Weighted blanket
Deep-pressure stimulation. RCT: nearly 26× more likely to halve insomnia severity vs. control blanket.
Why
Weighted blankets, typically dosed around 10% of body weight (the dosing rule used in the Ekholm 2020 RCT below), deliver continuous deep-pressure stimulation, hypothesised to increase parasympathetic tone and reduce arousal. Ekholm 2020 J Clin Sleep Med RCT (n=120) in patients with insomnia plus a psychiatric disorder showed 60% achieved 50%+ Insomnia Severity Index reduction with the weighted blanket vs. 5% with the light control blanket.
The program
- 1
Pick a weight ~10% of your body weight (often 6-8kg for adults).
- 2
Use as the primary blanket. Allow 1-2 weeks to adapt to the weight.
- 3
Pair with the rest of your sleep hygiene: cool room, dim evening light.
- 4
If sleep doesn't improve in 4 weeks, reassess; it isn't for everyone.
Practical
Cadence
Use as your primary blanket through the night
What you'll need
Choose ~10% of body weight; not for OSA, claustrophobia, or young children
Ideal for
People with anxiety-driven insomnia or stress-related sleep difficulty.
Evidence
Ekholm 2020 J Clin Sleep Med RCT (n=120, insomnia plus psychiatric disorder): a ~10%-body-weight chain blanket vs light control over 4 weeks. 60% of the weighted-blanket group vs 5% of controls achieved ≥50% reduction in Insomnia Severity Index (Cohen's d 1.90, p<0.001).