If your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, the TheaWellbeing blyss weighted blanket with cover is a fantastic value for money buy. For children, we love the Snoozzzy dinosaur weighted blanket. Ease anxiety and stress – designed to give you a therapeutic gentle hug helping you to prepare for sleep

As the weighted blanket that proved most effective at soothing our testers to sleep and keeping them in the land of the Nod until the alarm went off in the morning, the Simba orbit weighted blanket had to be our best buy. It’s not the cheapest blanket, but the quality and design warrant the investment.

How to wash a weighted blanket

The Allure Slumber Weighted Blanket is a heavy blanket which is available in six different weights and three sizes. This is because some children might have tactile sensitivities and simply not like the feeling of the weighted blanket. However, at the same time, other sources have claimed that weighted blankets can help lower this hypersensitivity to touch. From the eco-friendly options, bamboo and eucalyptus are clean forerunners. Just like cotton, they make for a breathable fabric and even offer a bit of cooling to keep your body temperature down. Although they can be a bit more expensive. Getting plenty of sleep gives your mind and opportunity to unwind and de-stress, allowing your emotional well being to be restored. This can improve both your mood around the home and your productivity at work.

Available in 3 sizes containing different weights means the weighted blanket is suitable for both adults and kids alike. Consult your physician for recommended blanket weight, although this is usually between 7-12% of your body weight. The 4kg blanket is ideal for children, whilst the 6kg and 8kg weight is suited to adults. Please note: this product should not be used by very young children, who are unable to move the blanket themselves.It’s generally safe for adults to sleep with a weighted blanket every night – in fact, our tester now sleeps under their Simba blanket at all times. Starting slow can be a good idea, though. As well as helping to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, we heard rumours that weighted blankets could improve your sleep. As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend that our blanket be approximately 10% of the user's body weight. This is where the blanket will be most effective. Its Karma switch blankets come with removable covers in various colours, including indigo, olive green, peachy petal and, of course, grey. And if that’s not enough choice, the covers are reversible to offer an additional option, and they can be bought separately to give so much more choice. Karmara’s weighted blankets are also available in a wide range of weights, including 6kg, 8kg, 10kg and 12kg. Washable weighted blankets are the ones filled with glass beads, poly pellets, steel shot beads, or the ones entirely made from organic cotton. You can wash any of these by hand or in a washing machine (provided that they fit). Also, if they come with a removable cover – you can wash the cover in a washing machine, as well.

Start by reading the care label. Then, according to the instructions, soak your weighted blanket in a tub filled with cold or lukewarm water and mild detergent for 15 minutes. Then, rinse and repeat until you're left with nothing but clean water. Or, wash your blanket in a machine. The popularity of weighted blankets has been growing over the last few years and the choice on offer has naturally increased to cater. The resulting delicate yet firm pressure reaches the deep-seated receptors and helps with the release of serotonin and endorphins, chemicals that our body naturally produces to make us feel calm and relaxed.Secondly, don't overlook the size of the blanket. Just like it's important to get the right weight, you also want to nail the size of the weighted blanket. A study has also shown that you are 30% more likely to be obese if you do not get enough good quality sleep. So, when stimulated, the parasympathetic system lowers our blood pressure and pulse, slows down breathing, and increases the secretion of hormones like dopamine and serotonin promoting relaxation and calmness. Finding the perfect cover shouldn’t be too troublesome. It all boils down to the material of the cover if we’re being honest. And that's because the cover material dictates all of the important features you'd want: how easy it is to wash, how well it can regulate the temperature, and how soft it is to the touch.

Henderson recommends that people with a medical condition or concerns about using a weighted blanket consult a medical professional before investing. And young children should be supervised when using a weighted blanket. How to wash a weighted blanket Simba may be best known for its rolled-up mattresses, but the brand’s sleep-promoting expertise extends far beyond what we sleep on, it seems. The Orbit weighted blanket promises “better, deeper sleep”, and we found it delivered, allowing our tester to sleep soundly throughout the night. A common question that we receive is how heavy should a weighted blanket be? The answer to this question depends entirely on the person using the blanket. Weighted blankets use gentle pressure to promote a sense of calm and relaxation and reduce feelings of anxiety. “The pressure of the weight stimulation from a weighted blanket can have a soothing, calming effect on the body, which is then relayed to the mind through the power of the mind-body connection,” says Nichola Henderson, a holistic life, self-development coach and wellness specialist.

Slumberdown weighted blanket

Although we can't go too in-depth here, we'd like to give you a few tips when it comes to the covers you use for your weighted blanket. Most of the time, a cotton cover is going to be your safest option. Cotton covers and sheets typically have a high level of breathability, are soft to the touch, and aren't too expensive. As they release feel-good chemicals to your brain, most people that use them find that they help to relieve anxiety symptoms, and promote relaxation. The general rule is to start with a weighted blanket that is about 10 per cent of your body weight, says Henderson. “So, someone of 11 stone, 154lbs, would use a blanket with a weight of around 15lbs. This is recommended only as a guide; preferred weights can vary between 5 per cent to 12 per cent of a person’s weight.