Sleep more peacefully under a weighted blanket: small Swedish study of 31 people with insomnia (2015)
Swedish researchers had 31 adults with chronic insomnia sleep under a weighted blanket for two weeks and measured how restless they slept. In this article, you’ll read what changed and why you should interpret this small study cautiously.
Through:Koen Dolron -
- Reading time: 5 min
Published: 13-10-2026 - 2026-10-13T09:14:25Z
Updated: 13-10-20262026-10-13T10:54:00Z
You go to bed at a normal time and are tired enough. Yet you toss and turn, and when you finally fall asleep, you wake up again a few hours later. In the morning, you get up as if you have barely slept. This has been going on for months, a few nights a week, while you are otherwise healthy.
Researchers in Gothenburg wanted to know what such a blanket does for otherwise healthy adults with chronic insomnia. Thirty-one people aged 21 to 66 took part. They slept for one week under their own duvet, for two weeks under a weighted blanket, and then for another week without one. A motion sensor worn on the wrist showed that they slept for longer stretches with the blanket and moved less at night. They also said they relaxed more easily and woke up feeling more rested.
However, the extensive home sleep measurement found no difference across the whole group in how long they slept or how long they were awake at night. There was no comparison group either, and everyone knew each night whether the heavy blanket was on the bed. That makes the result less convincing than it sounds. Below, you can read what you can and cannot conclude from it.
Why this was studied
Sleep medication can be addictive or cause side effects, the researchers write, and it can take a long time to see results from behavioral therapy. Until then, research into weighted blankets had focused mainly on children with conditions such as autism, and sleep itself was usually not measured. According to the researchers, this was the first study involving people with insomnia.
How the study worked
The participants had been sleeping poorly for more than three months, more than three nights a week, either having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and woke up feeling unrested. On an insomnia questionnaire, they scored an average of 19.5 out of 28 points: moderately severe. People with other conditions, such as sleep apnea or high blood pressure, did not take part. They were allowed to continue taking medication.
The researchers used a chain blanket. This is a weighted blanket in which metal chains provide the weight instead of small glass beads. Participants chose 6, 8, or 10 kg, usually 8 kg. This was 12 to 38% of their body weight, averaging 19%.
For four weeks, they wore an actigraph: a small device worn on the wrist that measures movement and shows when you are asleep. Twice, they had an extensive sleep measurement at home using sensors attached to the head and body (polysomnography), once during the week without the blanket and once at the end of the weeks with the blanket. Every morning, they rated their sleep, and at the end they completed a questionnaire about the blanket.
What the researchers found
Among the 27 people with usable wrist measurements, uninterrupted periods of sleep lasted longer with the blanket, and they moved less in bed.
In the week after the blanket (22 participants remained), those periods became shorter again and movement increased again. Compared with the week before the blanket, there was no longer any difference.
The home sleep measurement found no difference across the whole group in how long people slept or how long they were awake at night. Only 21 of the 25 people for whom the sleep measurement was successful showed an improvement in both. That group was selected afterward based on how much they liked the blanket.
The morning sleep-quality rating, where a lower score is better, went from 5.9 to 5.5.
On the final questionnaire, they said they liked sleeping under the blanket, relaxed more easily, and felt more rested in the morning. The weight did not bother them, gave them a feeling of safety, and did not make them feel warmer. The researchers found no adverse effects.
The researchers conclude that the participants slept more calmly with the blanket.
What this study does not say
There was no comparison group and no sham blanket, a blanket that looks the same but is not heavy. Everyone knew when the heavy blanket was on the bed. Expectations may therefore have played a role, especially in the questionnaires and the morning rating.
The improvement in the morning rating was small, and the home sleep measurement found no difference across the whole group in sleep duration or time spent awake.
There were 31 people, and not every measurement was successful for everyone.
Two weeks is a short time. We cannot tell from this study whether the effect remains once you get used to the blanket. Nor do we know whether a blanket with glass beads has the same effect.
This study says nothing about people with sleep apnea or a mental health condition.
Somna, the company that makes the blanket, helped pay for the study.
How this fits with other research
A larger Swedish study from 2020 took a stricter approach. Among 120 adults with insomnia and a mental health condition, randomization determined who received a weighted blanket with metal chains for four weeks and who received a light blanket. Symptoms decreased much more with the heavy blanket. Yet a motion sensor found no difference in time spent awake at night, while the participants themselves said they slept better. Read more in the summary of that study.
Regarding sleep products such as weighted blankets, the Dutch Brain Foundation writes that questionnaire-based research shows some effect for certain products. That research often involved people with mental health problems; according to the foundation, whether the products also help healthy people has not been studied sufficiently. This study involved people who were otherwise healthy apart from their insomnia, but without a comparison group it does not answer that question. See the bigger picture in the overview of all the research.
Study in brief
Researchers: R. Ackerley, G. Badre and H. Olausson, University of Gothenburg
Year and journal: 2015, Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders
Country: Sweden
Study type: a before-and-after study: everyone was compared with themselves, without randomization, a comparison group, or a sham blanket
Participants: 31 adults aged 21 to 66 with chronic insomnia
Duration: four weeks, including two weeks with the blanket
Blanket: weighted blanket with metal chains, 6, 8, or 10 kg (usually 8 kg)
Have you been sleeping poorly for three months or longer? The Dutch Brain Foundation recommends seeing your doctor. According to the foundation, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia often works well. A blanket does not replace such treatment. Do you snore loudly or stop breathing at night? First have it checked whether you have sleep apnea; read more about this on the safety page.
If you want to try one, the rule of thumb is approximately 10% of your body weight. This is a practical guideline, not a finding from this study; all the participants here were above it. Read more in the article about choosing the right weight, and find evening tips in our article about sleeping better.
Source
Ackerley, R., Badre, G., & Olausson, H. (2015). Positive Effects of a Weighted Blanket on Insomnia. Journal of Sleep Medicine & Disorders, 2(3), 1022. Article Checked on 2026-10-12.
Written by Koen Dolron, owner of Novaline. Koen is not a doctor, and Novaline does not provide medical advice: this page is intended as information. The summary is based on the original publication, which you can read yourself via the link above. Are you unsure whether a weighted blanket is suitable for you or your child, for example because of a medical condition or medication? Consult your doctor or healthcare provider first.
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- Koen
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's Nachts werkt de deken helaas niet voor mij, omdat het gewicht tijdens mijn slaap mijn vecht-of-vluchtreactie activeert. Dit kan natuurlijk een kwestie van wennen zijn.
Voor nu ben ik in ieder geval ontzettend blij met de deken om er overdag onder te rusten. Soms vouw ik de deken zelfs twee keer op, zodat ik een soort verzwaringskussen heb dat ik op mijn borst en buik leg. Ook dit geeft me veel kalmte. Het voelt een beetje alsof je een knuffel krijgt van je huisdier, alleen loopt deze deken niet weg wanneer hij buiten een vogeltje hoort.
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