How do weighted blankets work and why are they so effective?
How do weighted blankets work? Let’s gently unravel the science behind that calm, comforting feeling.
Last updated January 04, 2026
What is a weighted blanket?
A weighted blanket is a little heavier than your average blanket, and loved for how calm and comforting it feels.
Inside, you’ll usually find tiny weights (plastic or micro-glass beads) evenly stitched throughout the blanket. This gentle, all-over pressure creates a snug, grounding feeling that helps your body slow down.
Weighted blankets are used by both adults and children, and come in a range of sizes and weights to suit you. As a general guide, most people choose a blanket that’s around 10% of their body weight.
From easing symptoms of certain medical conditions and reducing anxiety, to encouraging deeper, more restful sleep, weighted blankets are a simple, therapeutic way to help your body and mind relax.
How weighted blankets work
Weighted blankets mimic the feeling of a comforting hug or a deep tissue massage. They use something called deep touch pressure therapy, which is really just a fancy way of saying gentle, steady pressure spread evenly across the body. This kind of pressure helps your nervous system relax and can gently lift your mood.
The idea was first explored by Temple Grandin, who noticed during a farm visit that cattle became noticeably calmer when inside a squeeze chute. She realised she found the same kind of pressure comforting herself, but often felt overstimulated by hugs. Curious about why this worked, she went on to create what became known as a “hug machine”. It was a simple device that applied soft, even pressure to the body. She noticed that the gentle pressure helped release oxytocin, often called the feel-good hormone. Since then, several studies have expanded on this calming effect.
Weighted blankets were inspired by this same idea. That soothing pressure can encourage the release of serotonin (the feel-good hormone) and melatonin (the sleep hormone), helping to ease anxious thoughts, fight stress, and support deeper, more restful sleep.
Relieving anxiety & stress
Gentle pressure encourages the release of serotonin (often called the happy hormone), which can help ease anxious feelings and bring on a sense of calm and relaxation.
Studies have also shown that sleeping under weight can help lower cortisol, our main stress hormone. Cortisol is part of our natural fight-or-flight response, and while it’s important in stressful moments, too much of it can leave us feeling overwhelmed and on edge.
Simple, natural tools like weighted blankets can help keep cortisol in balance, encouraging your body to relax and flooding your body with feelings of calm like a warm bath.
Better, deeper sleep
Find yourself tossing and turning at night, fed up with counting sheep? A weighted blanket can help everything slow down and let those busy thoughts gently drift away.
By applying deep touch pressure across the body, therapy blankets can help reset your natural sleep-wake rhythm, reduce fidgeting, and support a deeper, more restorative kind of sleep.
That calm, sleepy feeling comes from the way deep touch pressure encourages the release of serotonin and melatonin (the sleep hormone). Together, they create the perfect conditions for peaceful nights with fewer disruptions.
They can be a great option for people with disrupted sleep, including those who struggle with insomnia or conditions like Restless Leg Syndrome.
Chronic pain
The nagging discomfort of chronic pain can quickly take over quality of life and effect sleep, concentration and mental health.
If you’re feeling fed up of relying on over-the-counter pain medication to get through the day and you’re looking for a natural, side-effect-free way to fight pain, a weighted blanket may be the answer.
With a unique ability to reduce pain through therapeutic pressure, weighted blankets can recalibrate cortisol levels, and enhance the production of serotonin and oxytocin - all of which are hormones heavily linked to pain.
Supporting neurological conditions
How do weighted blankets work and support health conditions?
Autism
Hundreds of autistic people say that their weighted blanket is the best sensory tool they own. However, the benefits for autism are case dependant.
Sensory issues
The even weight applied by a Karmara blanket can help to create distraction, provide relief, comfort and address sensory seeking needs.
ADHD
Heavy blankets can be used as a tool to help manage symptoms of ADHD, regulate the mood and alleviate struggles with stress, sleep, and focus.
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