The Best Weighted Blanket for Adults With Anxiety

Our team independently selects, reviews, and identifies the best products. We may earn affiliate commissions on purchases made from links on this page. Read about our links here. This post was updated on July 13, 2024

Hugs are the best things in the world, aren’t they? It gives the feeling of comfort and a way of showing support to the person you’re giving it to. A family therapist with the name of Virginia Satir once said, “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” So even if you are a person who loves to give hugs or the one who tries to avoid them, one thing is for sure, we need more hugs!

What’s better is that the beddings manufacturer has now recreated the feeling and comfort of a hug through your trusty bed buddy, the blankets.  Although weighted blankets seem like an entirely new “thing”, it has actually been around for a long time. The weighted blankets were originally created and made for children with autism, severe anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Then, it started to branch out into the mental health community until it reached the general public. 

Why do I need a Weighted Blanket?

By now, you may be thinking, “Okay, weighted blankets. But what’s the buzz about?” Maybe you have one of those nights where your mind goes on overdrive and you just can’t calm it down and you think to yourself, “is there a way to keep my mind quiet for just a while for me to sleep?” The answer to both of those questions lies in the Deep Pressure Stimulation given by the blankets. According to the Applied Behavior Analysis Edu,

“deep pressure stimulation is a firm but gentle squeezing, hugs, or holding that relaxes the nervous system.”

Because the blankets are relatively heavier than your typical blankets at home, the weight mimics a hug during your whole sleep. Imagine getting all the hugs that you need during those 6 – 8 hours of sleep?

Deep Pressure Stimulation also switches off your sympathetic nervous system (the alert system of your body) and turns on your parasympathetic nervous system (the calm system of your body). It allows your heart rate to slow down, your muscles to relax, and it improves the circulation of the blood throughout your body.

What else? The weight applied to your body during this time triggers the release of the happy hormones, the endorphins. Those are the very same hormones that are released during a good day’s run or when you cleaned the house well. Another set of hormones that are released are what are known to be “feel-good” hormones, which are dopamine and serotonin. They play an important role in regulating one’s mood and emotions. They also influence your sleep, learning, movements, cognition and concentration, hormonal activity, and your metabolism and appetite.

So if you’re still thinking about getting your very own blankets? I say, why not? It might help you get the sleep that you need and wake up with a sense of peace and calmness.

What Is the Best Weighted Blanket on the Market?

At this point, you might be considering buying your first ever weighted blanket, maybe your second blanket, or a blanket to give a friend, family, or special someone. I’ve done my research and narrowed down the options for you, so here’s my top picks among the weighted blankets for adults (and kids) suffering from anxiety:

Quility Premium Weighted Blanket & Removable Cover

Quility Premium weighted blanket with a dark blue removable cover

Check price on Amazon

Quility makes weighted blankets that comprise of 7 layers that is designed to give security and comfort. It includes a 100% breathable cotton fabric, that would perfectly coordinate with your body temperature; two layers of polyester, preventing tears and leakage of beads; a layer of premium micro glass beads that are hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, odorless, and lead-free; a layer of non-glue polyester padding surrounding the glass beads for maximum comfort; a layer of multi-loop cover binding which helps secure the removable cover; and lastly is the layer of new sewing technology which gives a the weighted blanket its durability. The company also has a wide range of blankets weighted and sized to perfectly fit your specific needs. What’s really interesting is that the covers of the blanket are sold separately, so you can change it as often as you like, and match it with the decor of your bedroom.

Esinfy Weighted Blanket

Woman sitting in couch with a gray Esinfy weighted blanket

Check price on Amazon

The Esinfy Weighted Blanket comes with four layers that use pressure irritating therapy, a new method that improves your sleep quality. It includes a soft breathable fabric filled with environment-friendly glass beads, giving comfort to you as you sleep. The manufacturers also use precision sewing technology which closely sews the outer fabric with a thinner core to uniformly distribute the weight, and makes sure that the beads stay in place and will not leak. The four corners of the blanket are also equipped with hanging slings for the external quilt cover. The Esinfy Weighted Blanket also comes with a luxurious gift bag, which is perfect when you want to give it to someone.

How Should You Choose the Best Weighted Blanket?

If you still think that you haven’t found the right weighted blanket for you, and you wanted to check out Amazon yourself or you’re thinking to make a trip to the department store, don’t you worry. There are only five important things to remember when you’re picking out your weighted blanket, aside from your budget that is.

Weight

This category is the most important thing to remember when picking out your weighted blanket. It must not be too light nor should it be too heavy for you. The rule of thumb for picking the right weight is that the weight of your blanket should be at least 10% of your actual weight. It means that if your actual body weight is 120 lbs, the weighted blanket you should pick should be at least 12 lbs. However, manufacturers don’t sell weighted blankets that are exactly tailored to the weight of most people. Usually, the blankets sold weighs 10 lbs, 12 lbs, 15 lbs, 20 lbs, and 30 lbs for adults. If your weight falls in between the mentions weights of the blanket, it is recommended to choose the blanket with a weight heavier than yours. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs, your weighted blanket should be 16 lbs. But since manufacturers don’t usually sell 16 lbs blanket, you choose the 20 lbs blanket instead, this way, deep pressure stimulation would still work on your body. So, take note of your body weight.

Size

This is another important category to consider when buying your weighted blanket. Before heading out to the store or checking out online, make sure you know the size of your bed. An important thing to take into consideration is that the size of your blanket should be slightly smaller than your bed. If your weighted blanket hangs off the sides, there will be a possibility that it will just slide off during your night’s sleep. So it’s better to get a smaller size for this to get a whole night’s effect of deep pressure stimulation and wake up calm and peaceful.

Removable Cover

Another thing to really consider when buying your weighted blanket is if whether you would opt to have a removable cover for your blanket. This would greatly affect how much you would spend and how much effort you will put in when washing. Since weighted blankets are heavy, a commercial washer and dryer are the best ones to use. A removable cover would allow you to style your bed in any way you want and wash it as much as you need.

Blanket Filling

This option is more on your preference. Blanket fillings act as the weights on your blanket and there are some filling that creates more texture than some. If you’re not that particular with texture, a blanket with plastic pellets would go well with you and it’s much cheaper than the other fillings. However, if you’re don’t like the bumpy texture a plastic pellet gives and you have a little more extra on your bank account, you can opt for glass beads. Glass beads are finer and gives a texture similar to sand, so you won’t notice it as much as plastic pellets.

Fabric

Another option that would base on your preference is the fabric of your blanket. Most blankets or its removable cover are made from cotton or minky fabrics. If you prefer a cooler blanket, cotton fabric is the best choice. However you want to be cozy and snuggle, you should go for a minky fabric.

Now you are definitely ready for an awesome night’s sleep and peaceful mornings! Make sure to share your experience and how you love your weighted blanket by leaving a comment, so others will know too.