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November 03, 2021 10 min read
What Are Weighted Blankets and How Do They Work?
A Mosaic Weighted Blanket is created by sewing a grid of pockets with hypoallergenic BPA-free pellets into fabric. This distributes the increased weight from the pellets across the entire blanket. When the blanket lays naturally and evenly across part or all of your body, it has been known to reduce a stress hormone called cortisol. The gentle pressure provided by the weighted blanket has also been known to cause the body to release a few different chemicals into your system: oxytocin, melatonin, and serotonin. Collectively, chemicals are known to relax the body, reduce stress, and induce a general feeling of happiness and security.
Weighted Blanket Benefits for Specific Conditions
Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues in the US. Luckily, weighted blankets are shown to be an excellent way to curb the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and panic. A weighted blanket can mimic a warm hugging sensation, giving the user a flood of serotonin (the feel-good chemical.) Weighted blankets specifically for anxiety are typically a bit heavier than a traditional weighted blanket.Studies have been known to show how effective weighted blankets are in reducing levels of cortisol.Healthline states that your brain may produce cortisol when it feels attacked as a fight or flight response. The deep touch pressure of a weighted blanket can help lessen cortisol production leading to better sleep.
Insomnia
Insomnia can be described: as difficulty sleeping or the inability to sleep. Chronic insomnia: is characterized by a consistent lack of sleep for three or more nights a week. Lack of sleep can throw off your normal functioning during the day and even put you at risk for various health issues. Deep-weighted pressure stimulation that a weighted blanket provides may help to alleviate the symptom of insomnia.Science Daily describes a study completed on 120 adults with insomnia on the use of weighted blankets. The quality of sleep improved for 60% of the participants who had a positive reaction to the weighted blanket.
Restless Leg Syndrome
A weighted blanket has been known to help with restless leg syndrome. Restless leg syndrome is the endless need to move and the inability to get comfortable when falling asleep at night. The uncomfortable sensations and symptoms may plague not only your legs but may have the feeling in other parts of your body. DPTS, also known asdeep pressure stimulation, created by a sensory blanket, has been known to be effective in soothing the aches and pains that make sleep stressful. Ordering weighted blankets, you will need to match height and body weight to the person using them. AMosaic Weighted Blanket® calms your mind and body, which is known to increase serotonin levels allowing you to get the sleep necessary to function properly throughout your busy days. Restful sleep is known to help with mental health.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by chronic pain, fatigue, muscle & joint stiffness, and sleep disturbances. Other stress-related ailments can accompany fibromyalgia, leaving the afflicted person with mood complications such as anxiety and depression. Medications are often prescribed to fight muscle pain along with the accompanying frustration. However, physical therapy and aerobic exercise are usually recommended to combat the pain.
Since there is no definitive cause for this syndrome, minimizing symptoms is currently the only standard treatment. Fibromyalgia causes what some deem as theregions of pain. Some of these regions overlap with what was referred to previously as an area of tenderness called trigger points or tender points. The pain in these regions feels like a consistent dull ache. Your healthcare provider will consider a diagnosis of fibromyalgia if you have experienced musculoskeletal pain in four out of the five areas of pain outlined in the2016 revisions to the fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria.
One of the things that a fibromyalgia patient suffers from is a lack of sleep. A Mosaic Weighted Blanket® can be used to treat stress, physical discomfort, and sleeplessness in those with chronic pain. Weighted blankets can help allow a restful sleep due to the consistent pressure a heavy blanket can provide. The added weight sewn into a Mosaic Weighted Blanket® distributes localized pressure on the tender points, such as the shoulders or the back, which is ideal for those who have widespread dull aching joint pain. These weighted blankets create a comfortable sleep setting, especially with the benefits of being known to raise serotonin levels and lower cortisol.
Deep pressure touch stimulation, like that of a massage, eases muscle tension and joint pain in a way that does not aggravate the pain signals of fibromyalgia. The pressure on the body encourages serotonin and endorphin production allowing your mood to elevate naturally soothes the body aches. When serotonin converts to melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, your Mosaic Weighted Blanket® can reduce incidents of insomnia and allow you to get the restorative sleep your body needs.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses five disorders or syndromes that fall under the category of pervasive developmental disorders, and they include:
Children afflicted with one of thesedisorders typically have problems communicating, engage in repetitive actions or behaviors, lack social skills, and show slow cognitive development. Symptoms of ASD may be evident in children as young as 18 months old.
