Weighted Blankets To Help With Anxiety

Katherine George

Published on February 21, 2020

Do you struggle with anxiety? Does it affect the quality of your sleep? If so, a weighted blanket might be of assistance. In addition to promises of improving sleep habits, weighted blankets are also being touted for their ability to help relieve anxiety and stress. Research has shown these blankets may be of benefit to people with anxiety, autism, insomnia, and a number of other conditions.

Even though weighted blankets are a recent mainstream trend, they’ve actually long been used for as a therapeutic tool for individuals with autism. What’s new is that they’ve now been introduced as a sleep aid for the general public. Not surprisingly, when this happened, many companies began jumping on board to create their own weighted blankets. They are now widely accessible in stores and online for a range of different prices, anywhere from less than $100 to $300.

Weighted blankets work by stimulating deep pressure touch (DPT), a well known therapeutic technique to relieve stress. These blankets are weighed down with small objects such as pellets, discs, or beads, providing a warm sensation of being gently hugged. This hugging sensation works to calm and settle the nervous system which provides many different benefits, such as reduce anxiety, improve mood, and lessen pain. If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety or poor sleeping habits, here are the top weighted blankets to help with anxiety.

Benefits of Weighted Blankets

Since weighted blankets have become so mainstream, there’s an overwhelming amount of options out there and they all vary in material, size, weight, and price. It’s important to take the time to do some research and find the blanket that will benefit you. While most weighted blankets provide a range of different benefits, you may want to purchase one that specifically targets your needs, such as anxiety.

As we mentioned earlier, most of the benefits of weighted blankets come from the deep pressure stimulation which has shown to:

Relieve pain
Lessen anxiety
Ease stress
Improve mood
Relieve symptoms of sleep conditions
Limit movement
May increase serotonin

Weighted blankets have also been used in addition to treatments like massage therapy and support animals.

Top Weighted Blankets for Anxiety

While weighted blankets can be used to treat a number of different conditions and ailments, one of the most common is anxiety. Weighted blankets have been known to reduce anxiety in both children and adults by helping them achieve a more relaxed state which puts them in a much deeper sleep.

The following are the top eight weighted blankets for relieving the symptoms of anxiety.

The Gravity Blanket

The Gravity Blanket is on the higher end in terms of price, but it’s totally worth it. This blanket was one of the original weighted blankets that started the craze back in 2017 after it racked up more than $4 million on its Kickstarter campaign. Since then, this product has become one of the go-tos for people looking to reduce their stress and anxiety, and improve sleep.

The Gravity Blanket website touts their blanket as the “world’s most popular weighted blanket with premium micro-fleece duvet cover.” People love this blanket because the fabric they use is completely breathable. You won’t overheat like some other heavy blankets. Another perk is that the inner and outer duvet are machine-washable. It’s been ranked with four out of five stars on Trustpilot with over 2,000 reviews.

Plantinum Health Calmforter Weighted Blanket

I mean, it says it right there in the name! The Platinum Health Calmforter is dedicated to reducing stress and making sleep a much more relaxed and calming experience for those who struggle with poor sleeping habits. In the description beside the blanket it says it was created to “relieve anxiety, stress, agitation,” and insomnia. The blanket comes in 60-by-80 inches and a wide variety of colors. It weighs 12-pounds and is big enough for a queen size bed. It’s made from a silky smooth mink polyester fabric that also has some curb appeal with a textured dot pattern “for fingers and hands that like to fidget.”

Quility Weighted Blanket

The Quility company slogan on their website reads, “Stressed out? Hug it out with Quility.” So it’s no wonder their weighted blanket is considered one of the best for reducing anxiety! It also has over 8,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and is listed as the No. 1 best-seller in the kid’s quilt sets section. This small US based family company seems to be beating out their competition not only with reviews but by offering a wide arrange of different colors. Quility not only provides a warm, hugging sensation while you sleep, but is able to keep you cool and comfortable with a cozy removable cover that can be added during those cooler winter months.

In addition to all that, they’re dedicated to helping their customers get a better night’s sleep by reducing their anxiety. “Quility Weighted Blanket is dedicated to providing a natural, scientific, and cost-effective solution,” says their website. It also goes on to say that they have had hundreds of customers report that they’ve experienced improved sleep, lower stress, increased feelings of relaxation, vitality, and peace of mind after using their product.

ZonLi Weighted Blanket

Don’t worry about overheating in this blanket. The ZonLi Weighted Blanket is made from breathable fabric that offers temperature control thanks to it’s ultra-smooth natural bamboo viscose material. It was also designed to prevent tear and leakage with an extra 2 layers, and is proud to be environmentally friendly with hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, odorless glass beads that have been sewn into small squares to help evenly distribute the weight. The squares are inserted with loops to keep the weight in place, and then surrounded with non-glue padding to add an extra layer of comfort.

According to their website, ZonLi created the weighted blanket to help improve physical and mental well-being, naturally. Everything they’ve created is backed by science. They also state that they work with healthcare professionals, non-profit organizations and schools to provide relief and relaxation to thousands of people.

