Sleep · Brain health technique
Weighted blanket
Evidence grade: Mixed / Unclear
A heavy blanket (typically 10–15% of body weight) providing gentle, evenly distributed pressure intended to mimic deep-touch stimulation and promote calmness.
- Practice
- Sleep
- Principle
- Restoration
- Tactic
- Calm And Comfortable Environment
- Health domains
- mental health
- Evidence grade
- Mixed / Unclear
- Strength of evidence
- Medium
- Cost
- High
- Effort
- Low
- Time commitment
- Low
How to practice Weighted blanket
Choose a blanket ~10–15% of body weight. Use nightly for 2–4 weeks to assess benefit. Ensure good ventilation to prevent overheating. Avoid if you have respiratory, circulatory, or mobility limitations. Combine with other relaxation practices rather than relying on weight alone.
The evidence behind Weighted blanket
Weighted blankets reduce anxiety and improve subjective sleep quality in some studies, likely through pressure-induced activation of parasympathetic and serotonin pathways. However, RCTs show inconsistent objective improvements in sleep architecture. Mechanism plausible but evidence mixed; effects strongest in anxious or restless sleepers.
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