Best Weighted Blankets for Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders

If you haven't heard about weighted blankets yet, you're behind on the trend. These blankets can be very heavy, weighing anywhere from four to 25 pounds. They are made heavier usually by having glass beads or plastic pellets inside. Weighted blankets have actually been around for years with the special needs community, but they are starting to become more mainstream as all people realize that they can benefit from a weighted blanket, especially people with anxiety issues. They can be simple and soft like a regular blanket, or if you need something with even more sensory input, they can be a minky dotted blanket. Whatever your needs, if you feel like you might benefit from burrito-ing yourself in one of these, check out the best weighted blankets on the market right now.

Why weighted blankets?

Maybe you're still unsure about how a weighted blanket can help you. Let's get into the science behind them to see if they are right for you. If you just like blankets, there probably won't be anything special for you here. A weighted blanket is meant to help people with issues including ADHD, anxiety, autism, and insomnia. The underlying science behind why these blankets help these types of people is called deep touch pressure (DTP). DTP is the idea that gently applying pressure to the body will help with serotonin production and release.

This is linked to less nervous system activity, which is directly connected to your fight-or-flight response. Swaddling yourself in a weighted blanket can immediately help reduce the intensity of an anxiety attack, or finally help you relax enough to fall asleep. A study exploring the safety and therapeutic effects of weighted blankets even showed patients who used weighted blankets reported lower anxiety and wanted to use them as their main calming mechanism. If you find yourself easily stressed or overwhelmed, weighted blankets can also help calm you down.

If you struggle with getting really hot while sleeping, the COOLMAX weighted blanket will be your best choice. Some people simply can't sleep without a blanket on them, even in the hottest weather; I know I have that problem. Menopausal women can also experience hot flashes during the night, disturbing their sleep. The COOLMAX blanket's advantages are in its name; it keeps you cool. This one comes in three different sizes, but customers report the blanket that weighs 15 pounds usually works best for most people. It's one of the best weighted blankets for people who like the weight of extra blankets, but can't stand the added heat they give.

If you find your anxiety or stress is keeping you up at night, the charcoal weighted blanket from Weighting Comforts should be your first choice. With a 5 star rating, people are loving this blanket. One reviewer even mentioned that it helped her child fall asleep and stay asleep longer. She ended up ordering one for everyone in the family, because both kids and adults can benefit from the added weight. If you've always been jealous of your friends who fall asleep immediately and through the night, this one is a good choice. It's sort of like a natural remedy for insomnia, when you think about it.

This is one of the lighter blankets on this list, but even 12 pounds can help you if you're struggling with stress and anxiety. Less of a blanket for sleep, though you can certainly use it for that, this blanket has two different textures—a more soft plain side, and a dotted side. The soft size is good if you're feeling just generally stressed out and need something warm and comforting like a hug from a loved one. The dotted side is for those who find themselves fidgeting during an anxiety attack. There's a lot of energy running through your body during an attack, and it's hard to find something to channel it into, and if you channel it into the wrong thing, you could hurt yourself. Massaging the dots is a great way to ground yourself and bring yourself back from the edge, making it one of the best weighted blankets for people with anxiety.

Weighted blankets are cool, but almost all of them are some shade of grey. Fortunately, YnM has you covered with a weighted blanket in every color or pattern you could ever want. It has every size and weight too! There are ones with dinosaurs and mermaids on them for the kids, or a chic lattice or picnic pattern so that even when you're not using it, the blanket can make a great accent. The general rule of thumb is to choose a blanket around 10-15 percent of your body weight, so if you weigh 150 pounds, a 15 pound blanket is the perfect choice if you prefer light, or 20 pounds if you prefer heavy.

This is a true therapeutic blanket and should be treated as such. Reviewers say this blanket feels even heavier than they expect, but in a good way. People suffering from depression and anxiety may find a moment of relief wrapping themselves up in this blanket, since it really gives the feeling like you're being embraced. I don't suggest this blanket if you don't want to feel sleepy, though, since it will immediately make you more relaxed. So definitely don't bring this one to work! But if you are looking for something to give you that relaxed, calming feeling, this is one of the best weighted blankets for exactly that.

This is one of the original weighted blankets and is still around today for good reason. Platinum Health has researched weighted blankets themselves for years and constructed a high quality blanket that is big enough for most adults to use. This blanket also comes in some pretty awesome colors, helping you determine the minky dotted side from the smooth side with just colors. The Calmforter is good for all different types of issues, including insomnia and anxiety. It's one of the most well rounded weighted blankets around. They also have a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee, which is always reassuring. The minky dots are perfect for children (and adults!) with sensory processing disorders too, so everyone can enjoy this blanket.

This weighted blanket by Brookstone is definitely more of a "relax on the couch" blanket than a "cuddle you to sleep" blanket. It's light while still providing you with that hugging feeling and can help reduce your stress and anxiety after a long day at work. The texture is delightfully soft too, which is super comforting any time of day. This one is also a bit cheaper than some of the others on this list, so if you're looking for one of the best weighted blankets on a budget, this is a good choice.

Now, as the name implies, this is the blanket you want to go with if you're struggling with chronic sleep issues. A reviewer on Amazon said, "You don't know coziness if you've never experienced this blanket." I'm all about that cozy life, and I have trouble with staying asleep and wake up a lot during the night, so I think this might be one of the best weighted blankets for me. Many claim that this almost "cures" their insomnia, and that this blanket has given them the best sleep they have had in years. How can you toss and turn in your sleep with all that weight on you? You can't! So you finally get to sleep!

And finally, we have BlanQuil's quilted weighted blanket. This is definitely going to keep you warm in the colder months along with reducing anxiety and stressed! As with all of the best weighted blankets, this one will help increase your serotonin and melanin production, while reducing your cortisol levels, promoting a more positive mood and restful sleep. This blanket stimulates your pressure points to help make you more relaxed, no matter what kind of day you had or what has triggered your anxiety attack. It's a great way to cope with anxiety in the moment.