Parenting

If You Love Feeling Snug But Hate Someone Touching You All Night, This Blanket Is For You

by Julie Scagell
Image via The Gravity Blanket

Gravity Blanket relieves stress and claims to provide more restful sleep

Do you love the thought of snuggling all night in the arms of the one you love, wrapped up all together a tangled, sweaty mess of arms and legs? Or does the thought of being touched in any way by another human being while you sleep make your skin crawl at such a rate that you would rather pull your pubes out, one by one, with a handheld pair of tweezers?

If you are in the latter category (welcome, we are glad you are here), there is a new blanket on the market that offers the benefits of a hug without actually having to physically touch someone while you slumber.

The Gravity Blanket is a weighted bedspread with “pockets of plastic pellets” allowing it to weigh between 15 and 25 pounds. The blanket’s mass is designed to “harnesses the power of deep touch stimulation – a proven anxiety treatment – to gently distribute deep pressure across your body.” By doing this, the blanket touches pressure points in the body that can relieve anxiety and stress, which calm you into a restful night’s sleep.

Image via Gravity Blanket

According to their Kickstarter, “(The pressure) increases serotonin and melatonin levels and decreases cortisol levels—improving your mood and promoting restful sleep at the same time,” essentially acting as a natural stress reliever. It’s like the sun, but at night. They could have called it the “Snight” or the “Nun” but we guess Gravity Blanket may be less confusing for buyers.

Therapists have been using weighted blankets for years to help reduce anxiety and stress, especially in kids with sensory disorders like autism, but this is the first time this type of blanket will be available to the general public. This is the perfect gift for any parent who knows how precious any amount of sleep is and for all of their children because if this blanket helps them sleep even 30 minutes longer on a Saturday, we will pay all of the money.

It seems the general public agrees. The Kickstarter has already raised over $1.8M on a goal of just $21,500 and it still has 25 days to go.

Image via Gravity Blanket

The blanket is engineered to be around 10 percent of your body weight and helps relax the nervous system by simulating the feeling of being held or hugged. It’s basically like a giant adult swaddle but your arms aren’t pinned to your sides and you can still throw a foot out, which everyone knows is the most scientific way to achieve the perfect hot to cold ratio while you sleep (which you will still do even though that serial killer under your bed could reach out at any moment and grab it. Because you are brave.)

The blanket won’t be ready to ship until October and we have a feeling with this many backers, the makers of the Gravity Blanket will be busy bees until then. Good thing they have a blanket to help them get a better night’s sleep — we have a feeling they are going to need it.