My weighted blanket caused some issues for me, so I’m taking this time to make a public service announcement for those of you considering making one a sleep aid purchase. Some time ago I wrote here about the effects of adding a weighted blanket to my evening routine; it did help me fall asleep, and I have been using it for awhile.
When I chose the blanket, I based my purchase upon body weight as prescribed: blankets come in children’s sizes, too, but for adults you may find blankets for sale weighing ten, twelve, fifteen, eighteen or twenty pounds, so you could buy based upon how much compression your body would need. Naturally I chose the high end weight class, based on my weight at the time, for myself. I didn’t realize the mistake until about a week ago.
Weight loss is popular right now, because we’re expecting to return to work and normalcy and don’t want people to see how much we’ve let ourselves go. I lost a few pounds in the past month, but didn’t think about it when going to bed at night. Suddenly I started waking up as early in the morning as 3:00 AM with intense back pain so crippling that I couldn’t bend, lift, or walk normally. The pain went away within one hour of being up, so my first impulse was to blame my mattress (which, if you’ve been following me, is only six months old).
Shirley Holmes was back on the case (no deerstalker cap or sidekick required).
In the past, I managed to figure out that two chairs I had been using were inches apart in height and saved my arms from sudden pain (caused by having to raise them higher while seated in the lower chair), so apparently another investigation, with my well-being on the line, was ready to be solved.
The first thing I did was flip the mattress; it had been six months, after all. Other than a squeak from an apparent stubborn inner spring coil, nothing else changed. I then put a board under the mattress. Nothing. I shifted the board to go under me, thinking the mattress might have developed a sinkhole in the middle. The morning pain continued.
Then a few days ago, the temperature overnight changed dramatically, I was suddenly overheated and threw the covers off the bed when I was jolted from my sleep around 3:30 AM. Within minutes, my body began to unwind itself and adjust its alignment as I lay there cooling off, and tension melted away. Eureka! I had an answer.
In addition to the blanket’s weight, it became apparent that the bedspread added some five to eight pounds; since my weight was going down, the effect of that combined poundage in my bedding was going up. The weight in the blanket is designed to provide the comfort of a hug, or somebody who normally sleeps beside you, but it is dead weight. That’s pressure on your whole body, restricting your movements at night, both voluntary and involuntary. Your body does a lot of its repair work when you sleep, and autonomous bodily motions are a part of it. When constricted by a weighted blanket, your body can’t perform those movements. My command center was awakening me every morning, trying to warn me that, hey, we need to be able to wiggle a bit in here.
When I removed the weighted blanket and substituted light warm blankets instead, the pain disappeared the next evening. Mystery solved.
My advice is to purchase the lower weight class of blanket than a chart may recommend, keeping in mind that your other bed linens will pad the amount of pressure on your body while asleep. Also, by investigating further, I saw articles noting that those with muscle or bone issues may want to check with a doctor before using one, and they should be kept off of the elderly, babies and small pets.
So there is my caveat for those out there seeking the sleep we all enjoyed as children. The answer may take some research, but it’s worth finding.
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