A fascinating aspect of homeware and bedding is that a significant number of the designs and textiles that are used today mix tradition and modernity in fascinating ways.
This can be seen with the breathability of bamboo bedsheets, for example, but is particularly prominent with our range of minky soft weighted blankets.
The comfort and pressure provided by a weighted blanket has a calming effect that can help provide calm, reduce stress and lower heart rates. It works for the same reasons that being hugged by a person or having a large dog lie on your lap can feel comforting.
To understand how it works, it is worth exploring where the concept came from. Given the simple, common-sense principles behind it, it has a remarkably short history.
Temple Grandin And The Principles Of Pressure
Much of the work that led to the effectiveness of the weighted blanket began with Dr Temple Grandin, a prolific academic writer on livestock, animal behaviour and autism during a time when all three were not completely understood.
The breadth of her contributions is difficult to truly convey, but she was one of the first people to study the effects of deep pressure stimulation on people, inspired by the squeeze chutes used to keep animals still when they were being inoculated.
Dr Grandin noticed that she would struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, but after she tried the squeeze chute, she felt relief. She created a prototype hug machine designed to provide weight and pressure evenly across the body.
How it works is that it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the neurological process associated with relaxation, digestion and being at ease.
Whilst the hug machine is effective, it is also an expensive solution that not every person can afford.
By the 1990s, however, an alternative was being developed.
Magic Weighted Blanket
In 1997, Keith and Lynda Zivalich developed the first commercially sold weighted blanket to act as a soothing comforter for children with sensory issues.
Mr Zivalich allegedly was inspired by the feeling of a Beanie Baby, then part of a gigantic speculative bubble. The understuffed bean-filled plushies provided a malleable, soothing pressure over his shoulder, making him want to create a product that provides a hug whenever it’s needed.
They grew in popularity amongst people with clinical anxiety, sensory issues, autism and people with other similar psychological needs.
New Product Or New Marketing?
The year when everything changed for the weighted blanket was 2017, when the first weighted blanket not marketed as a specialist aid was developed and sold.
Over the years, the potential for a weighted blanket to help has only increased as a stress reliever and sleep aid, right at a time when people are feeling more anxious and worried than ever before.
The underlying principles and technology have not changed at all, as whilst there are now multiple methods to get the weighted effect, the core principle behind a weighted blanket has always been to match the pressure of a hug by providing a soft, comfortable weight.