Weighted Blankets for Adults with Anxiety

Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash

A weighted blanket for adults with anxiety is a great way to manage the symptoms of anxiety.  Weighted blankets are designed for people suffering from mental health issues to be able to find a feeling of comfort and relief. It also helps to improve sleep as anxiety may keep you up at night.

Do you Suffer from Anxiety

Millions of Americans each year suffer from some sort of anxiety or anxiety disorders, a trend that is also growing around the world. With our ever-increasingly stressful lives and elevated cortisol levels (cortisol is the hormone that our body releases under stress), our quality of sleep and our daily life become negatively impacted and lowering our enjoyment of life.

Do you think you suffer from anxiety? If you feel the following symptoms, you may want to verify with a trained specialist:

  • Constant worrying and difficulty controlling it
  • Difficulty falling asleep and/or having poor sleep
  • Difficulty with focus and concentration
  • Being easily irritable
  • Being easily tired out and fatigued
  • Feeling on edge and restless

Of course, you should seek help from a medical professional before you begin any sort of therapy or medication, but you may be interested in how a weighted blanket can improve your quality of life if you indeed suffer from anxiety. A weighted blanket for adults with anxiety might just be what helps you improve your stress levels and sleep.

How does Weighted Blankets Help my Anxiety?

So how does a weighted blanket help you to minimize your anxiety? Weighted Blankets are designed to provide the effect of “grounding”, or applying downward pressure to give the body a sense of security and calm.  This has a relaxing effect on the nervous system and allows the body to naturally lower anxiety levels without the use of medication.

The weight of the blankets works through the process of deep pressure touch, which is the application of firm but gentle pressure throughout your body. Think of it as if you are being hugged, this gentle pressure helps to release dopamine and serotonin which lowers your stress levels and helps promote sleep. Lower stress levels and better sleep allows for better mental wellbeing during the day.

Weighted blankets reduce stress with deep pressure touch, mimicking the feeling of being hugged
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

And better mental wellbeing is what we are all looking for, right? It’s amazing how important our nighttime rest is to our day time health and stress levels. It’s all connected and is vitally important to our mental health. And it’s all connected to our hormones. High levels of cortisol are linked to anxiety as well as depression and weight gain.

Weighted blankets fight cortisol by calming the nervous system and promoting dopamine and serotonin release, which naturally lower cortisol levels. This is a lasting effect that continues during the day. The results are a better mood, better concentration and focus, and less anxiety.

How Heavy a Blanket do I Need?

Most weighted blankets for adults with anxiety vary between 15 to 30 pounds. It is usually recommended to get a weighted blanket at 5% to 10% of your own body weight. It is important for children to not use a blanket that was meant for an adult, generally 10% of the child’s weight.

Do not use weighted blankets for very young children or toddlers and infants. Consult with a medical professional if you want to determine which weighted blanket weight is right for you.

If You Have Anxiety, Consider a Weighted Blanket

Millions of adults suffer from anxiety. It is much too prevalent in today’s society but is not something that you have to accept in your life. Weighted blankets are a wonderful and natural way to help to lower your anxiety and have a better, more productive sleep and a better mood and increase focus during the day.

Weighted blankets for adults with anxiety are an excellent and natural way to improve your mental well being. Try a weighted blanket for a few days to see how much it can lower your anxiety and improve your focus during the day.