11 best weighted blankets and weighted comforters of the year
A weighted comforter may help ease loneliness and help promote sleep and is somewhat different than a weighted blanket — here's how to find the best one.
Bearaby’s weighted comforter includes a glass filler encased in a blend of cotton and eucalyptus fiber.
Most of the benefits of a weighted comforter duplicate those of a weighted blanket, but comforters do add some unique features that elevate their usefulness.
Like weighted blankets, they might help ease loneliness and help promote sleep. While there’s no hard evidence that a weighted blanket will help you sleep, a weighted comforter or blanket might mimic the feeling of human contact, a welcome respite during self-isolation. “It’s very timely,” said Dasgupta. “If you don’t have anyone to give you a big hug, you can put the blanket on you while you’re trying to relax.”
Rafael Pelayo, MD, a clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and a board-certified sleep specialist, suggested it might also release oxytocin, a hormone that promotes social bonding, thus making it a practical consideration before prescription or over-the-counter drugs. And the National Sleep Foundation stipulates that a weighted blanket might lull you to sleep the same way you once were as a newborn.
Like weighted blankets, they could help those with special needs. As we previously reported in BETTER, one popular use for weighted blankets is in helping treat children with disorders like autism and ADHD.
“My son has autism, and what does the blanket provide? That sensory stimulus that many kids with autism need,” Dasgupta told NBC News, adding the function it can provide parents who are navigating similar situations with restricted access to their normal routines during the pandemic. “It puts a lot on these hard-working parents to calm them down, and if they can use a weighted blanket to help the kids refocus […] this is a time where it may be necessary,” he said.
Unlike weighted blankets, weighted comforters might be cleaner. “We knew that hygiene was a pain point with many weighted blankets and sought to offer a solution by creating ours as a comforter built for our duvet covers to allow for washing,” said Katie Elks, director of design and product development at Brooklinen. “Most weighted blankets are unable to be washed.”
With these benefits, there are some drawbacks to weighted blankets and comforters you should keep in mind while shopping:
Because sleep is such an essential component of general health and wellbeing, it’s imperative that a weighted comforter perform both stylistically (read: fancy interchangeable duvet covers) as well as functionally.
Brooklinen’s weighted comforters use the same “high-quality, breathable materials” as their original comforters, said Elks, who suggested that shoppers are more likely to return to a fabric like sateen — a cooling, silky material — that they already know and love. But according to Dasgupta, there’s no one material you should opt for over another. “Brooklinen’s formula might work for some, but it ultimately comes down to personal preference,” he said. Always read the label and ensure you’re not allergic to any, he advised.
Above all, Dasgupta recommends: Avoid thinking of weighted blankets and comforters as panaceas. “You can’t just buy a weighted blanket or comforter and get good sleep immediately. It’s one part of the foundation of good sleep,” he said. “On top of just wearing a blanket, you need set bedtimes, set wake times, to watch your diet, exercise and watch what you eat and when you eat — adding the blanket to that foundation is when you get results.”
Whether you’re looking for warmth while you read or a sense of calm while you sleep, these options work double duty as both a weighted blanket and comforter.
Because its weight is centered in the middle of the comforter to prevent it from slipping off the mattress, you can wrap yourself in its outermost surface area on the couch when you’re looking for a lighter touch.
Because this uber-plush option comes in three sizes (twin, queen and king), it could essentially operate as a weighted comforter. Wash its outer layer to achieve better sleep hygiene and perhaps find comfort in its cozy fleece or cooling cotton side, depending on your temperature needs.
The Purple+ Gravity Weighted Blanket features dual-sided technology. One side has a mink fabric that offers comfort and the other side has a cooling fabric which is ideal for warm sleepers. Weighted beads are distributed throughout the blanket so that you can sleep under even pressure.
Tranquility created a temperature-regulated weighted blanket that keeps you warm in the winter months and cool to prevent night sweats during the still distant summer season. It's available in four weights, ranging from 12 to 20 pounds, and prices start at $38 to $45, respectively.
Its gridded stitching on a microfleece exterior ensures even weight distribution. For added comfort, pair it with the Gravity Weighted Sleep Mask to ease tension on facial pressure points.
This heavyweight in the bedding industry works as a single-use blanket for lounging and an added layer on top of your comforter. Plus, it’s washable.
This heavyweight in the bedding industry works as a single-use blanket for lounging and an added layer on top of your comforter. Plus, it’s washable.
CORRECTION (April 30, 2020, 9 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misspelled the last name of a Stanford University professor. He is Rafael Pelayo, not Palayo.
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