My wife swears by weighted blankets to sleep – and now I understand why | Sleep

In 2017, my wife, Tracey, and I bought our first weighted blanket. It was filled with thousands of tiny glass beads sewn into quilted pockets to spread gentle pressure across the body without layering comforters. Tracey grew up in eastern Canada, where piling on blankets and comforters was a perfectly reasonable way to make a bed feel cozy. When we lived in Arizona some eight years ago, the weather made all those layers unbearable.

For Tracey, the weighted blanket was the solution; she’s slept under it for nearly a decade. She noticed a big improvement in her sleep, and her ease helped mine as well. I understood the appeal conceptually, but I didn’t fully grasp the value until I pulled one over me to try to make the most of a short, six-and-a-half-hour night.

I woke up refreshed, having slept straight through until morning, without the grogginess that I usually feel after a night cut short.

A weighted blanket has been part of our bedding ever since.

Yescool Weighted Blanket

Yescool

Weighted Blanket, 10lbs (48 x 72in)

$43

$43 at Amazon

Yescool

Weighted Blanket, 10lbs (48 x 72in)

$43

Weighty decisions

Tracey’s first weighted blanket was 16lbs (7kg), which worked well initially, but after a while, even Tracey admitted it was a bit heavy. Last year, she switched to an 11lb blanket, and I recently decided to try one too. My 10lb, 48in x 72in Yescool weighted blanket costs about $40. The same design is available in sizes up to 88in x 104in and as heavy as 35lbs.

The weight I chose feels like a sweet spot, adding enough heft to be noticeable without putting uncomfortable pressure on my feet. I also like its two-tone design, with the light orange of early autumn leaves on one side and a warm, medium grey on the other.

Tracey reaches for hers when sleep is elusive, whether from restless legs, anxiety or a disruption to our normal schedule. I’ll probably do the same, but I’ve been testing mine every night for the past two weeks and exploring other uses during the day.

My 2.30am experiment

I generally sleep well, so I wasn’t sure how much difference a weighted blanket would make. Then a late-night deadline provided the perfect test.

I finally went to bed at 2.30am with an alarm set for 9am. Six and a half hours is unusually short for me, so I draped the Yescool over our light comforter, climbed underneath, and let go of the day.

The gentle but insistent pressure across my body and limbs felt immediately relaxing. Combined with the natural sleepiness of the late hour, I drifted off quickly, as usual.

But what happened next surprised me. I normally wake once or twice during the night, but this time I slept straight through until the alarm sounded. Despite getting only six and a half hours, I woke feeling remarkably refreshed. A simple way to get to sleep without worrying about it is worth a few bucks.

One good night doesn’t prove that a weighted blanket will transform anyone’s sleep, but I’ve continued to sleep better, with fewer interruptions, especially on colder nights. Research into weighted blankets supports my experience. A 2024 randomized trial of 102 adults with insomnia found significantly improved self-reported sleep quality after a month, although objective sleep measurements showed less dramatic differences.

Yescool

Weighted Blanket, King Size (88in x 104in)

$52

Uncovering possibilities

I found another use for the Yescool during morning yoga. Rolled tightly, it becomes a small, firm bolster. An ordinary rolled blanket tends to compress and flatten, while the glass beads give this one enough bulk and structure for surprisingly good support. Folded into a compact square, it also works as a meditation cushion.

Since the blanket is a soft weight, I can wrap it around a tripod, or standing light for greater stability. I haven’t tried this yet, but I suspect it might be a nice addition to my car camping gear. Laying a weighted blanket in my pop-up mosquito tent could eliminate the need to stake it or tie it down.

Those alone aren’t reasons to buy a 10lb blanket, but they make it more useful when it isn’t on the bed. Sleep experts put weighted blankets on a Filter shortlist of products worth considering, and after years of watching Tracey sleep under one, I finally understand the appeal myself. Sometimes a little extra pressure is just what I need to let go.