The feeling of being hugged by a loved one, or a close friend, sparks joy, paired with a comforting and relaxing feeling.
Ever think about why we swaddle babies? Well, the feeling of being swaddled for them, mimics the feeling of a nice cosy hug or mimics the feeling of being in the womb all nice and snuggled up. With the help of a weighted blanket, you can feel the same cosy, comforting feeling a baby would swaddled.
That said, deep pressure touch is the true magic of the weighted blanket. You can experience this feeling in many other areas of your life; during a massage, a nice hug, and wrapping yourself in a blanket, these are all variations of deep pressure stimulation.
Deep pressure touch is what lowers arousal, calming both the mind and the body, allowing you to completely relax. Your fight or flight response zone, located in the body’s sympathetic nervous system, decreases during this time of deep relaxation. That calm and restful feeling you get from your weighted blanket or a hug comes from the body’s parasympathetic nervous system when this is activated, causing your heart rate to lower, triggering a sense of calmness.
The deep pressure stimulation you receive from a weighted blanket is shown to reduce stress and increase feelings of relaxation and calmness in many users. 78% of users say that the blanket makes them feel more calm and secure.
For those who suffer from anxiety and depression, caused by anxiety symptoms, found their feelings of panic, heart pounding, sweating reduced when using their weighted blanket during times of stress and during specific episodes.