A weighted blanket eased insomnia in one trial, but babies should never sleep under one

Key takeaways

• In a 2020 Swedish trial, 42% of insomnia patients with psychiatric conditions reached the no-insomnia range after four weeks under a heavy chain blanket, compared with 4% under a light one¹.
• Keep weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles and any other weighted item off and away from a sleeping baby, the American Academy of Pediatrics says⁴.
• Wool pajamas helped older adults fall asleep faster in a small lab study with wool-industry ties, but wool can worsen eczema, so cotton is the gentler pick for itchy skin⁶⁷⁸.
• Nighttime acid exposure was lowest on the left side in a 2022 study of 57 people tested for reflux, and a pillow between the knees is a free thing to try for back pain⁹¹³.
• Back pain that wakes you, chest pressure that feels like heartburn, or one swollen, painful leg in pregnancy needs medical care, not a new pillow¹²¹³¹⁴.

At Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, researchers gave 120 adults one of two chain blankets to take home. All had insomnia along with a psychiatric condition such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD or generalized anxiety¹.

About half got a blanket weighing 8 kilograms, close to 18 pounds. The rest got a look-alike made with plastic chains that weighed about 1.5 kilograms, or roughly 3 pounds¹.

After four weeks, 42% of the heavy-blanket group scored in the no-insomnia range on a standard questionnaire. In the light-blanket group, 4% did¹.

That’s a striking result from one trial. It also comes with a hard limit. The pressure that may calm an anxious adult has no place in a crib: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says no weighted product of any kind belongs on or near a sleeping baby⁴.

Comfort at night is the blanket, the fabric on your skin, the side you sleep on, and the aches and itches that wake you. Our companion article covers mattresses and pillows.

Weighted blankets: one striking trial, softer evidence overall

The Swedish study, published in 2020 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, was carefully designed¹. People were told only that they’d get one of two chain blankets, with nothing said about weight. The person rating their sleep didn’t know which blanket they had¹.

Keeping that secret wasn’t easy. In one case, a participant’s blanket set off an airport metal detector, and the rater found out¹.

The results were large. Nearly 6 in 10 people under the heavy blanket cut their insomnia score at least in half, compared with about 1 in 20 under the light one¹.

Wrist motion monitors told a quieter story. They found no overall difference between the groups in total sleep time or time awake at night¹. People felt the change more clearly than the devices could measure it.

Ten people found 8 kilograms too heavy and switched to 6, about 13 pounds. One person quit because the blanket caused anxiety¹. Region Stockholm, the regional health authority, funded the work, and the authors reported no conflicts of interest. The paper doesn’t say who made or supplied the blankets¹.

A 2024 review in Complementary Therapies in Medicine pooled eight randomized trials, studies that assign people to groups by chance, with 426 people who had mental health conditions².

• Weighted blankets eased anxiety a little².
• For insomnia, the combined result of three trials fell just short of statistical significance, though two similar trials together did show a benefit².
• About half the trials carried a high risk of bias, mostly because people weren’t blinded and rated their own symptoms².
• No serious side effects were reported².

The reviewers called weighted blankets a possibly safe and effective add-on treatment, while stressing how few and small the studies were². They also noted that a practice guideline on insomnia in children and teens with autism questioned whether the evidence supports the blankets².

For an adult who likes the feeling of pressure, a weighted blanket is a reasonable, low-risk experiment. Since some people in the Swedish trial found it too heavy or anxiety-provoking¹, pick one you can easily push off, and stop if it feels confining. Expectations play a part when you can feel a treatment, as our placebo article explains.

For babies, no weight on or near a sleeping infant

The AAP’s parent site is blunt: don’t use weighted blankets, sleepers, swaddles or any other weighted object on or near your baby⁴.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) gives parents the same advice: “Don’t use weighted blankets or weighted swaddles”³. In April 2024, CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. wrote that Target, Walmart, Nordstrom and Babylist had committed to stop selling weighted infant products. Amazon, he added, had begun telling customers it would no longer let sellers list them³.

His statement cited a June 2023 letter from the AAP’s president linking these products to worrying drops in babies’ oxygen levels³. He wrote that multiple infant deaths had occurred in weighted infant products, without giving a count³.

