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Weighted blankets can help relieve anxiety

How Weighted Blankets Can Help Anxiety

We live in anxious times.

Anxiety is simply worrying about the future. Everyone feels it at some point.

Did you know that weighted blankets can help reduce your anxiety and stress levels? And that there are clinical studies that support this?

How do Weighted Blankets Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Weighted blankets work by using Deep Pressure Touch on your body.

Deep Pressure Touch is a consistent, gentle but firm pressure on the body. It feels a bit like a hug. This Deep Pressure works in three steps to make both your mind and body feel physically calmer.

All these reactions to Deep Pressure Touch occur in the central nervous system.

Phase 1

In the first phase, Deep Pressure Touch shuts down your “fight or flight” instinct in the sympathetic nervous system.

(If you are suffering with anxiety, this can be almost permanently “switched on”.)

Deep Pressure Touch calms both your mind and body
Phase 2

Secondly, Deep Pressure Touch switches the parasympathetic nervous system on.

This causes your heart rate and breathing to slow. Your muscles relax and your blood pressure declines. In other words, it causes your body to de-stress biologically.

Deep Pressure Touch helps your brain release feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters
Phase 3

This de-stressing process is then boosted. The parasympathetic nervous system also releases endorphins (or “feel-good” hormones) and the “happy neuro-transmitter serotonin.

(Serotonin helps control sleep, mood, appetite, social behaviour, digestion and memory.)

To summarise, weighted or calming blankets can help relieve anxiety by switching off your “fight or flight” instinct, calming your body physiologically and soothing your mind by the release of “feel good” chemical compounds.

Deep Pressure Touch Reduces Cortisol – the Stress Hormone

For people with anxiety though, the Deep Pressure Touch does something else that is helpful. At least one clinical study suggests that “grounding” your body while sleeping helps to reduce your body’s cortisol production while you sleep.

Why is this important?

Because cortisol is commonly called the “stress hormone”. It causes the body’s stress-induced reactions like a rapid heart beat and increased blood pressure. It is there to help you respond quickly to life-threatening situations by shutting down non-essential functions – like your sex drive.

High cortisol levels prevent you from going to sleep. It’s that simple.

So, in addition to shutting off your fight-or-flight instinct and triggering your calming parasympathetic nervous system, a weighted blanket seems to help reduce your cortisol levels. All of this can help you go to sleep.

Sustained high levels of cortisol are linked to things like increased risk of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and diabetes.

Two Things a Weighted Blanket Should Have to Maximise its Calming Effect

Every weighted blanket should have two characteristics to maximise its Deep Pressure Touch benefits. These will help you destress, relax and feel calmer.

  1. The weight should be spread evenly through it, without any “bunching” or “pooling” of the weight.
  2. It should be the correct weight for the individual user.

The Weight Needs to be Evenly Distributed Through the Weighted Blanket

Baby pink sensory minky weighted blanket

Every weighted blanket should have the weight spread evenly through the blanket to deliver the best sleep-enhancing Deep Pressure Touch effect.

At Calming Moments we sew equal weights of micro glass beads into evenly spaced pockets throughout the blanket. Each pocket is triple-stitched, so that you can be sure that they will not break and have the beads slide into other pockets.

However, this is not enough to keep the micro glass beads evenly distributed through it.

So, we fill each blanket with two layers of cotton wadding. This spreads the beads evenly through each pocket. So, the blanket will feel heavy, but you don’t feel the individual beads. And they don’t bunch or pool.

Every Weighted Blanket Should be Custom-made for the Individual

We all have different body weights.

Yet, most mass-produced weighted blankets come in a limited number of weights.

At Calming Moments, we custom make each blanket to order. We offer multiple weight options for our weighted bed blankets.

Occupational Therapists recommend that single bed weighted blankets should be 10% of the user’s body weight.

(We recommend adding weight for the larger blankets as the weight is spread over a larger area.)

This means that you can get the exact weight blanket that will deliver the correct Deep Pressure Touch that will help your unique body sleep better for longer.

Why a Calming Moments’ Weighted Blanket?

Here are four reasons to choose a Calming Moments’ weighted blanket.

Certified Australian-made weighted blankets
1. Amazing Australian quality

These premium quality weighted blankets are the only ones available that are certified by the Australian-made campaign.

2. Made with silent glass beads

We fill our weighted blankets with glass beads. This means that there are no hard edges or rustling whooshing noises to disturb you.

3. More fabric and colour choices

We have the widest choice of weighted blanket fabrics and colours available from any weighted blanket supplier.

4. Free shipping Australia-wide

We pay the post!

Get free standard Australia Post shipping countrywide.

Some of Our Customers’ Real-Life Stories

Seems to be making Her Anxiety Easier

I purchased one of your lovely travel blankets for my daughter.

She has loved it in the car and seems to be helping make her anxiety easier to manage which in turn makes it easier for me.

Your service was amazing and very fast.

-Michele H

Massive Help Keeping Son’s Anxiety Levels Down

We recently purchased a buddy blanket! Absolutely love it fantastic quality and super fast post.

