Hi Everyone, today I thought I would do something a little bit different on the blog – a personal review. This was inspired by comments I received on my chronic illness gift haul post back in January, (which you can read here), with people asking how I found my newly acquired weighted blanket. It has taken me some time to get round to trying it, but here is my verdict…

Disclaimer – Before I go any further I would like to point out this isn’t a sponsored post this is purely a review based on my own experiences inline with my individual conditions. Please remember we are all different in our conditions and/or symptoms, and therefore what works for one person may not work for another. I am not a medical professional, I am a patient, therefore always check with your doctor about trying anything new and always read the instructions with any new product.

So, first things first, why did I want to try a weighted blanket? I predominately wanted to try a weighted blanket to see if it helped with certain symptoms in relation to certain conditions – fundamentally my physical health in regards to sleep, my mental health for calming my mind and finally my Tourette Syndrome as a way of aiding in relaxation.

The info on my specific product includes the following:

• 5kg – however it does state your ideal weight to choose should be 10% of your body weight.
• It can help with relaxation and calm as it gives a comforting hug
• Better sleep
• May reduce anxiety

My blanket came in a lovely packaged zip up bag, which is really handy for storage or a possible travel bag in the future. The blanket itself is really soft and is reverse so you can use it both sides. There are some really great instructions in the pack, so I would really recommend anyone trying this for the first time to read them as they contain a lot of safety guidelines I didn’t even realise were a thing. Such as not covering your face or neck, and that it should not be used if you have any respiratory or circulatory disorders. (Something I didn’t read until after trying it – so don’t make the same mistake as me!!). The biggest emphasis is making sure you choose a weight that is inline with your individual body weight (10% of body weight) and that if you are unsure you should always opt for a lighter weight.

With this in mind, I can say I probably do have the right weight for my body, however not necessarily the right weight for my conditions. I say this because unfortunately getting it out the packaging was my first problem. As silly as this sounds, even with the clue in the title (you know a small word like weighted), I wasn’t actually prepared for how heavy it would be. My Fibromyalgia and UCTD means I have extremely weak muscles in my arms and I actually struggled lifting it out the bag let alone putting it on my bed. Even more of a problem is once it is on the bed I don’t have the strength to manoeuvre it around to get comfortable.

Interestingly, I actually found I had very different experiences depending on where I used it as well. It was a lot easier to use it whilst on my bed then say the sofa. On my bed it felt more evenly balanced somehow even though it is designed to not be bulky. But, I honestly think that is more to do with me than the product and the fact that living with pain makes things feel heavier for me anyway. I tried using it over my body whilst lying on my bed, and also over my duvet whilst under it. Using it over my duvet was a big mistake – it felt too constrictive, which is probably inline with having the wrong weight. I was also more aware of my pain. However, lying on my duvet with the blanket on top of me felt a lot better and helped in making me more relaxed.

My experience of using it on the sofa really was not for me at all. In fact it made me feel rather trapped and as a result increased my urge to tic. Which in turn had the opposite effect in reducing my stress.

In terms of the symptoms I wanted to tackle, I felt the following:

• Physical Health – Sleep was not changed purely because it is not something I could sleep under. I couldn’t use it over my duvet, and I couldn’t use it solely to sleep under because it isn’t warm enough. At times I felt my pain was more noticeable too.
• Mental Health – I would say I had better results with my mental health than my physical as as long as I used it on the bed, I found it to aid with calming my mind and relaxation, although I didn’t really experience the ‘hug’ effect so to speak.
• Tourette Syndrome – Interestingly for me, this was very much environment dependent. In bed, I was able to relax more, yet on the sofa it triggered my Tourette’s pretty badly increasing my urge to tic.

In summary

I would say the weighted blanket definitely has its pros and cons. I like it, but I don’t love it and I probably wouldn’t be in a rush to use it on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t use it again. For instance I may find it more useful to use in the warmer months where I can use it to sleep under directly without feeling cold. Whether I would recommend is quite a tricky question because it is very dependent on what you want it for and what your condition is.

As someone with Tourette’s it is quite difficult to recommend to say other pain disorder sufferers as my Tourette’s does play a big role in not only my ability to relax, but my pain levels too. Therefore feeling restrained and having increased urges to tic, increases my body pain in general making it hard to determine if it is the blanket causing me pain or my tensed Tourette body. Having said this, I have read many personal accounts which found weighted blankets helped people with Tourette’s and their tics.

Taking my Tourette’s off the table for a moment, I would say if you are suffering with pain in the form of chronic illness then definitely consider the weight of the blanket, and go for a lighter weight to be on the safe side.

From a mental health viewpoint I would say it is a worthwhile experiment if you can afford it, (they can definitely be on the pricey side), as it can help in relaxation and giving you a level of comfort.

My final bit of advice is really do make sure you do your research and read any relevant instructions. The reality is they are not designed for everyone, so always ask questions before making any clear cut decisions, and find out whether they are suitable for your condition before making a dent in your wallet.

Do you use a weighted blanket? Does it work for you?

Sarah xx