This blanket is a game-changer for your sleep: Here’s what you need to know

How to sleep faster? Many people like to use thick blankets when the weather is cold. A thick, heavy duvet can keep you warm and cozy, and also help you sleep better and overcome insomnia. How does the thickness of the duvet affect your sleep health?

A study from 2020 by researchers at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, found that sleeping under a heavy blanket can reduce insomnia. They divided 120 adults who had insomnia and mental health problems (average age 40 years) into two groups. One group slept with a heavy duvet (6~8kg) and the other group slept with a light duvet (1.5kg) for four weeks. They also measured their insomnia severity using sensors on their wrists. The lower the score, the less severe the insomnia, and a score of 7 or lower means no insomnia. 

The study results showed that more than half of the people who slept with a heavy duvet (58.4%) had their scores cut by more than half. In contrast, only a small fraction of the people who slept with a light duvet (5.4%) had such an improvement. The number of people who had no insomnia (score of 7 or lower) was also much higher in the heavy duvet group (42.2%) than in the light duvet group (3.6%). Sleeping with a heavy duvet can improve your sleep quality because it makes your body produce more melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. 

Another team of researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden analyzed the melatonin levels of the participants when they used different weights of duvets. They found that when the duvet was heavier (about 12% of the body weight), the melatonin level was about 32% higher than when the duvet was lighter (2.4% of the body weight). Heavy blankets put pressure on different parts of your body, stimulating your muscles and joints. This activates the part of your nervous system that relaxes your body, warms your skin, and calms your mind, which helps you sleep. It also stimulates the part of your brain that releases melatonin, which reduces insomnia.

However, if you still have trouble sleeping even with a heavy blanket, you can try some other methods, such as taking a warm bath before bed or turning off the lights 30 minutes before sleeping.

Comments:

- I can't sleep unless I touch my head with something. I don't even use a blanket except in the middle of winter.

- 6~8kg? Isn't that the thick thing that was almost at my grandmother's house? How do you keep it clean? haha

- I like it because it's cozy.

- I use a winter blanket all year round.

- In the summer, I need to press my body with something to sleep well.

- It's an old-fashioned cotton quilt, but I know what you mean. It's so heavy that it's hard to take out my hand to check my phone. haha

- I sleep better after switching to a winter duvet.

- Even the babies use a blanket.

- If it's too heavy, I sleep well, but I can't get up in the morning and I don't have the strength to remove the blanket.

- That kind of quilt is nice, but I can't wash it in the machine, so I prefer the washable cotton duvet.

- I used to like heavy things, but my back got bad, so I had to sleep on my side and put thin things between my legs to fall asleep. 😢😢 Thick things are uncomfortable between my legs.

- I can't sleep if my pajamas and blanket are too thick, but the texture is more important.

- I feel like I'm having a nightmare if I use a heavy duvet, so I use a light one even in winter.

- If I press my body slightly with a heavy blanket, I sleep better. My mom used to put a sleeping vest on my niece and nephew and put a small pillow on their belly and legs. They slept well like that.

- I don't like the quilt to be too heavy, so I put it between the body cushions and sleep haha. I don't hug them, I just put them on both sides of me.

- The heavy quilt gives me a sense of security and it's nice.

- I was given a baby blanket or something to sleep with, and I slept well. Even in the summer, I slept on my stomach.

- I used to sleep with a very heavy futon, but now I feel suffocated and my shoulders hurt from the pressure, so I changed to a lighter duvet.

- I really like cotton quilts and they are very comfortable, but they are hard to manage, so I use goose down.

- I used to sleep with two heavy winter blankets on each side, but they made me sleep curled up because of the weight. haha, I couldn't stretch out.

- Nanne's fleece quilt is too heavy, so I use a goose-down blanket instead. If it's too heavy, it feels like something is on top of me. I get tired even if I wake up. 😢 A goose-down quilt for winter is good.

- That's why you can use a blanket for newborns, but of course you have to put them on both sides of the body. The effect of pressing is the same.

- Besides the body pillow, a large mochi doll is also helpful. ha ha When I can't sleep, I put it on my body and press it to sleep better.

- When I use a heavy blanket, I can't sleep deeply because it's annoying. So I use a light blanket + thin blanket and sleep ha ha.

- On the contrary, if I use a heavy blanket, I can't sleep because it's stuffy, so I take it off. I like it to be light.

- The cotton quilt is too heavy and thick, so I don't like it, but the thin summer quilt is too hot. When I go to sleep, I take out the goose down and sleep with it. It's moderately heavy, cozy, and very good. And what I learned recently is that if I sleep with a big pillow on my face, I sleep really well. Of course, you have to be careful not to block your nose, so it's not too soft, but it's quite large and the pillow with moderate tension doesn't lose its shape. But if it's too hot in the eye, I have to make sure that my nose is not covered with it. Then I sleep soundly even if I toss and turn.

- Babies sleep better when they have a pillow on their chest, and so do adults.

- If you don't have a thick blanket, you can put something on your chest to sleep, and it will feel more comfortable.

- Some people who feel hot use a pillow on their body instead of a blanket, and they say that the slight weight makes them feel secure and sleep better. I do that too sometimes.

- I always use something heavy to cover myself, like a cotton quilt. ha ha Except in the middle of summer. In winter, I use two layers of heavy dog blankets, and I fall asleep in 5 seconds as soon as I put my head on them.

- I also sleep with a round cushion on my chest in the futon, and it gives me some pressure, but it works well for me.

- I sleep on my stomach and I press my chest with my own weight, so I guess that's why I sleep well. But when I wake up, I find myself lying on my back, so I guess it doesn't matter much.

- Babies sleep well when they are wrapped tightly in a blanket, right?

- That's why sleeping on my stomach is comfortable for me because I feel some pressure on me.

(Source & theqoo)