Debate: Weighted blankets for naps - miracle or overhyped?

I read a study last week that said weighted blankets only help about 40% of people sleep better, but I've been using a 15-pound one every afternoon for two months and I'm obsessed with it. My sister tried mine and said it felt like a straightjacket, she can only nap with a thin throw. So which side are you on - do these heavy blankets actually improve your naps or are they just a trend?

4 comments

4 Comments

daniel_martin24d ago

Doesn't it seem like everything these days works great for some people and does nothing for others? That's just how our bodies are wired, I guess. My wife bought one of those expensive gravity blankets and it helped her anxiety a ton, but I tried it and felt like I was fighting it all night. It's kind of like how some folks swear by those sunrise alarm clocks while others just hit snooze on their phone. I think a lot of this stuff comes down to what your own nervous system likes, not what the ads or the studies say.

adamthompson24d ago

Hold up, you tried it and felt like you were fighting it all night? That's wild to me lol. My buddy got one and said it was like being hugged by a friendly ghost, but I guess if your body isn't into it, it's just a heavy blanket you can't escape. I think that whole thing about nervous systems is spot on though. We're all just guessing at what works until something clicks. Makes me wonder how many things I've written off that would actually help me if I tried a different version.

the_anthony24d ago

Man it's crazy you mention that because I've been noticing the same pattern with all kinds of stuff lately, not just blankets. Like with coffee, some people get all jittery and anxious from a cup while others can drink it before bed and sleep like a baby. Or those fidget toys that are supposed to help you focus, I've got a buddy who can't sit still without his spinner thing but it just annoys me. I think we're all just walking around with different chemistry sets inside us and nobody really knows what's gonna hit until we try it.

roberts9524d ago

Yo that's exactly what I'm talking about! I got a 12 pound one after my buddy wouldn't shut up about it and the first week I was like what is this sorcery, I was out cold in ten minutes flat. Then my girlfriend tried it at my place and she said it felt like she was being slowly crushed to death, she tossed it off after fifteen minutes. I swear it's like some people's brains need that pressure to shut off and other people's brains just start panicking. I've even noticed it with sound machines, white noise knocks me out but my coworker says it makes his ears ring and he needs total silence. It's wild how different we all are.