Be clear about what that statement was. It was one commissioner’s account of retailers’ voluntary decisions, not a Commission vote or a federal rule³.

The rest of the AAP’s safe-sleep basics, updated on its parent site in September 2026⁴:

• Put your baby down on their back for every nap and every night, until age 1.
• Use a firm, flat surface that doesn’t indent when your baby lies on it, with a fitted sheet only. A surface tilted more than 10 degrees is unsafe for sleep.
• Keep blankets, pillows, stuffed toys and bumper pads out of the bed.
• Keep your baby in your room, in their own sleep space, for at least the first 6 months, and avoid bed-sharing under any circumstances.
• Overheating can raise the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). For warmth, use a wearable blanket, dress your baby in one more layer than you have on, and skip hats indoors once you’re home from the hospital.
• Swaddling doesn’t lower SIDS risk. Stop at the first signs your baby is attempting to roll, usually around 3 to 4 months and sometimes sooner.

Fabrics: the wool studies, and what itchy skin needs

One fabric has a small body of sleep research behind it: wool.

In a 2019 study in Nature and Science of Sleep, 36 healthy adults ages 50 to 70 spent four nights in a sleep lab, wearing cotton, polyester or Merino wool sleepwear in random order⁶. The room was warm: 30°C, or 86°F, at 50% humidity⁶.

Among participants 65 and older, wool cut the time to fall asleep to about 12 minutes, compared with about 27 minutes in cotton and 22 in polyester⁶. Across the whole group, the authors called wool’s benefits small but statistically significant. Cotton and polyester showed no benefit across the 11 sleep measures⁶.

This is what to weigh. One of the paper’s five authors lists an affiliation with Australian Wool Innovation and The Woolmark Company⁶. A 2018 Australian Associated Press report on the then-unpublished results said the wool industry body funded the older-adult study⁷. The same report described an earlier study of 17 students in their 20s who fell asleep about 4 minutes faster in Merino than in cotton, 11 minutes versus 15⁷.

Small samples, a lab setting and industry ties don’t make results wrong. They do mean the evidence is promising but early. If wool pajamas feel good to you, there’s little downside, unless your skin objects.

That’s the catch for people with eczema. MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s consumer site, warns that wool and other scratchy fabrics can make eczema worse⁸. The wool studies were done in healthy people⁶.

For itchy skin at night, MedlinePlus suggests⁸:

• smooth, soft bedding and clothing, such as cotton;
• not overdressing, since sweating can worsen eczema;
• short, cool baths, then patting dry and applying moisturizer while skin is still damp;
• keeping a child’s nails short, and light gloves if scratching at night is a problem.

Call a clinician if eczema doesn’t improve with moisturizers and avoiding triggers, if it gets worse, or if fever, redness or pain suggests an infection⁸.

For night sweats, see our upcoming article on menopause and sleep. Our bedroom temperature article covers cooling and bed socks.

Sleep position: free fixes for back pain, reflux and snoring

The cheapest comfort tool is a spare pillow.

Back pain. MedlinePlus suggests lying curled on your side with a pillow tucked between your legs. Back sleepers can slip a pillow or a rolled towel beneath their knees to ease pressure¹³.

Reflux. Your sleep side may matter. In a 2022 study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers at Amsterdam University Medical Centers tracked 57 patients referred for reflux testing, using acid sensors and a sleep-position device⁹.

On the left side, the median share of the night with acid in the esophagus was 0.0%, compared with 1.2% on the right side and 0.6% on the back⁹. Acid also cleared faster on the left: a median of 35 seconds, versus 76 seconds on the back and 90 on the right⁹.

One author had ties to Side Sleep Technologies, which supplied the position devices⁹. MedlinePlus also advises raising the head of the bed about 6 inches and not eating within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime¹⁴. Our companion article on mattresses and pillows covers wedges and raising the bed.

Snoring. Nudging a snoring partner onto their side costs nothing to try. If snoring comes with gasping, choking or pauses in breathing, that can be a sign of a sleep disorder¹⁵. Our upcoming article on sleep apnea covers testing and treatments, including positional therapy.

These fixes share something natural-health readers value. They work with your body rather than overriding it, they cost little or nothing, and they put you in charge. Try one change at a time for a week or two and notice what shifts. Our article on testing a remedy on yourself shows how to keep that fair.

