighted Blanket?
A weighted blanket is specially constructed to give a person a sense of peace and tranquility. Their fabrics and weights are specially chosen to positively influence people with a wide range of challenges. In a world filled with more and more neuroses, weighted blankets have never been so popular.
Think back to your youth. I know I had plenty of friends and classmates who wouldn’t have thought about being without their “blinky”. Washable weighted blankets are the modern version except they’re not just for the young and the benefits they convey are scientifically proven
How does a Weighted Blanket Work?
The best washable weighted blankets start with a sewed grid of pockets of hypoallergenic and BPA-free pellets. These should be distributed evenly across the entire blanket effectively distributing the increased weight.
As the blanket is draped evenly and naturally across the body, it provides pressure in a gentle way that causes the body to reduce its production of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Coincidentally, the blanket encourages the release of serotonin, oxytocin, and melatonin. These chemicals serve to reduce stress and relax the body while creating a general state of feeling happy and secure.
How a Washable Weighted Blanket Can Benefit You
The most obvious way a washable weighted blanket can benefit you is to improve your sleep. When the body is unable to rest effectively after a stressful day and/or after working out it can have debilitating effects. For example, if your job requires you to exercise many of your brain cells, you want those brain cells to be available and ready to work. An architect designing a new building has to make a multitude of calculations to ensure stresses and forces are addressed. Calculation errors might result in the building collapsing.
From a related perspective, a good night’s sleep helps your body recover physically from exertion. That exertion can come from the requirements of your job and/or your exercise program. They can both physically tax your mind and break down the muscles of your body. While sleeping, your muscles recover and your mind decompresses. A good, washable weighted blanket promotes that good night’s sleep.
See also: https://fitnessandhealthadvice.com/tips_to_go_to_sleep_quicker/
Therapeutic Benefits of a Washable Weighted Blanket
A weighted blanket is not just about getting better sleep. There are also scientifically-proven therapeutic benefits to the use of a weighted blanket. For example:
- Sensory Related Disorders – Even before weighted blankets became popular, studies showed particular benefits for children with sensory processing disorders.
- Sleep and Insomnia Disorders – Having a chronic sleep disorder means the likelihood of a good night’s sleep is pretty poor. Those types of conditions are both debilitating and frustrating. Studies indicate those suffering from sleep disorders are able to sleep more comfortably and better under a weighted blanket. They wake up feeling more refreshed without having to take medication.
- Chronic Anxiety – Having chronic anxiety can be very debilitating. Many people feel anxious about things like public speaking, chronic health issues, and the
curveballs life occasionally throws at them. But, anxiety disorders create severe anxiety symptoms that occur without warning, suddenly, and apparently without cause. A weighted blanket helps release chemicals in the brain that slow the heart, lower blood pressure, helps the body to relax, and have a general calming effect that helps relieve those chronic anxiety symptoms.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Known as PTSD, it can affect people of all ages. Sources of PTSD can be from the effects of natural disasters, military combat, violent assaults, diagnosis of disease, and many others. PTSD creates disturbances in an individual’s emotional state. The disturbances can be sourced to events in the past or the present. PTSD can be severely destructive to the sleep cycle. Weighted blankets help with mood swings caused by PTSD and promote restorative sleep.
- Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – Usually referred to as ADD/ADHD, the disorders usually affect children and younger adults. While individuals may respond to other treatments, weighted blankets have been helpful tools for therapists treating children with ADD/ADHD. It’s been found to be a comfortable and safe way to help kids manage insecurity and hyperactivity while improving their focus.
- Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorder – These disorders are especially tough on families. They are complex and often mean children with the disorders do not respond well to affection and expressions of love, especially when those expressions are physical in nature. Everyone needs love. The problem manifests itself as parents struggle to make their children feel secure and safe without touch. Research on weighted blankets used therapeutically for autistic children has been shown to help those children with reducing anxiety, improving focus, and sleeping.
Our Choice – A Mosaic Washable Weighted Blanket
There are many choices for weighted blankets on the market. Our choice is the Mosaic Washable Weighted Blanket.
Being one of the top producers in the weighted blanket space since 2011, Mosaic Weighted Blankets have been developed with individual preferences and customer needs in mind. They offer a wide assortment of weighted blankets from full-size to neck and lap-sized ones. This assortment virtually guarantees you will find the kind of blanket which suits your needs best.
