Better Blanket – Better Sleep

blanket

Weighted blankets are carefully designed quilts embedded with small plastic pellets. These “heavy” blankets improve sleep quality and to ease anxiety in adults with insomnia, according to recent study results. Many fibromyalgia (FM) patients suffer from sleep disorders as well as chronic pain. Could these weighted blankets potentially improve overall sleep and insomnia in FM patients? While it is not well understood h exactly how these blankets improve sleep and anxiety, they are believed to provide a “cocooning” effect which can lead to positive mood and calming of the nervous system. More research needs to be done, but these weighted blankets could improve sleep quality, and thereby alleviate the pain of FM patients.
For more information, contact the UF Center for Musculoskeletal Pain Research at painresearch@medicine.ufl.edu