what is the science behind weighted blankets and how do they reduce anxiety?
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It’s difficult to say for sure; there aren’t many studies on weighted blankets, and the ones there are don’t draw the kinds of conclusions you’re looking for. Most are just “Do the blankets help” rather than “Why do the blankets help”.
It is commonly recognized a weighted blanket can calm people down, [but the only studies I’ve found relate to specific groups](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32204779/). These include people with sensory issues or anxiety, as you’ve mentioned.
In terms of the mechanism, scientists are throwing some theories at the wall and seeing what sticks. Maybe the blanket reminds us of being a baby, tightly bundled and safe. Maybe the blanket restricts movement, forcing people who would otherwise toss and turn to calm down. Maybe it’s all in our heads, and we just relax because weighted blankets are “supposed” to relax us. Maybe it’s just cause it feels like a hug. Until there are more studies, we can’t know for sure.
Part of it has to do with our sensory system (hearing, seeing, smelling, and feeling) our bodies are constantly getting input from those senses. For each of our senses there are inputs that make them excited or calmed. For our sense of feeling, deep pressure and compression are calming inputs while light touch can be exciting input.
So a heavy blanket will give your body an input of deep pressure and compression making your brain feel calmer. It’s another reason humans hug to comfort each other, it provides pressure and compression making the person being hugged feel calmer.
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