Ironically, for many people with sensory processing disorder, anxiety, autism, malfunctioning nervous systems, restless leg syndrome, or like me, nerve pain and dysautonomia, feeling overwhelmed can lead to feelings of having no physical anchor left in the world.
I know that is not a great description, but it is the best I can come up with. My nerves are twitching and painful. I feel like I am going to pass out or crawl out of my skin. Often the only relief for me was when my cats would climb on my legs. Weight and pressure seemed to be the key.
Enter the weighted blanket.
What is a weighted blanket you ask? It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a heavier than normal blanket that is stuffed with plastic pellets similar to the ones found in stuffed animals. This allows the blanket to provide the user the sensory sensation of weight and pressure where ever they place the blanket.
I have been wanting to try a weighted blanket for a while now and through a generous gift I was given the opportunity to do so. Although this was a gift, the thoughts are strictly my own. Here goes:
1. It is heavy. Seems obvious but keep it in mind when ordering. Most websites that sell these have a calculation based on body weight to pick the weight of your blanket. But I know that I can not lift more than 10 pounds without risking dislocating something so mine is lighter than I should have. It was a compromise because there was no point in owning a blanket I could not pick up.
2. The "minky" fabric is awesome! Everyone in the house fell in love with it instantly. Including all four cats. And the fact that it was in zebra stripe made it even better. (The Zebra is the mascot for my condition, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome).
3. It is HOT. Now this is to be expected from a weighted blanket. But especially with the minky fabric which is similar to microfleece. Because of how hot it was, I was not able to sleep with it all night. This was slightly disappointing because they are also supposed to help with sleep problems which I have in spades.
4. Did it work? Surprisingly, yes! I had a "typical for me" flare up where my leg pain shot through the roof and I felt like I was crawling out of my skin and meds were doing nothing. My dsyautonomia and nerve pain were in full flare. I was prepared for a night of misery and sleeplessness like I had dealt with in the past. On a whim, I grabbed the weighted blanket and put it over my legs and tried to distract myself with silly youtube videos.
Within an hour, the flare had subsided to the point that I could go to sleep. I was shocked and so grateful. I think if I could have tolerated the warmth longer, it might have stopped it entirely. I now pull this blanket out whenever I start getting that bone deep, cold, disconnected feeling or any type of nerve pain. It helps almost every time. The few times it did not help I was also severely dehydrated and needed IV fluids.
5. Cons. They are expensive. No other way to say it. But they are worth the investment in my opinion. The blanket itself is a quality product, both in the fabric and workmanship. And as the daughter of a quilter, I am picky about my blankets.
The heat is an issue. It is less of an issue now as New England turns to fall. In fact, I think I will like it during the cold winters. But if you live in a warmer climate or have issues with heat intolerance, you need to take this into consideration.
After I received my zebra minky blanket, I found out that the company that makes it also sells a cotton version of their weighted blanket. As much as I love the minky fabric, the cotton might be a better option for anyone who has issues with heat.
In my ideal world, I would have the minky blanket for the cold months and a cotton one for spring and summer. I will add that I have not tried the cotton blanket but expect it to be much the same just lighter. If I ever get a chance to try it, I will update this post.
6. Other uses: This blanket has actually been used by multiple people in my home. I have a roommate with anxiety and a niece with both anxiety and ADD. We wrapped it around their shoulders during times of stress and anxiety and it seemed to help calm them. It helped my niece more, I think because she snuggled into it until she calmed. But I could also visibly see it bringing the level of my roommate's panic attack down even if she did not feel it.
7. So where do you get one of these magic blankets? At Magic Weighted Blanket of course! Seriously, that is the name of the company.
There is of course, other places to get these types of blankets. Amazon has a few but I was skeptical of the quality based only on the photos. You can find some on etsy or ebay. You can even make your own if you are crafty.
But having seen the quality of the blankets I received, it is worth the cost in my opinion to get it from a company that specializes in these blankets.
I am recommending the company Magic Weighted Blanket for a few reasons. The most major being that I like and use their product. But just as important to me was their response.
When I first started looking into weighted blankets, I emailed multiple companies asking if they had any information on people with Ehlers-Danlos having success with the product. I knew it was a long shot because my condition is rare. I expected a lot of "sorry we can not help you" form responses.
Magic Weighted Blankets was the ONLY company that responded. The others did not even bother with a form reply. This speaks to customer service and commitment to me. A simple email saying they had no data, or even a general info sheet on the blankets would have been enough to satisfy me.
I want to spend my money on products that work and with companies that care. So if you decide to try a weighted blanket, I suggest using Magic Weighted Blanket.
And if any of you get your hands on one of their cotton weighted blankets, please let me know if it helps prevent getting too hot. Maybe some day I will get a cotton one of my own.
As for me, when my illness leaves me feeling like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and I have lost my anchor, you will find me curled up in my Magic Weighted Blanket until I come back to earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment