VOA健康报道2025--Do Weighted Blankets Have Health Benefits?

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

When her husband gave her a weighted blanket to help her sleep, Rhonda James did not think it would work. In other words, she was skeptical². But five minutes after covering herself with the blanket, she was asleep.

“It felt like a really big hug,” said James. She is a banker who lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

As temperatures drop, a weighted blanket can be a popular choice to help you keep warm. But some people say the extra pressure of the cover also helps to ease³ their worries and fall asleep faster.

However, research on the effectiveness of weighted blankets is limited. The Associated Press recently reported on what is known about weighted blankets.

First, what is a weighted blanket?

Weighted blankets are filled with small glass balls, cotton or another filling. This makes them heavier than usual blankets.

Scientists may not know exactly how the blankets comfort, but they have a few ideas.

The heavy, even feeling from a weighted blanket may calm the brain's fight-or-flight response, said Dr. Neal Walia. He is a sleep medicine expert at University of California, Los Angeles Health.

He said, “The evenly distributed weight on you tells your body..." you are in a "...calm environment.'”

The extra pressure also may cause the brain to release⁴ the hormone⁵ oxytocin. Sometimes called the “love hormone,” the body creates oxytocin during loving moments, such as hugging. Oxytocin can also lower anxiety, Walia said.

How do you use a weighted blanket?

For most healthy adults, experts say to choose a blanket that is about 10 percent of your body weight.

However, the blankets are not good for everyone.

For example, some people may find them too hot to use, especially during warmer weather.

People with breathing problems or disorders⁷ such as sleep apnea should check with a doctor before using a weighted blanket.

Experts say to not use weighted blankets for children under three years old. The weight can limit their movement and breathing.

Some people may not be able to buy them. They can be costly⁸. A quality weighted blankets can cost between $50 to over $300. This depends on the size, weight and material.

Some people use them for other reasons than sleep. Rhonda James gets under her blanket to relax as she watches television or drinks a glass of wine.

Lucy Taylor, a writer from Wales, also uses a weighted blanket. Her anxiety increases during the winter. So, she uses her blanket during cold months to fall asleep. She says when her body is relaxed, her mind relaxes too.

Can weighted blankets improve sleep?

There is little scientific research on whether weighted blankets help with sleep, anxiety, or other health issues. The studies that exist involve small groups of people. And most of the study subjects are people with conditions including sleep problems, long-term pain, and mental and developmental disorders.

A study on 120 people with insomnia⁹, an inability to get enough sleep, found that the weighted blankets helped them sleep better compared to a light blanket.

Another study considered 67 children with the developmental and brain disorder⁶ autism. That research found that weighted blankets did not affect the children's sleep at all. However, it also found that the study subjects liked the weighted blankets more than non-weighted blankets.

A third study on 94 adults with chronic¹⁰ pain found that a heavier weighted blanket did not affect sleep. But it was better at reducing pain than a lighter¹¹ blanket.

So, there is not much scientific evidence to support health improvement¹² claims about weighted blankets. However, in most cases they also cannot hurt, sleep experts say.

Dr. Daniel Barone is a sleep medicine expert at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. He suggests the use of weighted blankets to his patients after they try other traditional treatments and medicines.

“If it doesn't hurt and it may help, it's worth a shot,” he said.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.

Words in This Story

blanket -n. a large warm usually rectangular¹³ covering used for beds

hug -n. to press (someone) tightly¹⁴ in one's arms especially as a sign of affection¹⁵

comfort -v. to give strength and hope to

response -n. a reaction of a living thing to a stimulus¹⁶

distribute -v. to spread out so as to cover something

anxiety -n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

relax -v. to make or become loose or less tense

chronic -adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

3 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

4 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

5 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

6 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

7 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

10 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

11 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

12 improvement   

n.改进，增进；改进之处，改善的地方

参考例句：

• The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.医生注意到病人在逐渐恢复健康。
• I can detect signs of improvement in your thinking.我可以察觉出你思考问题方面的进步。

13 rectangular   

adj.矩形的，成直角的

参考例句：

• He put a rectangular box on the table.他把一个长方形的箱子放在桌子上。
• The equations are written in rectangular coordinates.这些方程是在直角座标系中写出的。

14 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

15 affection   

n.喜爱；爱慕，感情；倾向，意向

参考例句：

• The handsome young man excited affection in a girl.那位英俊的年轻男子引起了一个女孩的爱慕之情。
• He has a deep affection for his old friend.他对老朋友感情很深。

16 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。