Are Weighted Blankets Safe for Seniors?
At Luna, we love to spread awareness about the cozy comfort a weighted blanket can provide and the many benefits to overall well-being. Since we design our premium weighted blankets based on sleep science, users are sure to reap the calming and relaxing benefits of Deep Pressure Stimulation: ranging from improved sleep quality to reduced anxiety, and more. While we have covered whether kids and pets can use weighted blankets, you may be wondering, “are weighted blankets safe for seniors?” So long as you stick to the size and weight recommendations, they most certainly are and can provide fantastic benefits for grandparents or other elderly friends and loved ones in your life!
3 Weighted Blanket Benefits for the Elderly
As we grow old, our needs, bodies, and health naturally change. A weighted blanket for seniors can help to address and alleviate some of these inevitable changes. Here are three of our favorites:
Improves Sleep Quality
As people age, sleep patterns and sleep quality change. According to some studies on the relationship between age and sleep, the part of the brain connected to our circadian rhythms—natural cycles that determine when the body releases certain hormones, is tired vs. alert, when one may feel hungry, etc.— deteriorates with age. As those cycles change, sleep quality is typically negatively affected. Additionally, many seniors get less exposure to natural sunlight which, over time, affects the levels of melatonin the body will produce. As you may know, a weighted blanket’s main benefit is improving overall sleep quality by providing Deep Pressure Stimulation which signals the brain to produce melatonin and serotonin. This helps one drift off to deeper sleep and given a senior’s reduction in melatonin levels, a weighted blanket can be immensely beneficial.
Helps To Relax and Relieve Stress
Weighted blankets have benefits beyond sleep for seniors, too. They can be used as a useful tool throughout the day as well in helping to induce a natural state of calm and relaxation. While stressors of senior life may pile up or be a symptom of another disorder or condition—like the anxiety related to Alzheimer’s Disease—a weighted blanket can be used to help the elderly stay calm and collected throughout their day while also helping to optimize their rest and downtime.
Feels Like A Warm Hug
While we often describe the effects of a Luna weighted blanket as akin to a warm lingering hug or a swaddled baby, young ones aren’t the only ones who can benefit from a big, warm, cozy hug feeling! The elderly may love a Luna weighted blanket for the same reason. And you may love to gift a weighted blanket to a grandparent or other beloved senior in your life. Whether they are widowed, in a home, or simply miss their bustling home of years passed, a weighted blanket can provide a hint of comfort to loneliness or longing!
Order a Luna Weighted Blanket for Your Senior Loved Ones
Whether it’s to help a grandparent sleep a bit better, get more rejuvenating rest, or feel a warm sense of loving comfort—or maybe all three—a Luna weighted blanket can be a lovely gift for the elderly. Start with our best-selling cotton weighted blanket, or if you know they may love extra-plush-and-coziness, the sherpa weighted blanket is also a fantastic option. Order today and let Luna do the rest!
