2023-04-19 15:47:39
They are said to treat sleep disorders, help against depression and relieve chronic pain. But are weighted blankets really such an all-rounder – or is there more appearance than reality behind them?
Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Insomnia: The Pandemic has aggravated many mental health problems or even triggered them in many people. The WHO recorded a rapid increase in depression of up to 25% in the first Corona year alone. Anxiety disorders are now the most common mental or neurological disorder worldwide. Particularly affected: young people and women.
“The information we now have about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the world are just the tip of the iceberg,” says dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and to better support the mental health of their population.” Simple, fast-acting therapy options with few side effects are therefore more in demand than ever.
Quick solutions are required
A popular therapy – also because of their ease of use – are weighted blankets. These blankets usually get their weight from incorporated glass or plastic beads and they are available in different weight classes. Originally, blankets, which are widely used today, were intended to help people sleep better autistic care for children. However, that was not crowned with success. For example, no improvement in sleep was found in 67 autistic children compared to a standard blanket. “There were no group differences in other objective or subjective measures of sleep, including behavioral scores,” write the study authors. “In the subjective preference measurements, however, the parents and children preferred the weighted blanket.”
Further studies came to a similar conclusion: people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and or ADHD say that, subjectively, using a weighted blanket improves their daily routine, especially mornings and evenings. There was a significant difference between children and adults (68.8% vs. 45.7%; p<0.05). Of the 85 study participants included, 26.5% said the weighted blanket improved waking and 16.5% said the blanket improved their performance. Overall, 59% of the subjects said that the weighted blanket would help them fall asleep better. "This confirms the results of other studies, which showed positive trends towards an increase in the total amount of sleep per night and a slight reduction in the time it took to fall asleep," the study authors summarize their results.
Therapy blankets and sleep problems
But are there other arguments for therapy blankets besides subjective perception? A Swedish population-based Study took on this question. The study aimed to compare the incidence of sleep-related medication and substance use disorders before and after using a weighted blanket. The researchers studied 1,785 adults with psychiatric diagnoses. Each person was given a weighted blanket. The results were compared with the results of the same people one year earlier.
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The number of patients without a prescription for sleep medication increased by 3.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.2-6.4, p=0.04). The proportion of patients without a prescription of Benzodiazepines-receptor agonists/Antihistamines increased by 5.5% (95% CI: 2.2-8.8, p=0.001). But: Also the prescription of Melatonin increased by 3.6% (95% CI: 1.1-6.2, p=0.006). Not all subjects benefited from the therapy blankets. While patients with Angst-, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity– and post-traumatic stress disorder benefited from the blankets, no improvement was seen in patients with psychotic and bipolar personality disorders.
The more studies, the more varied the results
Another Study however, found that weighted blankets are an effective therapy for people with Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders or ADHD. But again, the cohort of 120 people randomized 1:1 to a heavy or light blanket was rather small. After 4 weeks, there was a significant advantage in evaluating the Insomnia Severity Index for the weighted blanket over the light blanket (p<0.001). This effect also persisted in a 12-month follow-up in which 112 subjects participated - if the subjects continued to use a weighted blanket.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as blood pressure of the subjects also improved thanks to the therapy blankets. In addition, the scientists were able to determine a positive effect on the daytime sleepiness of the subjects. “We found that patients who used weighted blankets had a significant increase in peak circadian activity after treatment compared to controls,” the study authors said. “So use of the weighted blanket not only improved nighttime sleep, but also daytime performance, which was reflected in higher activity levels and a reduction in symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety.”
Not only useful for psychological indications?
In addition to the already known and partially established uses for neurological, psychological and psychiatric indications – although their benefit is often rather subjective – weighted blankets are also used in other areas. For example, a double-blind appears randomized Study according to which a weighted blanket helps chronic pain sufferers get better sleep. “Although pressure can relieve acute pain, its effect on chronic pain is poorly characterized,” the study authors write. The study, which included 94 chronic pain sufferers, showed that a 15 lb (6.8 kg) blanket was significantly better at relieving chronic pain than the 5 lb (2.7 kg) comparison blanket.
However, this study was very short, lasting only one week. Also, the results were more pronounced in those with a higher predisposition to anxiety disorders – which could skew the results of efficacy against chronic pain.
The ceiling and the body
Despite fewer randomized and long-term studies, many positive properties are attributed to weighted blankets. These include: a reduced activity of the body’s stress systems and an increased release of hormones such as Oxytocin and Melatonin. A small Study on 26 young healthy volunteers, therefore, investigated whether weighted blankets lead to higher concentrations of melatonin and oxytocin in saliva than regular blankets.
“When using a weighted blanket, the increase in salivary melatonin levels from the time we lay down (10:00 p.m.) to the time the lights were turned off (11:00 p.m.) was about 32% higher (p=0.011). However, no other significant differences were found between blanket conditions, including subjective sleepiness and total sleep duration,” the study authors summarize their results. The authors were also unable to determine any significant increase in the oxytocin level.
They also point out that further studies need to be done to determine whether these results can be confirmed over a long period of time and throughout the night. In addition, it was not tested whether different weight blankets lead to different results and it is also unclear whether other populations that are not young and healthy benefit from the effects.
What’s left of the hype?
When it comes to weighted ceilings, opinions differ. On the one hand, many people – whether healthy or with a wide variety of indications – report significant improvements in their symptoms and/or their sleep. These are often subjective feelings, but a good placebo should also bring a lot. In any case, the study situation on therapy blankets and their apparently so diverse areas of application is very sparse. For which indications it makes sense to use it and for which it doesn’t need to be researched further. Individual studies, mostly with small cohorts, provide different results, and there does not appear to be a large consensus on the usefulness of the blankets.
A comprehensive literature research on the effects of weighted blankets on insomnia and anxiety symptoms from 2020, only 8 studies could be included in the systematic review. Here, too, the authors of the study came to a rather sobering conclusion: “Weighted blankets can be a suitable therapeutic tool for reducing anxiety; however, there is not enough evidence that they are really helpful for insomnia.”
What are your experiences with weighted ceilings? Write it to us in the comments!
Image source: Kelly Sikkema, unsplash
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