Tossing and turning night after night? Your fluffy, feather-filled comforter might need to move over for a burlier bedmate-a weighted blanket. Imagine a blanket on steroids: stitched or knitted and loaded with sand, rice, or plastic beads to deliver a load worth kicking insomnia's ass.

Weighted blankets offer deep pressure stimulation, a tactile stimulation that exerts gentle, consistent pressure on the body, allegedly calming down your nervous system in the process, says Michelle Drerup, PsyD, DBSM, a licensed psychologist and sleep medicine savant at the Cleveland Clinic. Think of it as a 24/7 squeeze, simulating the feeling of a cozy hug right when you need it. People including kids and adults with autism reportedly respond favorably to this sensory input, highlights Beth Malow, MD, a neurology and pediatrics professor at Vanderbilt University.

Science has been flirting with the idea of weighted blankets aiding sleep, but they're still in the early dating phase. A tiny study in BMC Psychiatry in 2024 played matchmaker for weighted blankets and sleep improvement, but it wasn't exactly a Hollywood romance. The study scrutinized the sleep patterns of 102 insomnia sufferers. Half of them cuddled with a weighted blanket while the other half were stuck with regular blankets. By the end of a month, those wrapped in a weighted blanket were sleeping like babies and rarely waking up at night. However, daytime sleepiness, stress, anxiety, fatigue, body aches- both the weighted and regular blanket users were pretty much on the same page.

"In reality, sleep is a complex bitch and what works for one might not work for another," Malow admits. A review in 2024 suggests that weighted blankets could be of service to sleep-challenged adults, though the jury's still out on their benefits for kids.

If you're now intrigued and eager to get into bed with a weighted blanket, here's some advice from Kit Lee, MD, a family medicine physician at Loyola University. Pick a blanket that weighs around 10% of your body weight (feel free to go a bit heavier or lighter depending on what feels right for you). Pay attention to the blanket's size, material, and whether it'll make you feel like you're sleeping in the middle of an inferno or an ice cave. Smaller, lighter lap blankets could also work for relaxation sessions outside of the bed.

Weighted blankets do have a few ground rules for safe use. They're not playthings for infants, toddlers, or people who can't remove the blankets themselves. Use with caution if you have obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory diseases, claustrophobia, low blood pressure, or problems with circulation.

But for the majority, it's a low-tech sleep aid that's worth a shot. After all, if it doesn't weigh you down too much, it could well be the heavyweight champion of a good night’s sleep.