These children and their parents face many challenges each day; it has been known that the Mosaic Weighted Blanket® is one of the helpful tools for patients and families impacted by ASD.
When the child is awake, you can lay the weighted blanket across their shoulders or evenly distribute it across their body. Thedeep pressure touch stimulation brought about by the blanket is known to produce serotonin in the child (the happy hormone) while simultaneously reducing cortisol levels (the stress hormone). When it is time to lay your child down to sleep, cover them with a weighted blanket to achieve peaceful and restful sleep.
How to Choose a Weighted Blanket
We recommend a blanket that is 10% of your body weight. You can add 1 to 2 extra pounds for additional pressure to the weighted blanket depending on why you chose to purchase and the benefits you need to obtain. For instance, a casual weighted blanket user will likely want to go with 10%, but someone suffering from stress and anxiety may opt for those couple extra pounds.
For a large or shared blanket, we recommend a20 - 25 pound Queen or King size.
When buying a weighted blanket, you can buy it to fit the length of your body or buy it to fit your bed. It comes down to personal preference. To accommodate your body length exactly, you should purchase ourtwin-size weighted blanket. If you need the weighted blanket to fit your bed, you can buy ourFull/Queen/King size. For the weighted blanket to provide the mentioned benefits, you should follow the purchasing guidelines online.
Each Mosaic Weighted Blankets are handmade to lay on top of the bed or match your body size but not hang over the sides. If it hangs over the sides of your bed, gravity will pull the blanket to the floor.
Are Weighted Blankets Safe for Kids and Babies?
As tempting as it might seem, weighted blankets are not recommended for babies, and they can pose a risk to your infant. Some experts say that babies must be left in a crib and placed on their side or back for the first year of life with no stuffed animals, excessive covers, or anything that could get in their face and stop them from breathing.
Weighted blankets are a highlighted risk to babies, toddlers, or children with developmental disorders or delays. Two deaths, a nine-year-old and seven-month-old, have beenlinked to the misuse of weighted blankets.
To properly use a weighted blanket, a child must be at least 2-years-old, walk well, and be able to push whatever is in front of them away from themselves to make room while sleeping. Theexcess weight of a weighted blanket could cause the baby to get trapped under the blanket as babies cannot push weighted items off themselves. TheAmerican Pediatrics Association asserts that soft objects and loose bedding should not be in the bed area of a child under the age of 2. The items create an unnecessary risk of SIDS, suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment.
For children over the age of 2, you may want to add 1-2 lbs to 10% of their body weight because most children like the extra pressure when attempting to fall asleep. Be careful, though some children may find it uncomfortable if the blanket is too large or heavy.
We sellkids weighted blankets specifically designed to fit small children, and our throw size weighted blankets are perfect for a larger child. While you can buy a larger size to allow your child to grow into their blanket, you should still adhere to the general weight guidelines of how much they weigh now.
We also suggest consulting with your doctor, occupational therapist, or another health care professional before purchasing a weighted blanket for a young child, especially if they are under the age of four.
As a reminder, you should never use a weighted blanket for a child under two years old.
Washing Your Weighted Blanket
With our busy lives, animals, food, and drinks, your Mosaic Weighted Blanket will need spot cleaning and eventually washing to stay in good condition, especially if your kids have a weighted blanket that they love and use constantly. Mosaic Weighted Blankets are made with premium quality fabrics and sewn with industrial Juki machines by our seamstresses in Austin, TX (USA Made). With the proper care, our hefty blanket is designed to be a part of your life for a long time.
Unlike other bedding, our weighted blankets have poly pellet weights, so you need to follow our best practices for cleaning and care tips for the best ways to clean your weighted blanket to ensure it lasts.
Just like regular blankets, Mosaic Weighted Blankets are designed to be 100% machine washable.
