Weighted blankets have been used for the last few decades as therapeutic aids for kids with developmental disorders such as autism, and to calm pets. In the late 90s, occupational therapist Dr Tina Champagne started issuing weighted blankets to adults who were undergoing mental health treatment, in an attempt to "nurture one's self".
In 2017, John Fiorentino set up a Kickstarter page to create "Gravity blankets", which promised to increase serotonin and melatonin levels, decrease the stress hormone cortisol, and put the user in a deeper sleep. Within two weeks Fiorentino raised over $2 million. Two years later it seems they are most definitely "a thing".
The science
The idea is that the gentle pressure of the blanket's weight simulates a big hug - activating the nervous system in a positive way. This allows you to calm down faster, relax more easily, and sleep more soundly. Plus, because you're mildly restrained by the weight (not in a scary way, just like a cosy, swaddled baby) it's harder to move so you're less likely to disturb or wake yourself up in the night.
In a study published in the Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, participants undergoing wisdom tooth removal (a typically stressful operation), wore weighted blankets during their surgeries. The researchers found that patients under weighted blankets had enhanced activity in the branch of the nervous system that takes over in times of low stress.
The reality
I'm not a "bad sleeper" per se, but I have recently become obsessed with sleep aids, and creating a Gwyneth-worthy slumber setup.
I'm talking a silk eye mask, ear plugs, a Himalayan salt lamp, "sleepy time" tea, an app that plays rain sounds, a lavender oil diffuser and a handful of magnesium thrown down my gob every night.
While I don't often have trouble getting to sleep, I am the kind of problematic person who panics and takes a couple of sleeping pills if it gets past midnight and I still haven't managed to nod off.
The first night I tried the blanket was because my Ponsonby flat was so freezing that I had to wear a dressing gown to bed. In a lightbulb moment, I remembered the weighted blanket, layered it on top of my duvet and crawled underneath in expectant ecstasy.
Now, I don't mean to be crude, but it really did feel like someone was lying on top of me. Not even in a sexy way, just in a cosy way, sort of how you feel when a cat sits on your lap or a baby lies on your chest (if your baby weighed a ton). I felt warm. I felt zen. I felt unconditionally loved by this inanimate blanket filled with rocks.
I obviously can't remember falling asleep (do we ever?) but what I can tell you is when I woke up it felt exactly like the time I woke up from a general anaesthetic after having my wisdom teeth out.
It felt like I'd been in a coma for 65 years or I was rising from a deliciously warm and snuggly grave.
I was so cosy that I genuinely contemplated texting my boss to call in sick because I wanted to stay in my oven/grave for the whole day. But I knew I had to come in to work to write this for you so I forced myself to rise from the dead. Come 5pm, let me tell you, I will be back under my coffin throw until sunrise tomorrow.
The verdict
If you have fantasies about being swaddled like an adult baby, this is for you. If you are single and want to simulate the warmth of another human body, this is for you. If you are prone to anxiety, struggle to get to sleep or just want to literally be as snug as a bug in a rug, this is for you. I am all of those things so this is definitely for me.
• Try a weighted blanket from GrabOne
