Do Weighted Blankets Improve Anxiety or Sleep?
Have you ever used a weighted blanket? What was your experience? Did you feel like a human in a “thundershirt”?
In today’s SECOND COURSE, we delve into the data behind weighted blankets, and how they may help improve anxiety and sleep. We cover studies related weighted blankets during cancer treatment, inpatient psychiatric care, and for improving sleep in people with co-occurring mental health issues (like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD). Weighted blankets already have been studied extensively as a sensory tool for folks with autism spectrum disorder, and perhaps they can work for you too!
Plus, in the DESSERT CART Jeremy explains a recent study explaining that 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit might not be the accurate “normal temperature” for humans. Do you run HOT or COLD? Listen to find out!
Resources for today’s episode include:
Oncology Nursing News article “Weighted Blankets Effectively Reduce Anxiety for Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment“.
Poster presented at the 48th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress by Oncology Nurses at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Article in the American Journal of Occupational Medicine- “Weighted Blanket Use: A Systematic Review“.
Article from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine- “A randomized controlled trial of weighted chain blankets for insomnia in psychiatric disorders.”
Article in the Journal of Integrative Medicine- “Using weighted blankets in an inpatient mental health hospital to decrease anxiety.”
A Harvard Health article about benefits of weighted blanket use.
New York Times article- “The Average Human Body Temperature is Not 98.6 Degrees“.
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