Sometimes there are trends that just seem to be everywhere you look. At the moment, it feels like that’s the case with weighted blankets. I feel like my Instagram feed ads are full of them, and I hadn’t really looked into them much until an email dropped into our shared address saying that Alex had bought one. (This is how I find out about a lot of our purchases).
A weighted blanket is a blanket that weighs more than a normal one. I know, you’re sitting there now and thinking I’m an idiot. But it’s hard to explain otherwise! Some weighted blankets are heavier because of the type of material used (such as a knitted blanket) and some are weighted because they are filled with little bits of material.
Alex chose the Bearaby Sleeper for us in the King sized version, and went for the 20-20 version. The logic behind weighted blankets says to go for a blanket that weighs about 10% of your body weight for the best results, and one of the things I like about the King sized version is not just that you can have different weights on each side, but it comes with a zip down the middle, so if only one of you wants to have the weighted blanket, you can just remove the other side rather than doubling up and having the full weight on top of you.
The research into weighted blankets says that it can help with stress and anxiety – I haven’t noticed any change in these, but what it does help us do is sleep better. The weight helps stop you moving around a lot (which is something I am terrible for, and then waking myself up)
The Sleeper is like another duvet, but it’s not too warm on top of our normal duvet which is good! We have it inside a normal duvet cover, but I’m looking at the sheets that Bearaby sell, as they have a zipper that goes all the way around the blanket – a major thing I feel like I need!
(side note: Why don’t bed sets in the UK have a top sheet to go between you and the duvet, because that is the best thing about bed sheets here)
It took a few nights with the blanket to get used to the weight, but since then, I have slept through the night much more often (when I would normally wake up at least two or three times)
The downside (and this is pretty much the only slightly negative point I can think of) is that it’s heavy – obviously – and this means moving it around is a bit of a pain. I took these photos in our spare room and felt like I was weight lifting as I carried the blanket between the rooms! The weight also makes it difficult to get the duvet cover on – if you hate changing a normal duvet, you’re really going to hate this. The weight also makes it difficult to move around in bed – which is obviously the point and still something I would say is a plus point – but it makes it difficult to get into a comfortable position (especially difficult with my knee still not at 100%)
Would I have chosen to buy one of these myself? Honestly, probably not from just the articles and adverts that you see around. Would I want to go back to just a normal duvet + sheet combo for sleeping? Nope.
If you’re on the fence, check the place that you buy your blanket from will accept returns but you probably
Me and my husband were just talking about weighted blankets because i currently have two heavy fuzzy ones I stack on my side of the bed. I didn’t know you could customize the blankets for just one side of the bed so IlI’ have to look into these more!
I just bought a twin size weighted blanket that I put on top of my side of our king bed and I’ve been sleeping so much better! I usually have a hard time falling asleep, but I’ve had some of the best sleep since having kids! Love my weighted blanket!