Pregnancy: two kinds of studies, one practical answer

Studies of sleep position in pregnancy come in two kinds, and at first they seem to disagree.

The case for side sleeping. Several research teams ran case-control studies, which compare people who had an outcome with people who didn’t and ask what differed. A combined analysis of five of them included 851 stillbirths at 28 weeks or later and 2,251 women for comparison¹¹.

Going to sleep on the back was linked to a 2.6-fold higher risk of stillbirth, after adjusting for other factors¹¹. Those authors argued that public campaigns urging side sleeping from 28 weeks should continue¹¹.

The reassuring study. In 2019, the U.S. nuMoM2b study reported on the sleep position of 8,706 women in their first pregnancy, up to 30 weeks¹⁰. Sleeping on the back or right side was not linked to stillbirth, small babies or high blood pressure disorders of pregnancy¹⁰.

These two lines of evidence don’t directly clash. The U.S. data stop at 30 weeks, and the case-control researchers noted that the study recorded few stillbirths¹¹. The U.S. authors agreed their findings don’t apply to the last trimester and said they hoped the results would reassure women in the first two¹¹.

What this means in practice:

• Before 30 weeks, the best prospective data are reassuring about sleep position¹⁰¹¹.
• From about 28 weeks, going to sleep on your side is a simple, low-cost step that case-control studies support¹¹.
• For pregnancy aches, MedlinePlus suggests side sleeping with a pillow tucked between your legs¹².

Case-control studies can be skewed by how people remember the past, so this rates as promising but early.

What the evidence supports

Claim	Evidence level	What the research shows
Weighted blankets ease insomnia in adults with psychiatric conditions	Promising but early	One strong trial; pooled results borderline; many trials at high risk of bias12
Weighted blankets ease anxiety	Promising but early	Small effect across five trials2
Weighted blankets, sleepers or swaddles for babies	Evidence says no, or unsafe	AAP and CPSC advise against; AAP cites drops in oxygen levels34
Wool sleepwear helps you fall asleep faster	Promising but early	Small lab studies with wool-industry ties67
Moisture-wicking fabrics ease night sweats	Not enough evidence	No trials found
Left-side sleeping reduces nighttime reflux	Promising but early	One 57-person sensor study; device company tie9
Side sleeping in late pregnancy lowers stillbirth risk	Promising but early	Case-control studies support it; a prospective study covered only to 30 weeks1011

A comfort troubleshooter

Find your problem, try the first fix for a week or two, and watch the last column.

Problem	Try this first	Evidence	See a clinician if
Low back aches in bed	On your side, pillow between knees; on your back, pillow under knees13	Not rated (standard advice)	Pain wakes you at night, runs below the knee, or comes with fever or bladder or bowel changes13
Heartburn at night	Left side; raise the head of the bed about 6 inches; no food 3 to 4 hours before bed914	Promising but early	Chest squeezing or pressure (call 911), black stools, trouble swallowing14
Itchy eczema	Cotton, cool bath, moisturize while damp, short nails8	Not rated (standard self-care)	No improvement, or fever, redness or pain8
Can’t settle, anxious mind	Weighted blanket you can push off (adults only)12	Promising but early	Often needing over 30 minutes to fall asleep, or frequent daytime sleepiness15
Pregnancy aches	Side sleeping, pillow between legs12	Not rated (standard advice)	Pain and swelling in one leg, severe belly pain, pain with bleeding or fever, or worsening headaches12
Partner snores	Side sleeping	Not rated here	Gasping, choking or pauses in breathing15
Baby seems cold	Wearable blanket; one layer more than you wear4	AAP guidance	Never add weighted products, loose blankets or an indoor hat4

When discomfort that wakes you needs a clinician

Some symptoms need a clinician, not a pillow.

Call 911 for a burning feeling with squeezing, crushing or pressure in the chest. MedlinePlus warns that what feels like heartburn is sometimes a heart attack¹⁴. Get urgent care for vomit that looks bloody or like coffee grounds, or black or maroon stools¹⁴.

Contact a provider right away if you have back pain with any of these¹³:

• pain that wakes you at night, or gets worse when you lie down;
• pain running down your leg below the knee;
• loss of bladder or bowel control;
• unexplained fever, or weakness or numbness in a leg.

