Weighted blanket

Initially, weighted blankets were most commonly used in deep pressure therapy to assist autistic people, individuals with dementia, and mental health conditions.

[1] DPT provides a soothing sensation akin to a warm, reassuring embrace that can help regulate the nervous system and decrease stress.

Weighted blankets are just one of the many tools occupational therapists use to provide "deep-touch pressure", a form of physical stimulation that, according to experts, may help individuals regulate their emotions and behavior.

However, in relation to insomnia, medical experts note that more research is needed, as there is not yet enough evidence to prove that the products reduce symptoms.

[5] Some of the earliest research into the form of deep-touch pressure that weighted blankets use began in 1965, when an American scientist with autism, Temple Grandin, invented the hug machine.

Tina Champagne, an occupational therapist, began researching them as a coping device for individuals in the broader special-needs community.

Weighted blankets continued to increase in popularity in the special needs community, and several companies began creating product lines throughout the early- and mid-2000s.

The company sold more than 128,000 units by putting a new spin on the product and marketing it to the public as a sleep aid and stress reducer.

"[9] The New Yorker linked the Gravity Blanket's popularity to both good timing and marketing, arguing that the previous years saw a marked rise in feelings of stress and worry in the United States and that it's "not coincidental that Gravity’s Kickstarter success arrived deep into a period when many Americans were beginning their e-mails with reflexive, panicked condolences about the news.

[10] Since securing popularity, medical doctors have noted that, while some findings have been intriguing, more research is needed to verify the efficacy of the products as sleep aids and stress reducers.

A delicate wash in cold water is generally preferred, as this preserves the properties of the padding material and prevents damage to the weighted pellets/beads.