Each year, 1/5 of adults in the United States experience mental illness. Having a mental illness can negatively impact daily life if you don’t attempt to manage it.
There are several ways to alleviate uncomfortable symptoms caused by a mental health disorder.
Is a weighted blanket helpful for mental health? Keep reading to find out.
What Are Weighted Blankets?
A weighted blanket provides gentle pressure on your body that can help slow down your heart rate. Weighted blankets activate your parasympathetic nervous system to calm you down.
Using a weighted blanket is similar to the feeling of being swaddled, hugged, held, or stroked.
Can a Weighted Blanket Help Your Mental Health?
Weighted blankets can help your mental health by alleviating unwanted symptoms caused by certain conditions. If you struggle with mental wellness, a weighted blanket may help if you have these conditions:
Anxiety
Anxiety is common and can affect anyone at any time. Anxiety caused worry and uneasiness that can increase your breathing rate and your heart rate.
Anxiety that disrupts your daily life might stem from an anxiety disorder. If you worry about everyday situations, your body will feel like it’s in a stressful environment most of the time.
The pressure from a weighted blanket places your autonomic nervous system into sleep mode to help reduce some anxiety symptoms and provide an overall sense of calmness.
Sleep Disorders
If you struggle to get restful sleep, you’re not alone. Chronic sleep disorders are more common than people realize.
Anxiety and stress can worsen existing problems caused by a sleeping disorder. You don’t need to have a sleep disorder for anxiety and stress to occasionally affect your sleep.
Weighted blankets can prepare your body for rest by calming your breathing and heart rate. It helps your body calm down enough to get the sleep it needs.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Children with ADHD have a difficult time with control, especially when it comes to sitting still and paying attention. It’s harder for ADHD kids to focus on what they need to focus on because they are distracted by their surroundings.
Weighted blankets activate a sense of touch that can prevent children from getting distracted by environmental sensory stimuli. You can find weighted vests for children with ADHD if they cannot use a blanket during class.
Autism
Social interaction is difficult for children with autism, which leads to anxiety and stress.
Weighted blankets can relieve stress for those with autism by improving their ability to focus on their tasks. It can make these individuals feel rewarded as well.
Those with autism might feel like sensory stimulations around them are too intense. Weighted blankets will help someone with autism not feel over-stimulated.
Consider Neuropsychological Testing
If you find that your mental health or a learning disability is holding you back from life, using a weighted blanket might help.
To better understand where these conditions stem from and what you should do to treat them, consider neuropsychological testing.
Don’t wait to get the help you need. Contact us today with questions or to schedule an appointment.