Luna Weighted Blanket

The Luna Weighted Blanket is dedicated to helping their customers reduce stress. Their website reads, “Luna blanket is designed to naturally reduce stress, soothe aches and pains, and increase relaxation.” They do so by offering that signature hugging sensation, but is still described as a nice lightweight blanket making it great for travel and easy to use even in those warmer months. It’s made of soft, 100-percent organic cotton and is filled with glass beads that are carefully woven into the fibers and the 7 layer smart design to provide stable weight distribution throughout the blanket. You won’t find any saggy corners in this blanket!

Still not sold? Go read the reviews on Amazon. This blanket has over 3,000 Amazon reviews with an over 4.5 star rating. That’s darn near perfect!

Blanquil Quilted Weighted Blanket

Yet another weighted blanket created to provide comfort and help users reduce stress and live a better life. Their website reads: “BlanQuil’s Weighted Blankets are intelligently designed to utilize the power of deep pressure stimulation. This well-regarded therapeutic method apples pressure or firm touch toe the body to reduce cortisol, and increase serotonin and melatonin.” They describe it as the blanket that hugs you back!

The Blanquil Quilted Weighted Blanket comes in a generous size of 48-by-74-inches. While they have several options, the Blanquil Quilted Weighted Blanket with Removable Cover is their most popular. This blanket comes in three different weight options (15, 20, or 25 pounds) , with several different colors to choose from. The weight is created from “77 independent baffles that keep the eco-friendly glass beads distributed evenly across your body.” It’s designed with high-strength reinforced ties inside the duvet to help evenly distribute the weight and keep it from shifting. Since the blanket comes with a removable duvet cover, you can comfortably use this blanket in the summer and winter. The micro plush duvet cover is also washable and dryer friendly.

YnM Weighted Blanket

The YnM Weighted Blanket is a best seller on Amazon with 4.4 out of 5 stars and over 3000 customer reviews online. It comes in a number of different sizes and weights ranging anywhere from 5 t0 30-pounds, but it’s recommended you choose a weight that is only 10-percent of your body. Made with 100-percent cotton material so it doesn’t trap heat, these top-rated blankets are filled with tiny glass beads that help distribute the weight evenly across your body so that you’ll receive that infamous hugging sensation from all angles. It was created with a segmented design so that even if you’re tossing and turning under the blanket, you won’t displace the weighted beads inside.

This weighted blanket is a great option for people who are looking to relieve their stress and anxiety in a natural way that won’t break the bank. These blankets are super affordable, but also great quality. Overall they’re ranked as one of the best value options available. You can purchase this blanket through the YnM website or on Amazon.

Magic Weighted Blanket

Advertising itself as the “world’s first weighted blanket,” the Magic weighted blanket is highly customizable which is why it appeals to so many customers. Made in the USA, this weighted blanket comes in 11 different sizes with different weight combinations available for each. You’re able to pick from a variety of different fabrics, including cotton and flannel. Constructed from soft, long fibers, the most popular fabric option is polyester chenille because it’s so cozy and doesn’t shed like some other fabrics.

Similar to most weighted blankets, the Magic Blanket uses deep touch pressure stimulation to help reduce stress and anxiety. This is what provides the sleeper with a gentle feeling of being snuggly hugged which helps reduce their stress. According to their website, “DPT has been scientifically proven to increase serotonin and melatonin, the hormones responsible for relaxation.”

Find a Weighted Blanket For Anxiety Today

If you’re someone who struggles with anxiety and stress, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety disorder which is probably why weighted blankets have become so popular in recent years. Before choosing a weighted blanket, it may be beneficial to take a moment to decide what you’re looking for. Are you purchasing a weighted blanket to help improve sleep? Is it to relieve symptoms of anxiety or stress? There are so many different benefits to explore, and once you know what you’re trying to target, that will help narrow down the search when it comes to which blanket to choose.

What’s great about weighted blanket is that they can be curated to your own personal needs. There are so many different options when it comes to fabric, style, weight, color, and size. For example, most companies recommend choosing a blanket that is 10-percent of your body weight, so the specific weight of your blanket is perfectly customized for you. They are also made to fit the size of your bed and with different weighted objects which impacts how the weight is distributed. Even more so, there are weighted blankets that are made for specific conditions in mind, such as anxiety.

The best way to find the right blanket for you is to do some shopping online. A quick online search will bring up all the different options that are available and their specific benefits. If you’re looking for a weighted blanket to help with anxiety, you’ll want one that works for you. This means choosing a product that offers the perfect amount of DPT to calm your nervous system, wash your worries away, and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Katherine George

Katherine is the Senior Managing Editor of ActiveBeat and Childhood. She is constantly striving to live a more active and healthy life, from eating healthy, exercising, and just spending more time outdoors. She enjoys cooking (with wine), walking her dog, reading, and recently joined a yoga studio!