How to Sleep Better with a Weighted Blanket

How to Sleep Better with a Weighted Blanket

Tips For Better Sleep Time
February 12th, 2021 9 minute read

How to sleep better and fall asleep faster

Why weighted blankets help you sleep

So a good weighted blanket will definitely help me sleep better?

 

Many people ask, “How to sleep better?” Perhaps the question should be turned around to ask, “How to wake up refreshed and eager to go?”

It all depends on the quantity and quality of your sleep. But one fact is clear – if you want to get up bright and sparky you need to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, and this is usually before the mid-night hour.

But it can be so frustrating lying in bed and thinking, “I must get to sleep, I must get to sleep….WHY can’t I get to sleep?”

You know you need the sleep. You understand that the recommended period of sleep is 7-8 hours. You are genuinely trying to conform – but it doesn’t happen because you cannot get to sleep, no matter how hard you try. And the harder you try the more sleep seems to elude you.

But there are things you can do and we offer a few well-tried strategies for you to test out.

But before you continue, we recommend watching a short tutorial from Emma McAdam on how you can actually train your brain to fall asleep and sleep better.

 

How to sleep better and fall asleep faster

 

Here are few things NOT to do before bedtime!

 

Avoid caffeine for several hours before you go to bed. The adverse effects of drinking a cup of coffee in the evening for sleep vary based on a person’s age and lifestyle habits. However, to be on the safe side, most of the research suggests avoiding drinking coffee 6 hours before bedtime.  Apart from coffee, you will find caffeine in tea, sodas, and chocolate.

Screens emit blue light. Blue light inhibits the production of melatonin – which you need to help you sleep. If you must use your computer shortly before bed, make sure you have a light dimmer set to reduce the blue light in the evening

Best not to get super-excited just before bed. Adults will be better off exercising at least 4-6 hours before bedtime. For children, scary stories will keep them awake – and may lead to nightmares.

Now some things that do work…

 

What to eat to sleep better

 

Some foods promote a night of better sleep. Cherries, apples, and bananas are among them. Some drinks can help and these include the old wife’s cure for insomnia with a glass of warm milk. Chamomile tea has soporific effects and helps you relax.

The ritual of boiling the kettle, warming the pot, waiting for the tea to stew a bit, and then settling back under a warm weighted blanket is soothing. When we do the same thing over and over again it can be comforting. But the ritual has to be sleep-inducing! If whatever it is you are doing right now isn’t working you might need to find another way to spend the time just before bed.

For a full list of our proven recommendations, please read Banana Before Bed and Other Food to Help You Sleep Better. 

 

How to sleep better with anxiety

 

Anxiety seems to be a part of life for far too many people – and it interferes with sleep. Feeling safe and warm in bed is necessary – and the soothing pressure of a weighted blanket can calm the nerves and allow the anxious person to get some much-needed rest. The pressure stimulates the release of stress-reducing neurotransmitters – dopamine and serotonin and the level of the stress hormone cortisol is reduced.

Find out more about weighted blankets for anxiety relief.

 

How to get better sleep quality

 

It’s not much use slipping into sleep if it is disturbed and shallow. Alcohol can make you sleepy – but the quality of sleep after a heavy drinking bout is impaired. (And you wake up feeling …)

To sleep well you need a room that is dark, quiet, and of the right temperature. Light tells our brain that it’s time to wake up, so it’s important to ensure your room has blackout curtains and no bright lights are on in the room.

The temperature is an area where many of us make mistakes. We tend to have the room too hot – the optimum temperature suggested is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). During the night our body temperature can vary. We either wake up shivering or we wake up sweating! This is where a bamboo weighted blanket can be of enormous benefit – without you even realizing it! They are designed to maintain even temperature throughout the night – and the bamboo fabric also wicks away fluids like sweat, so you wake up dry, comfortably warm, and well-rested.

 

How to sleep better during the day

 

Some people naturally wake up very early and then feel tired later in the day. For these people, a daytime nap can restore their energy levels, but very often it is hard to sleep efficiently during the day.

To get the best result a darkened and quiet room with no distractions is best. Cocooning yourself in a weighted blanket is relaxing and keeps you comfortably warm. It’s often best not to sleep for too long. The optimum time is between 20-30 minutes – dozing for longer carries the risk of falling into a deeper sleep and then you tend to wake up feeling groggy. While going to sleep in the evening is likely to become even more difficult.

 

Why weighted blankets help you sleep

 

Deep Touch Pressure Stimulation

 

Weighted blankets are becoming increasingly popular – for a good reason. People know that they need a good night’s rest to function properly and even to live longer. So how do they help you sleep?

They are weighted to gently stimulate pressure points in our body. Micro-glass beads are held in small pockets throughout the blanket. Because the weight is evenly distributed in the best weighted blankets, they feel comfortable and relaxing. They can help calm a hyperactive child and relieve restless leg syndrome in adults.

 

Your Sleep Microclimate

 

How to sleep better then the room is too hot, too cold, too humid, or too dry? The weighted blanket provides a micro-climate for you that lasts all night long. They maintain the optimum temperature for sleeping and keep you warm and dry.

 

Bamboo weighted blankets work better

 

The fibers matter. Aricove weighted blankets are made with 100% bamboo viscose fiber fabric that has many advantages over all kinds of cotton and fleeces that many other manufacturers use. We use only STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified material, so you can be sure your Aricove blanket is free from harmful chemicals. They are bacteriocidal and safe for people with allergies.

When we sleep our body temperature falls – and since bamboo fabric feels about 2 degrees cooler than cotton, it aligns itself naturally with your body and feels fresher – all night long.

The other important benefit that bamboo fabric has is that it wicks fluid away, keeping you nice and dry through the night.

 

It’s all about hormones!

 

When we feel we are hugged our vagus nerve is stimulated to produce serotonin – our “happy hormone”. Having a hug from someone who cares about you is one of life’s pleasures. But the gentle pressure from your weighted blanket also stimulates the vagus nerve and both serotonin and the sleep hormone melatonin are released. So we feel happier and sleepier!

Melatonin helps to regulate our internal body clocks – your circadian rhythm – and helps to sleep when the level rises and to wake up when it decreases in the morning. When your melatonin levels are too low – you sleep worse.

 

Aricove weighted blankets are easily transportable too

 

You don’t have to wait till you go to bed to use your weighted blanket. Day time naps snuggled up under the blanket can restore your energy levels. Many people take their blankets with them when traveling – it can be hard to get to sleep when you are in a different environment, with too much light or too much noise. If you are on holiday, you might be very excited and how to sleep better at night is easily managed – you take your weighted blanket with you. You need good sleep to build up the energy to explore new places.

 

Twin sized weighted blankets are NOT for sharing!

 

It’s important that the weight of your blanket falls on you and not on your bed or the couch – and not on your sleeping partner either. Keep your weighted blanket for yourself or get another one for your partner.

Twin weighted blanket contours to your body and gives an even more effective stimulation to your pressure points. Professional athletes and sports enthusiasts often choose a twin weighted blanket for sole use.

 

So a good weighted blanket will definitely help me sleep better?

 

A good weighted blanket is one of the top aids to a good night’s sleep – and a good night’s sleep is essential if you are to function well and enjoy life. Buying a weighted blanket will not be a cure for chronic insomnia, nor will it solve all your life dilemmas keeping you awake late at night. However, these tips on how to sleep better, together with a quality weighted blanket, can help you wake up refreshed and eager to go.

Weighted blankets help to ease you into sleep – and to stay asleep through the whole night, thus giving your body the chance it needs to rebalance and restore itself. Simply put – if you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, you will most likely never regret buying a quality weighted blanket.

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