On the bottom right corner of your blanket, you will find a label with instructions that specify the steps to take to wash your weighted blanket correctly- wash on cold and lay flat to dry.
❒ Step 1: Evenly distribute the blanket throughout the washer to the best of your ability. Ensure you wash the blanket by itself. For large blankets and weighted blankets over 15 pounds, we recommend using a commercial washing machine.
❒ Step 2: Put your weighted blanket in the washing machine on a gentle, cold water cycle.
❒ Step 3: If your blanket is 15lbs or less, we recommend drying your blanket in the dryer for a few minutes on the low heat or fluff cycle and laying your weighted blanket out flat and evenly to air dry to finish the drying process. If your blanket is over 15 pounds, we recommend using a commercial washing machine. Due to the larger size and heavier weight, drying your blanket in a commercial dryer on low for a short time and then laying it flat and evenly to finish the drying process can help speed up the drying time.
❒ Step 4: Enjoy your fresh, clean, good as new Mosaic Weighted Blanket.
For large blankets and weighted blankets over 15 pounds, we recommend using a commercial washing machine. Due to the larger size and heavier weight, drying your blanket in a commercial dryer on low for a short time and then laying it flat and evenly to finish the drying process can help speed up the drying time.
Avoid the following when tending to your weighted blanket:
❒ Direct Heat: If possible, refrain from applying any high or direct heat to your weighted blanket because that will compromise the filling of the weighted blanket. Additionally, some of our weighted blankets are cotton, so too much heat may cause the cotton fabric to shrink.
❒ No Ironing your weighted blanket: We recommend refraining from ironing your weighted blanket. An iron will apply direct heat and will compromise the filling of your weighted blanket.
❒ Warm Water: To avoid blanket fabric damage, we recommend refraining from washing the weighted blanket with warm water.
How to treat each fabric type:
❒ Cotton: Many of our blankets are100% cotton. Cotton is a durable fabric when it comes to washing. You can place weighted blankets in the washer on a gentle cool water setting or cold water setting.
❒ Minky: Wash yourMinky Weighted Blanket on a gentle cool water setting.
❒ Coolmax fabric: wash thisblanket can be placed on a gentle cool or cold water setting. Coolmax is a durable moisture-wicking fabric that allows for constant washing and drying.
❒ Antimicrobial: OurHospital Grade Antimicrobial Weighted Blankets are made with a patented specialty fabric as a protective covering fabric with antimicrobial properties. All you have to do with this blanket is wipe it down with a cleaner. The Antimicrobial blanket comes with a 100% cotton washable cover in various colors. You can wash the cotton cover in the washer and dryer as you would any other cotton items, but it is recommended that you use a cool or cold setting to protect it from possible shrinkage. It is a long-lasting fabric allowing for multiple washes yet remaining in excellent condition.
Best way to remove pet hair from your weighted blanket:
Whether you have a shedding pet that sits on your weighted blanket or you have one of ourpet-weighted blankets, you will want to remove the hair.
You might consider a lint roller brush to pull animal hair off before washing or as an alternative to washing for regular maintenance.
Wash the weighted blanket or pet blanket based on the instructions for the fabric type.
If your blanket is 15lbs or less, we recommend drying it in the dryer for a few minutes on the low heat or fluff cycle and then remove it and lay flat to finish the drying process. Once the blanket has dried, use a lint roller to remove the remaining pet hair from the weighted blanket.
Find yourself wanting to wash your weighted blanket often?
Consider buying a duvet cover for your blanket. At Mosaic Weighted Blankets, we offer covers for your blanket that are easily washable. A duvet cover will allow you to wash the outside fabric of your weighted blanket more often. You can choose fromMinky,Cotton, andPlush.
Mosaic Weighted Blankets® was established in 2011; we are experts in the industry and sold thousands of blankets to satisfied customers. We offer a wide range of weighted blankets to choose from, such as Minky to cotton and a cooling-weighted blanket made from breathable fabric for a hot sleeper.
Are you still unsure about how to choose a weighted blanket? Then call us at 512-514-5529 or contact usonline. We're happy to answer any questions you might have, and we'd love to share our expertise to help you find the perfect blanket for your needs.
