What to Know Before Buying a Weighted Blanket

The sleep industry is abuzz these days and for good reason—it feels like people are finally waking up to the bountiful benefits of a good night's rest. In this busy, demanding, increasingly complex world, stressful weeks call for a comparable amount of blissful ZZZ’s.

While we're all realizing it's smart to stay in tune with our circadian rhythm, it’s not always that easy to achieve. Until now.

Enter, the weighted blanket.

Bearaby takes sleep seriously, and we know you do too. So, once you’ve decided a weighted blanket is worth taking for a test rest, there are a few things we suggest you think about to ensure you find the perfect match.

What About The Weight?

This is probably the most common question we get when people are thinking about buying a weighted blanket. So which weight is right for you? Here’s what we usually recommend:

You should pick a weighted blanket that is roughly 10% of your body weight. So, for someone who is 150 pounds, your best bet is the 15-pound weighted blanket. If you’re closer to 200 pounds, try the 20-pound weighted blanket.

However, every single person is different, and oftentimes people feel absolutely fine with a much heavier blanket. If you're someone that is dealing with a lot of extra stress, or battling with chronic anxiety or insomnia, we often recommend going up one weight category from the standard weight recommendation.

We know that people come in all shapes and sizes, so if you have any questions about which weight to order, just reach out and ask. We’ll be happy to help!

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What Size Should Your Blanket Be?

What makes weighted blankets effective all comes down to something called Deep Touch Pressure, which happens when you apply even weight across your body. This weight then triggers all the right reactions in your body–including increased feelings of relaxation and happiness from serotonin being released, deeper sleep cycles from increased melatonin levels, and lower stress and anxiety from decreased cortisol levels.

Our weighted blanket, the Napper, is designed to fit over and around your body, just like a cozy cocoon. It's really meant to be used by one person (although we never discourage cuddling!). So we usually advise couples to get our queen sized weighted blanket, the Hugger. The Hugger is 30 lbs (60”x80”) and is ideal for couples or someone looking for a blanket covering the entire bed.

If you’re thinking about getting a weighted blanket that is large enough to cover a large bed, but not too heavy for a solo sleeper, then our Ocean Hugger is just right for you. It comes in two sizes: 20 lbs for Queen-size beds and 25 lbs for King-size beds.

Whatever you choose, just remember the basic principles of why weighted bedding works, which is when your blanket evenly drapes around you in a way that triggers deep touch pressure.

The knitted design of our Nappers accomplishes this with amazing ease. Unlike other weighted blankets with fillers that shift around and bunch up, inside a knitted weighted blanket there's nothing but heavy fabric that cozily wraps around you, triggering DTP to help you relax and decompress in no time.

How Will You Use Your Weighted Blanket?

Whether you use one for a power nap to get you through a busy work day, a relaxation session on the couch with a cup of tea, or as part of your nightly sleep routine, weighted blankets can promote feelings of calmness, reduce stress and anxiety, and help you reach deeper sleep cycles.

We think our weighted blanket, The Napper, is the most versatile weighted blanket on the block. Throw it over your lap or wrap it around your shoulders. Use it as you will and enjoy its therapeutic benefits as you like.

We designed the Napper to be a welcomed design piece in anyone's home. Each one is made from layers upon layers of chunky-soft, hand-knit yarn. This knitted design not only looks beautiful (and on trend!), but the woven weaves actually serve an important functional purpose, allowing air to circulate and pass around your body so you never feel overheated while you rest.

We like to say our weighted blanket is a beautiful, functional addition to the home—perfect for power naps, Netflix marathons and that old forgotten pastime...reading real books!

What Fabric Is It Made With?

While so many other weighted blankets on the market are made with synthetic materials like polyester, at Bearaby we've said no to plastic and artificial materials from the very beginning.

While polyester and other synthetic fabrics like nylon and acrylic have gained widespread popularity because they’re easy to produce and cheap to collect, these fabrics are extremely harmful to both those who make them and those who buy them. The blanket may cost less, but the price the environment is paying when these products end up in landfills is way too high for us to stomach.

We use only sustainably-sourced organic cotton and a tree fabric called TENCEL™ to make our handmade weighted blankets. The fabric is spun into a yarn that's naturally weighted (you'll find only layers of fabric inside!) and knitted into a highly breathable and delightfully soft weave.

Our Tree Napper is made of irresistibly soft, highly breathable eucalyptus fabric, which makes it ideal for warm weather, hot sleepers, and nature lovers.

Our Cotton Napper is perfectly weighted with organic cotton all the way through. It hugs you tight, and keeps you cool and cozy.

What's On The Inside Of Your Weighted Blanket?

Today, nearly all of the weighted blankets out there are using plastic fillers to make their blankets heavy, which not only leads to overheating but also contributes to plastic pollution that ends up in landfills. We're proud to be the first vegan weighted blanket without any artificial filling materials.

Instead of artificial fillers like pellets or beads that shift around, make a lot of noise, and occasionally burst out of your blanket, we only use our patent-pending weighted yarn, which is made out of layers of natural fabrics, including organic cotton and TENCEL™, knitted together into a wonderful weighted weave. With our Napper, we wanted to challenge the common industry norms and create a sustainable and plastic-free weighted blanket. It turns out by removing the plastic, we also made our blankets breathable, solving the common problem of overheating under a weighted blanket.

It's simple for us. No fillers, no funny business.

Can You Wash Your Weighted Blanket?

At the top of mind for most people thinking about buying a weighted blanket is the all-important question: can I wash it?

Have no fear, all of our Nappers are machine washable! Plus, they're ok to go into the dryer, just make sure you tumble dry low for a cycle or two. The gentler you can be with the knitted weaves, the better. We also recommend laying your Napper out flat to dry if you have the space, and time. We know, it'll be hard to wait, but it will keep the condition of your blanket in tip top shape for a longer lifespan.

We've written more extensively about how to care for you Napper, so check it out for more tips and tricks.

If you’re reeling for rest and looking to take home a weighted comforter or blanket, it’s a sound idea to keep all of the above criteria in mind. With the right one, you’ll most likely find yourself enjoying a longer, deeper slumber. Weighted bedding works wonders. Rest assured.