Example of a company ad
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Q - Coach: I recently read an online mag called ScienceMag that was promoting a product called The Density Blanket it says is engineered to be 10% of your body weight for Deep Pressure Touch Stimulation (DPTS), a proven therapy used to promote deep, restful sleep that anyone can benefit from.
I'm a lousy sleeper especially before races, so am wondering if there is any truth to this and if any of your clients have used it. Thanks.
A - I admit that until your question I was unfamiliar with this product; and I don't know any runners or anyone for that matter who has used them.
So I've looked in to it...
I'll tell you one thing I've discovered - weight blankets are big business! Just do a Google and you'll see what I mean.
I should point out that ScienceMag is not a scientific periodical - rather, it's an advertisement aiming to sell product. In fact, If you scroll down to the bottom of the website link, you'll see the following:
THIS IS AN ADVERTORIAL AND NOT AN ACTUAL NEWS ARTICLE, BLOG, OR CONSUMER PROTECTION UPDATE.
But having said that, there is a heck of a lot of literature on the subject especially in the field of occupational therapy where it has been increasingly employed in acute mental health care settings for crisis intervention.
And it's been reported that it appears to help the consumer nurture, soothe, and care for himself or herself and facilitate the ability to feel safe, comforted, and grounded in the world... just like a grilled cheese sandwich eh?
Also, many other health-related professions, have used weighted blankets to assist children with an autism to be calm, fall asleep and remain asleep.
The idea behind deep-pressure touch is that it stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that tend to make people feel more relaxed.
There are few scientific investigations. However, in 2015, there were a couple of studies conducted and published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders:
One was done in India entitled,
Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of the Weighted Blanket With Adults During an Inpatient Mental Health Hospitalization.
This was an exploratory, pilot study to investigate the safety and anxiety reduction of the standardized use of the 30-pound WB with 30 adults during an acute inpatient mental health hospitalization.
The Safety measures included the Vital Signs of blood pressure, pulse rate, and pulse oximetry monitoring, with and without the 30-pound WB. Electrodermal activity and self-rating readings measured effectiveness for anxiety reduction.
The results showed no statistical differences in vital signs indicating the Weighted Blanket was safe to use and the self ratings indicated 60% had a significant reduction in anxiety: but the Electrodermal readings were inconclusive.
The other 2015 study was conducted at the Institute of neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and the published paper was entitled, Positive Effects of a Weighted Blanket on Insomnia.
The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a chain weighted blanket on insomnia, using objective and subjective measures. 31 completed the protocol (11 men, 20 women).
Objectively, it found that sleep bout time increased, as well as a decrease in movements of the participants, during weighted blanket use.
Subjectively, the participants liked sleeping with the blanket, found it easier to settle down to sleep
and had an improved sleep, where they felt more refreshed in the morning.
The investigators concluded that a weighted blanket may aid in reducing insomnia through altered tactile inputs, and thus may provide an innovative, non-pharmacological approach and complementary tool to improve sleep quality
To the investigators credit the paper did have the following footnote:
CONFLICT OF INTEREST The study was supported by a grant from Somna AB. GB[one of the authors] is the Medical Director of SDS Clinic, where the study was overseen.
So where does that leave us? Certainly studies are needed in order to study the physiological impact once folks have fallen asleep.
Personally, I do like the feel of a thick duvet vs. an usual blanket. And I was recently a guest where I experienced a Portuguese blanket that was far heavier than my duvet but far less weight than 30-lb. and I had a wondrous sleep......zzzzzzzzzzz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For additional information on this topic I suggest you read an article that was published in LiveScience in May 2017 entitled Weighted Blankets: Harmless for Adults, Potentially Dangerous for Kids.
Q - Coach: I recently read an online mag called ScienceMag that was promoting a product called The Density Blanket it says is engineered to be 10% of your body weight for Deep Pressure Touch Stimulation (DPTS), a proven therapy used to promote deep, restful sleep that anyone can benefit from.
I'm a lousy sleeper especially before races, so am wondering if there is any truth to this and if any of your clients have used it. Thanks.
A - I admit that until your question I was unfamiliar with this product; and I don't know any runners or anyone for that matter who has used them.
So I've looked in to it...
I'll tell you one thing I've discovered - weight blankets are big business! Just do a Google and you'll see what I mean.
I should point out that ScienceMag is not a scientific periodical - rather, it's an advertisement aiming to sell product. In fact, If you scroll down to the bottom of the website link, you'll see the following:
THIS IS AN ADVERTORIAL AND NOT AN ACTUAL NEWS ARTICLE, BLOG, OR CONSUMER PROTECTION UPDATE.
But having said that, there is a heck of a lot of literature on the subject especially in the field of occupational therapy where it has been increasingly employed in acute mental health care settings for crisis intervention.
And it's been reported that it appears to help the consumer nurture, soothe, and care for himself or herself and facilitate the ability to feel safe, comforted, and grounded in the world... just like a grilled cheese sandwich eh?
Also, many other health-related professions, have used weighted blankets to assist children with an autism to be calm, fall asleep and remain asleep.
The idea behind deep-pressure touch is that it stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that tend to make people feel more relaxed.
There are few scientific investigations. However, in 2015, there were a couple of studies conducted and published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders:
One was done in India entitled,
Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of the Weighted Blanket With Adults During an Inpatient Mental Health Hospitalization.
This was an exploratory, pilot study to investigate the safety and anxiety reduction of the standardized use of the 30-pound WB with 30 adults during an acute inpatient mental health hospitalization.
The Safety measures included the Vital Signs of blood pressure, pulse rate, and pulse oximetry monitoring, with and without the 30-pound WB. Electrodermal activity and self-rating readings measured effectiveness for anxiety reduction.
The results showed no statistical differences in vital signs indicating the Weighted Blanket was safe to use and the self ratings indicated 60% had a significant reduction in anxiety: but the Electrodermal readings were inconclusive.
The other 2015 study was conducted at the Institute of neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and the published paper was entitled, Positive Effects of a Weighted Blanket on Insomnia.
The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a chain weighted blanket on insomnia, using objective and subjective measures. 31 completed the protocol (11 men, 20 women).
Objectively, it found that sleep bout time increased, as well as a decrease in movements of the participants, during weighted blanket use.
Subjectively, the participants liked sleeping with the blanket, found it easier to settle down to sleep
and had an improved sleep, where they felt more refreshed in the morning.
The investigators concluded that a weighted blanket may aid in reducing insomnia through altered tactile inputs, and thus may provide an innovative, non-pharmacological approach and complementary tool to improve sleep quality
To the investigators credit the paper did have the following footnote:
CONFLICT OF INTEREST The study was supported by a grant from Somna AB. GB[one of the authors] is the Medical Director of SDS Clinic, where the study was overseen.
So where does that leave us? Certainly studies are needed in order to study the physiological impact once folks have fallen asleep.
Personally, I do like the feel of a thick duvet vs. an usual blanket. And I was recently a guest where I experienced a Portuguese blanket that was far heavier than my duvet but far less weight than 30-lb. and I had a wondrous sleep......zzzzzzzzzzz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For additional information on this topic I suggest you read an article that was published in LiveScience in May 2017 entitled Weighted Blankets: Harmless for Adults, Potentially Dangerous for Kids.
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