Why Do I Hate My Weighted Blanket?

“Buy a weighted blanket,” they said. “You’ll love it,” they said. But here you are, throwing your weighted blanket to the floor in disgust. Are you missing something about this whole ‘weighted blanket’ thing? Or is everyone just nuts?

If this sounds too familiar, let me assure you… there’s not a single thing wrong with you. But there might be a few things wrong with your weighted blanket. If your weighted blanket is causing pain or if your weighted blanket feels claustrophobic, it is likely that the blanket you are using has one (or all) of the following design flaws.

1. It does not conform to your body shape or size
2. The weight/compression is too heavy or lumpy
3. The shifting weight does not maintain consistent contact with your nerves

These design flaws are common among mass-produced weighted blankets sold in large retail outlets. They are often manufactured overseas and have no scientific basis to their claim of therapeutic relief. 

If your previous weighted blanket purchase has proven to be disappointing, please know that it is not your fault.

Here at CapeAble, we are passionate about empowering you with the knowledge you need to wade through the marketing hype.

Three Problems of Mass-Produced Weighted Blankets

1. Your Weighted Blanket Does Not Conform to Your Body Shape or Size

Our bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and none of us are Flat Stanleys. With most mass-produced weighted blankets, the sandglass will fall to the side of your body: your legs, your arms, etc. The sandglass will shift, twist, and bunch. 

You may feel restrained and will constantly be rearranging your blanket.

What you want is a blanket that controls the exact amount of pressure per square inch. You want a blanket that keeps the weight evenly distributed across all the curves of your body.

2. The Blanket is Too Heavy

Mass produced blankets are manufactured with the total weight of the blanket in mind and do not factor in the size of the blanket or the distribution of weight.

They follow the outdated formula that the total weight of the blanket should be 10-15% of the user's body weight.

This formula is flawed because it gives no concern to how much weight per square inch is on your nerves. You could have an entire half a pound laying across your knee, and no weight at all on your thigh.

This old formula is taken from spinal health advisors for backpacks and purses and was never intended as a formula for a blanket you will be using all night long.

This faulty formula can actually result in aches, pains, and joint compression.

A weighted blanket does not need to be crazy heavy as a whole. It simply needs to give that "just right" little bit of pressure on as many nerves as possible. That's when the stress and anxiety relief happens.

3. The Constant Shifting Prevents Continuous and Consistent Contact with Your Nerves

Large squares + sandglass beads + gravity + curvy body = inconsistent contact with your nerves.

If your weighted blanket is not evenly and consistently remaining in contact with as many pressure nerves as possible, your body cannot produce the oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine needed for true relief.

Your weighted blanket should maintain even weight distribution for more nerve contact, enabling an instant neurological release to calm the sympathetic nervous system and relieve stress and anxiety.

What To Look For In A Weighted Blanket

So, what do you need to look for in your next weighted blanket in order to avoid these pitfalls?

• Small distribution squares, less than 3x3 inches
• Small round glass beads, larger than sandglass
• No added heat trapping poly-fill (often added to attempt to control shifting)

When you have a blanket made this way, you don’t have to worry about the overall weight of the blanket, because the point isn’t the overall weight, but the weight per square inch. Your focus should be on the distribution of weight; it has nothing to do with being 10-15% of your body weight.

When weighted blankets are done properly, the compression is gentle, like a massage on your nerves, creating a beautiful calming effect. They conform perfectly to your body, whether you’re a back, belly or side sleeper.

CapeAble® Weighted Products Delivers the Best Weight Distribution

SmartWeight® by CapeAble® has broken the mold on antiquated designs and makes weighted blankets and wraps that conform to any body shape/size/age, compresses gently and evenly and provides constant and consistent contact with more nerves. We want to get on your nerves, in the best possible way.