Was also a massive help keeping my son’s anxiety levels down for a recent trip to the city and a sleep study. Perfect travel size as well!!!

-Chantelle W

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What Our Customers Say:

Based on 1433 reviews
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Overall very happy with purchase!

Customer service fantastic! Manufacture and dispatch extremely prompt. Product is of excellent quality. Only drawback is that the material used has a faint urine-like smell, so I’m going to wash it per instructions.

Amazing

Very good. Fast delivery. Is very good quality used every day at school for my son. And washed weekly and colour hasn’t faded.

Use it all the time

Actually had one of these already but it was taken from me at security when I tried to take it on board with my for an international flight 😥 but now I have this one which is even better because one side is cotton, which feels better for me sensory-wise. Definitely something I use every day and I'm really glad there was a 5kg option because every other site I've been to only has little ones for kids. I'd 100% recommend it to anyone, worth all of my money (twice!)

Very relaxing to use - I wish I'd bought one sooner!

This shoulder wrap is so well made and it really helps me unwind. It instantly helps to relax the shoulder muscles and then after about 10 minutes of wearing it I feel a sudden whole body relaxation effect kick in. I highly recommend it.

Gamechanger

I use this ALL THE TIME. I bring it to work, I use it anytime I'm sitting at home, I use it to help me settle down at night when I go to sleep. This instantly calms and grounds me. The material and weight is perfect.

Excellent quality

The quality is excellent, and it was made and posted very quickly. My son loves the textured fabric and lap blankets are much easier to move around the house and use in different locations than full size weighted blankets. We absolutely love it, thanks you!

chew chew

great

a better nights sleep

It is perfect, my daughter who has sensory concerns sleeps better, this is her 2nd blanket from Calming Moments has she has grown.

Absolutely amazing

We could not be happier with the results from buying this sensory sheet. Little miss asd sleeps so much better. The quality of the sheet is amazing and we plan on getting a back up sheet.

Weighted lap blanket

Amazing service, very quick and My 6 year old loves it.. has really helped him concentrate in the classroom to have on his lap while working.

Amazing

It's lovely to use and it helps ground me

Fantastic!

Fantastic! That’s what describes the experience I have had. All my questions where answered, great communication either email or phone and the weighted lap pad was a massive hit with my daughter. I know I will be coming back to get more items for my daughter.

Lap pad

Well made, high quality fabric and stitching. Excellent email communication. This is the second lap pad I have purchased, my first one keeps getting “borrowed” by my kids.

Love, love, love!

I purchased the weighted blanket because my best friend pointed out that I may have anxiety because I told the only thing that could get me to sleep was by putting a pillow or some weight on my legs. It didn’t occur to me until she mentioned the weighted blanket and toys. I then tried out the lap weighted blanket over my legs while I sit on the couch, at my desk or when I sleep and I feel that exact soothing, calming feeling I need. Thankyou!

Sensory weighted blanket

I bought this for my son who has some problems regulating his emotions etc since buying it if he feels overwhelmed he goes straight to the blanket and he is calm in 5 minutes. Best thing I bought him

Fantastic sensory tool

It's been great as a sensory tool. Sometimes she pulls it off the bed and uses it like a sensory sock.

Great product

I bought the Purple and Shiny Weighted Snake to use with my ASD students at school, but my 11yr old (neurotypical,but prone to anxiety) son found it and has adopted it as his own. He loves the weight, but also the sensation of letting the beads trickle from one end to another. And I think the 3 different fabric textures is a great feature. Very well-made too, as with all Calming Moments products.

Sensory Narwhal Plush Weighted Toy - it’s fabulous

My order was made and despatched quickly, status updates were sent so I knew exactly what was happening with my order. The Sensory Narwhal Plush Weighted Toy was exactly as advertised, it looked and felt fabulous. It was a gift for someone and they were delighted with it. I was very pleased that it is a locally made product, the quality of the product and the customer service were all exceptional.

Weighted turtle

I bought this sensory weighted turtle for my son.he loves it and the texture is soft and has great quality.
I highly recommend this product.

Love the combinations

I love that I could make my own combination that reflects my personal choices and tastes.

Love it!

My 7yo daughter loves her Narwhal. She has called it "Sprinkles". Lovely quality and weight. It's just gorgeous!

Absolutely love it

My 9yo son loved his turtle immediately. It is SO soft and the weight is lovely. I kind of want one for myself!

Individuality

I love that we were able to tailor the lap pad to my son’s interests and sensory needs. I also love that there are different weights for different ages which helped me chose the right weight for him. Would definitely buy from here again.

Sensory lap blanket

This product is beautifully made. I loved being able to choose the colour. We use it for reading and to help with concentration for tasks like handwriting and siting at the table for meal times. The quality of calming moments products is excellent. My son also uses a weighted blanket made by Calming Moments for sleeping which has stood the test of time.

Helps keep the hoyse calm

Great! Our ot has shown us when to use it, and it's helping make the calm before bedtime a lot easier. It's also helping to keep him focused whilst needing to sit for long periods