Can not you Sleep? Ditch the duvet and snuggle up under a heavy blanket β which releases feel-good chemicals because it feels like cuddling
If you want to sleep well, you can put the duvet away. It’s best to slip under a thick blanket.
Scientists say weighted blankets trigger the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, which respond to the pressure of the blanket like a hug or hug.
Tests show that this puts you in a better mood in the morning β and reduces the incidence of depression and anxiety.
βWeighted blankets may be a safe and effective intervention for insomnia and various sleep disorders, with fewer side effects than drug treatment,β the researchers report.
They analyzed data from studies of heavy or weighted blankets as a treatment for improving sleep and other disorders, in an effort to understand the mechanisms behind sleep problems.
A woman sleeps on a couch under a blanket. Scientists say weighted blankets trigger the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, which respond to the pressure of the blanket like a hug or hug (stock image)
Neurologists from Zhejiang University Hospital in Hangzhou, China (pictured) concluded that lying under weighted blankets results in better sleep and fewer cases of chronic pain
Lying under weighted blankets results in better sleep and fewer cases of chronic pain, conclude the neurologists at Zhejiang University Hospital in Hangzhou, China.
It is unclear how heavy blankets have such a dramatic effect.
One theory is that the touch and pressure of a weighted blanket on the skin can stimulate sensory nerve endings.
The researchers suggest that this would activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a calming effect.
It also increases the production of endorphins, the body’s own painkillers, and increases levels of dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals involved in the regulation of mood disorders.
Endorphins and dopamine can also lower heart rate and relax muscles, which in turn can improve sleep and limit insomnia.
Stimulation of nerve endings can also promote the release of melatonin, the hormone that plays a key role in sleep timing.
The body naturally increases melatonin levels at night to promote sleep, while supplements based on the hormone are used by doctors to treat insomnia.
The neurologists say: ‘The blankets can improve sleep quality and alleviate negative emotions and daytime symptoms in patients with sleep disorders, ADHD and other related disorders.’
But the study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, concludes that more research will be needed.