Put away the duvet if you want to get a good night’s sleep; It is best to slip under a thick blanket.
Scientists say weighted blankets trigger the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, which reacts to the pressure of the blanket as it would to a hug or hug.
Tests show that this puts you in a better mood in the morning and reduces cases of depression and anxiety.
“Weighted blankets could be a safe and effective intervention for insomnia and various sleep disorders, with fewer side effects than drug therapy,” the researchers report.
They analyzed data from studies looking at weighted blankets as a treatment to improve sleep and other disorders, in an effort to understand the mechanisms behind sleep problems.
A woman sleeping on a sofa under a blanket. Scientists say weighted blankets trigger the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, which reacts to the pressure of the blanket as it would to a hug or hug (file image)
Neurologists at Zhejiang University Hospital in Hangzhou, China, (pictured) concluded that lying under weighted blankets results in better sleep and fewer cases of chronic pain.
Lying under weighted blankets allows you to sleep better and reduce cases of chronic pain, conclude neurologists at Zhejiang University Hospital in Hangzhou, China.
It’s unclear to what extent weighted blankets have such a dramatic effect.
One theory is that the touch and pressure of a weighted blanket on the skin can stimulate sensory nerve endings.
Researchers suggest that this would activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a calming effect.
It also increases the production of endorphins, the body’s own pain relievers, and increases levels of dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals involved in regulating mood disorders.
Endorphins and dopamine can also lower heart rate and relax muscles, which in turn can improve sleep and limit insomnia.
Stimulating nerve endings can also stimulate the release of melatonin, the hormone that plays a key role in your sleep schedule.
The body naturally increases melatonin levels at night to help sleep, while doctors use supplements based on the hormone to treat insomnia.
Neurologists say: “Blankets could improve sleep quality and alleviate negative emotions and daytime symptoms in patients with sleep disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other related disorders.”
But the study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, concludes that more research will be needed.