In pregnancy, call your provider for one leg that is painful and swollen while the other isn’t, constant severe belly pain, pain with bleeding or fever, or headaches that worsen or don’t ease with rest¹².

Talk to a clinician about your sleep if it often takes you more than half an hour to fall asleep, if you wake often and can’t get back to sleep, or if you often feel sleepy during the day. The same goes if creeping or tingling in your legs eases when you move or rub them, especially in the evening¹⁵. Our upcoming article on when to seek medical evaluation for sleep problems goes deeper.

If worry, low mood or thoughts of self-harm are keeping you awake, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988; if a life is in danger, call 911⁵.

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Comfort is personal, but some of it is now measured. A weighted blanket helped adults with insomnia and psychiatric conditions in one well-run trial, and a broader review found smaller, less certain benefits. Wool pajamas have small studies with wool-industry ties behind them. Sleeping on your left side may calm nighttime reflux, and a pillow between your knees costs nothing.

Some lines are not personal. A baby sleeps on the back, on a firm, flat, bare surface, with no weighted products of any kind. In late pregnancy, side sleeping is a simple step worth taking. And pain that wakes you, chest pressure or a swollen leg deserves a clinician, not another pillow.

Related reading

• One trial favors medium-firm mattresses for back pain, and most bed claims are untested
• Your body sheds heat to fall asleep, and the 60 to 67°F rule is only a rough guide
• Reflux responds to habits, and acid pills are safer than headlines say
• Placebos ease how you feel but rarely change what doctors measure
• Who paid for the study matters, even when the science is real

Sources

1. Ekholm B, Spulber S, Adler M. “A Randomized Controlled Study of Weighted Chain Blankets for Insomnia in Psychiatric Disorders.” Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2020;16(9):1567–1577. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Zhao Y, Zhang Q, Liu Z, Zhao Z, Zhu Q. “Safety and Effectiveness of Weighted Blankets for Symptom Management in Patients With Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2024;87:103104 (DOAJ record). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3. Trumka RL Jr. “Target, Walmart, Nordstrom, and Babylist Commit to Stop Selling Weighted Infant Products.” Statement of Commissioner, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, April 26, 2024. cpsc.gov
4. American Academy of Pediatrics. “How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained.” HealthyChildren.org, last updated September 11, 2026. healthychildren.org
5. National Institute of Mental Health. “Depression.” NIH Publication No. 24-MH-8079, revised 2024. nimh.nih.gov
6. Chow CM, Shin M, Mahar TJ, Halaki M, Ireland A. “The Impact of Sleepwear Fiber Type on Sleep Quality Under Warm Ambient Conditions.” Nature and Science of Sleep, 2019;11 (DOAJ record). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7. Australian Associated Press. “Wool May Help Beat Insomnia: Aust Study.” SBS News, October 11, 2018. sbs.com.au
8. MedlinePlus. “Atopic Dermatitis – Self-Care.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, review date June 3, 2025. medlineplus.gov
9. HealthDay News. “Esophageal Acid Exposure Shorter With Left Lateral Sleep Position” (on Schuitenmaker JM, et al., The American Journal of Gastroenterology, February 2022). February 15, 2022. healthday.com
10. Silver RM, et al., for the NICHD nuMoM2b Network. “Prospective Evaluation of Maternal Sleep Position Through 30 Weeks of Gestation and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2019;134(4):667–676 (University of Texas Medical Branch record). researchexperts.utmb.edu
11. McCowan LME, Cronin RS, Gordon A, O’Brien L, Heazell AEP, for the CRIBBS Collaboration, and reply by the nuMoM2b authors. Letters on “Prospective Evaluation of Maternal Sleep Position Through 30 Weeks of Gestation.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2020;135(1):218 (posted by Star Legacy Foundation). starlegacyfoundation.org
12. MedlinePlus. “Aches and Pains During Pregnancy.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, review date November 8, 2024. medlineplus.gov
13. MedlinePlus. “Low Back Pain – Acute.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, review date June 27, 2026. medlineplus.gov
14. MedlinePlus. “Heartburn.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, review date January 24, 2025. medlineplus.gov
15. MedlinePlus. “Sleep Disorders.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, last updated December 4, 2025. medlineplus.gov