Who doesn’t want better sleep? And can this blanket help you get it?
I was intrigued by photos of people nestled under their weighted blankets and heard about how it improved their sleep quality. My two oldest kids raved about the benefits so I ordered one.
There is an actual way to calculate what weight and size to order and as I was a bit apprehensive I opted for lighter and smaller.
The blanket arrived within a few days and sure enough, there was a photo of a happy camper on the package. She looked so comfy and relaxed and I imagined myself arising well-rested and ready to start the day.
There is science behind this blanket concept
I climbed under the covers that night and readied myself for the engagement of my parasympathetic nervous system and release of “happy hormones” that would send me off to the best sleep ever. The sensation has been compared to being gently hugged.
*sigh*
It felt a little dense but maybe that’s what Deep Touch Simulation feels like. I mean, Occupational Therapists would know, right? What could go wrong?
As I breathed calmly and dozed off I started to adjust my leg position.
MY LEG! WHY WON’T MY LEG MOVE? OMG WHY AM I PARALYZED!?
I bolted awake, scaring the cat.
There. There were both my legs moving just fine. Whew…it’s OK…just takes some getting used to…back to breathing…happy hormone cocoon thoughts…relaxing sleep is coming…engage snoozing…
MY ARM! MY ARM IS PINNED UNDER SOMETHING! I CAN’T MOVE MY ARM!
Jolted awake again and able to move my arms, I made a position change to get serious about sleeping. Breathe….it will be fine now…it will work…sweet dreams await…drifting away…
AAAHHHH! NOOOOO!!!! GETITOFFME!!!
I flailed into consciousness, flinging the blanket to one side of the bed and the cat leapt off the other.
Apparently I am #5 in the “4 out of 5 people”
This was not going to work. Of course not everything works for everybody and although I had had high hopes it would deliver it was not to be. As a result it seemed I had spent half the night struggling with this…monster.
Arg. Did I set my alarm for work in the morning?
I checked the clock and saw that it had been all of Twenty. Three. Minutes.
Time flies.
Relieved that I still had the whole night ahead of me I lapsed into an exhausted coma, grateful to be free. The cat returned and settled into his customary spot against my hip.
We both snored.
When I told the kids about my experience they were surprised. I think the reason it works for them is when they were little they had flannel sheets on their beds in the winter and I made them flannel jammies, (essentially velcroing them into bed).
But maybe it made them feel secure and a weighted blanket reproduces that.
I might get a mom award for that one.
Considering a weighted blanket? Here is a link to decent information and an experience that the other 4 out of 5 people have with them. You might be lucky! (I do not receive any compensation for sharing this link)
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