They even have a convenient article on their website to help you determine what kind of weighted blanket suits your needs best. Its step-by-step guide helps you determine the size and type of weighted blanket you need.
The topper for us: Mosaic Weighted Blankets are made in the USA!
Improve Your Life – Get A Mosaic Washable Weighted Blanket
Let’s face it. Modern life is tough. We have stressors in every part of our lives: work, home, and play. Keeping fit and healthy through all of it takes a concerted effort. It’s important to give emphasis to those areas that have the most impact. It’s hard to put emphasis on anything more important than getting quality sleep.
If want to improve your life, improve your sleep. The simplest, most basic way to do that is to get yourself a weighted blanket. When making your choice, make it a Mosaic washable weighted blanket. You won’t be disappointed.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I have been thinking about getting a weighted blanket for quite some time due to all of the therapeutic benefits they have. I don’t have anxiety flare-ups often but when I do having a blanket on hand like this would be nice. There are so many different options out there on the market now, it’s hard to know which to buy. I will look into your recommendation.
Thank you for this article, I have to admit that I never heard of a weighted blanket before, seeing as that winter is now approaching, A weighted blanket that offers therapeutic benefits sounds amazing to me. I won’t say that I suffer from Insomnia or sleeping disorders, however, I do struggle to sleep at times and I don’t really want to take meds that will put me to sleep I would happily try this product. Thank you so much for introducing me to it
Hello there! The concept of a weighted blanket is fairly new to me. I had no idea that there were even health benefits with their usage. And a really good amount of health benefits too. Do you feel that the weight of the blanket can be heavy on the body when using it and how much would it typically weigh? Thanks for creating this post.
Thanks for the comment. Weighted blankets come in different weights and I would look for information on different brands to determine their best weight for you or the intended user. I was introduced to weighted blankets by a friend who weighed slightly over 100 pounds and she was uncomfortable with a 12-pound weighted blanket. She found 8 pounds to be more comfortable. A good rule of thumb is a blanket that is 10% of your body weight; but, it’s an individual preference. Some people will be comfortable with more weight and some with less.
Hi. By adding the washable component to a weighted blanket has made it indispensable. It is a worthy asset. When I think of all the stress-relieving hormones that this type of blanket induces, I am so glad that now we have the ability to freshen it up.
We all deserve quality sleep at the end of the day. I do appreciate that this special blanket can help us in that department. I do wonder however if special care needs to be taken when washing it?
Thanks for this great article.
Carol
Thanks for the comment.
There are some “special care needs” to consider when washing your Mosaic Weighted Blankets. Simply GO HERE and click on the “CUSTOMER SUPPORT” tab at the top and choose “BLANKET CARE GUIDE”. Hopefully, that answers all of your questions.
I have heard about weighted blankets before, but was not familiar with all the therapeutic benefits of them. Having a blanket that is washable, always is better than having to go to the dry cleaners.
How much would a weighted blanket normally weigh? I do not like sleeping under anything that is too heavy as I feel it is pushing me down, so would a weighted blanket be too heavy?
Thanks for the comment. Weighted blankets come in a variety of ways. As a general rule of thumb, a weighted blanket of 10% of your body weight is recommended.
The best weighted blanket manufacturers offer simple returns for lower weight blankets if you feel the blanket you purchased is too heavy. You can find Mosaic Weighted Blankets return policy here.
I was wondering how do we wash the weighted blankets. And I discovered we can wash our weighted blankets in cold water and air dry when possible.
We can also pop in the dryer on low heat for a short time with a towel to fluff if needed. Be aware that blankets weighing over 12 lbs should be laundered in a commercial washer and dryer.
Hi
Thank you for the article you shared with us about Mosaic Weighted Blankets,
I’m going to talk about (BLANCA WHITE WEIGHTED BLANKET)
It does feel very comforting, I have slept better with it. I have a queen size, which is nice for one adult because it flows and tucks around your body (It is not suitable for two people in my opinion). The removable bamboo cover material is lovely to touch, cool and smooth, some might say luxurious. Highly recommended.
Once again Thank you