Study (2022): Increased melatonin release through therapy blankets

Weighted blankets have proven to be a potential non-pharmacological intervention for alleviating conditions such as insomnia and anxiety. Despite a lack of experimental evidence, these alleged effects are often attributed to reduced activity of endogenous stress systems and increased release of hormones such as oxytocin and melatonin. The aim of the present laboratory crossover study (26 young and healthy participants, including 15 men and 11 women) was therefore to investigate whether using a weighted blanket (~12% of body weight) at bedtime compared to a light blanket (~2.4% of body weight) leads to higher salivary concentrations of melatonin and oxytocin. Possible differences in salivary concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase activity (as a measure of sympathetic nervous system activity), subjective sleepiness, and sleep duration were also examined. 

When using a weighted blanket, the one-hour increase in salivary melatonin from baseline (i.e., 10:00 PM) to lights out (i.e., 11:00 PM) was about 32% higher (p = 0.011). No further significant differences between blanket conditions were found, including subjective sleepiness and total sleep duration. This study is the first to suggest that using a weighted blanket may lead to a stronger release of melatonin at bedtime. Future studies should investigate whether the stimulating effect on melatonin release is observed at night with frequent use of a weighted blanket over weeks or months. It remains to be clarified whether the observed melatonin increase could be therapeutically relevant for the previously described effects of the weighted blanket on insomnia and anxiety.

About the study

Source: 

Meth, E. M. S., Brandão, L. E. M., van Egmond, L. T., Xue, P., Grip, A., Wu, J., Adan, A., Andersson, F., Pacheco, A. P., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Cedernaes, J., & Benedict, C. (2023). A weighted blanket increases pre-sleep salivary concentrations of melatonin in young, healthy adults. Journal of sleep research, 32(2), e13743. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13743