The mind of people with Attention Deficit Hypertension Disorder or ADHD is like a fast-moving train, always on the go and never seems to stop. The same condition also occurs even when they are sleep causing a lot of problems. One solution that seems effective is weighted blankets.
A research from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden observed that ADHD patients who used weighted blankets during sleep have less movement and calmer sleep. The blanket seemed to have a placebo effect on the patients as they reported to be more comfortable and well-rested during the night.
Typically, people with ADHD experience sleep problems which include anxiety, nightmare, trouble falling asleep, and breathing difficulties. This results in people with ADHD turning to medication to solve these sleep problems. However, these medications are not effective to some people while others become dependent on them and the dosage increases over time. This can have some adverse effects on them, especially if they are children.
Weighted blankets, on the other hand, provides the calm and comfort ADHD patients need without the adverse effects brought by drugs. These blankets are filled with pellets and weigh around 10 percent of the person's body weight. The pellets provide pressure that harnesses the power of deep touch stimulation across the person's body while they are sleeping.
Deep touch stimulation is a kind of stimulation that is exerted with firm touching, stroking, holding or swaddling. Such pressure produces a calming effect that increases serotonin and melatonin levels in the body while decreasing cortisol.
While weighted blankets are not the panacea to all ADHD woes, there are studies that support the calming effect of deep touch pressure not only in people with ADHD but also those who were diagnosed with autism.
